Mumbrellacast

Influencer marketing is in the spotlight again, with SBS' The Feed airing a four-part investigation into the industry. The team unpacks some of the shadier aspects of influencer marketing and discusses why it is so difficult to regulate.

Plus, the team analyses the WPP AUNZ scheme implementation booklet as the takeover bid from WPP plc moves forward. Also at WPP this week, Group M CEO Mark Lollback departed. What's next for the group's media agencies while the search for his replacement is underway?

News Corp and Nine struck news payment deals with Facebook, after weeks of the social media platform reportedly dragging its feet. The two major players join Seven, Schwartz Media, Private Media, and Solstice Media on the deals list, but the ABC still doesn't have an agreement with Facebook or Google.

And, ahead of the 2021 season's launch, AFL Media's Julian Dunne gives a deeper insight into the return of the game to stadiums and what that means for the code as well as the brands and marketers that partner with it.

International Women's Day took place this week, and to mark the occasion Leo Burnett CEO Melinda Geertz joined the Mumbrellacast to talk about the importance of supporting women in advertising.

By reflecting on her own experiences and who inspired has inspired her career, Geertz dives into the importance of fostering a culture understands the needs of women in the workplace and reflecting the diversity of the talent pool in the make up of an agency.

The first radio ratings of 2021 also landed this week, which saw Melburnians change their radios back to FM while Sydneysiders stuck to AM and talk back. The survey also gave a glance at the performance of an abundance of new shows and re-branded stations across Australia. So, who do the Mumbrellacast team have their eye on?

And, ACM head Antony Catalano made another play to boost his regional media empire by making a deal to purchase nearly 19 million shares in Prime Media Group at a cost of $4.245 million, from fellow media mogul Bruce Gordon. The move for Prime comes just over a year after its shareholders voted down a merger with Seven West Media. The question now lies about whether the Australian Communications and Media Authority will allow Catalano to actually take control of Prime.

It was a week of CEO appointments. Leading the pack was Mike Sneesby, Hugh Marks' successor for the chief executive job at Nine. Few in the industry were shocked about the news, but what does this mean for the internal execs who unsuccessfully applied? Can Sneesby succeed if the board is as fractured as Nine's own newspapers suggest? And, where does this leave Stan?

Over in adland, UM, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett and Havas PR all also named new CEOs. The team chats through how each appointment indicates something different about the state of each business.

And ahead of the first radio ratings survey of the year, Triple M's Mike Fitzpatrick give a preview of the network's status in 2021. From the launch of Triple M Perth - bringing Basil Zempilas on board - to the 'dynamic' sound of The Marty Sheargold Show, and the importance of regional radio, Fitzpatrick feels confident about 2021.

This week, Facebook backtracked on its decision to pull news sharing from Australian users and, with some amendments, the News Media Bargaining Code passed the senate. Everyone seems to have come out a winner... except the small publishers. It's hardly the end of this saga, so what's next?

The media and marketing industry is in the throes of financial reporting season; first up on the podcast is Nine, which reported $1.2 billion in revenue and net profit up 79% to $182 million. It's the last results for outgoing CEO Hugh Marks, so the Mumbrellacast team dives into which parts of Nine were the most successful in the first half of the year, and speculate on who will take the chief executive crown.

It was also a full-year report from WPP AUNZ, and despite a decline in sales and EBIT, the group was heartened by its results being on-par with market projections. COVID-19 cost cutting and the implementation of CEO Jens Monees' transformation plan saw the group also manage to significantly lower costs. With a potential takeover from WPP plc in the works, the team looks ahead to what's next for WPP AUNZ.

And also in the news was the senate hearing into media diversity, triggered by a petition by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, which received 500,000 signatures. Joining the Mumbrellacast to chat through the issue was Media Diversity Australia's Antoinette Lattouf.

This week Pearman Media's Steve Allen joined the Mumbrellacast team to breakdown Google Showcase and what it means for publishers as negotiations in the News Media Bargaining Code roll on.

As well as being the first major media brand to sign up to Google Showcase, Seven West Media revealed its significant debt pile had been slashed by 42% to $329 million and reported a net profit of $116.4 million in the first half of the financial year, meaning the company's $170 million cost savings program is on track. In a better position than expected, the results raise questions about the importance of the performance of its upcoming content slate and whether the company should consider paying back the Job Keeper benefits which reportedly saved 120-150 jobs.

