Mumbrellacast

It all kicked off in adland this week. First came the news the WPP plc had made a takeover bid for the rest of the shares in WPP AUNZ. The move would bring the local business in line with the global operations and strategy, but the announcement wasn't a surprise to the market. If it were to go through the team speculates what happens to the original agencies that were part of the STW family, and what will become of CEO Jens Monsees?

There will be a new independent player in town come February next year, following the announcement that CHE Proximity CEO Chris Howatson and chief creative officer Ant White are leaving the agency to open their own shop. How have they done it? Are there any clients involved? One thing is for sure, the industry