Plus, this morning Facebook announced it was pulling all news sharing from its platform, effective immediately. It wasn't just publishers that work up to find their pages blocked and content missing, but satirical sites, sports teams and the Bureau of Meteorology also got caught in the crosshairs. Now it's up to the Australian Government to move on the situation.

TV ratings returned this week, this time with the unusual inclusion of the Australian Open in the official ratings period. After doubt and quarantine crisis surrounded the tennis until its launch, how has the new schedule impacted programming on Seven and Ten? 2021 will be a big year in TV, but with the Olympic question remaining in everyone's minds, what will the landscape look like this year?

And with the Super Bowl comes headline-grabbing ads. But how did the big game ads differ this year after brands continue to feel the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic? And with the tennis in play and football on the horizon, how can Australian marketers make their mark in sports this year?

Plus, Chris Maxwell and Andy Gibson talk all things in-housing off the back of launching new consultancy Lution. The pair dive into the benefits of in-house advertising teams for marketers, how it improves creative work and answer if it really does attract high-level talent to the client-side.

This week, how did Time Out pivot to Time In? Managing director Michael Rodrigues joins the Mumbrellacast to give insight into how a publication that celebrates experiences out and about navigates an era of sudden and sometimes prolonged lockdowns. With the News Media Bargaining Code on the top of all publishers' minds, Rodrigues also discusses where Time Out sits on the issue.

The week also saw the battle for sports rights heat up as new entrants in the streaming market began to emerge. Telstra withdrew from streaming the AFL and NRL, with its customers now offered discounted access to Kayo's broadcast. Stan Sport announced the team that will lead its Super Rugby coverage, soon after announcing its streaming service will come in cheaper than Kayo. And Amazon Prime is making moves, picking up the swimming and presenting itself as a dangerous player in the periphery. In this quickly growing market, who will rise and who will fall?

Plus, with Google threatening to pull out from Australia, Microsoft stepped in this week offering to fill the void. The Mumbrellacast team takes a look at how big a hole Google would leave in Australia and whether Microsoft really is up to the task.

It was a week of Google news, and fresh off the back of the Senate's hearing into the News Media Bargaining Code the ACCC released its interim report for the Digital Advertising Services Inquiry. Here, the team gives the rundown of its initial findings and chats about what the industry has to say now that agencies seem to be out of the woods.

Three agency leaders also left in seven days. David Fox is off to Ogilvy Middle East and North Africa, while Justin Drape announced he was leaving The Monkeys and Colenso BBDO's Scott Coldham is simultaneously becoming the CMO of two different brands. Were any of these moves a surprise? And what is happening inside these agencies?

Plus, Nick Keenan gives the team an insight into his experience taking over the leadership of Starcom while getting to know his staff working remotely. With transformation on the cards, Keenan chats about his learnings from the client side and the pivotal role talent development is playing in the future of the agency.

On the final Mumbrellacast for the year, the whole team pitches in to count down the top stories of 2020. Popular campaigns came from Menulog and Hungry Jacks, thanks to famous faces and famous burgers. But, by far the biggest story was the impact COVID-19 had on the media and marketing industry.

The team looks back on the warning shot to the media industry that was News Corp's regional closures, the major talent redundancies at Ten, how brands handled challenging conditions, and reflect on what became of the industry as 2020 rolled on.

To round out the year, the Mumbrellacast team reveals their picks for the biggest news story that came across the desk, from Hugh Marks' upcoming departure from Nine to Ben Lilley's purchase of McCann.

Ex-Isobar CEO Konrad Spilva joined the Mumbrellacast this week to talk all things, Dentsu, independents and his new business Shadowboxer. Taking a look back at the his departure from the Dentsu International-owned agency, Spilva reveals how he knew it was the right time to go and why a global job wasn't for him. And, in the new world of independent agency forces Spilva chats about what creative consultancy, Shadowboxer, has to offer the market.

The week also saw the last radio ratings survey of the year. Who went out on top? And who has a lot to look forward to next year? The chaos of 2020 has particularly disrupted the radio industry, following the months-long pause in ratings in the middle of the year. The Mumbrellacast team takes you through what radio bosses had to say about 2020 drawing to a close and their plans for next year.

Plus, the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code bill has finally been introduced into parliament. The team runs through the key points in Treasurer Josh Frydenberg's speech and the industry's reaction.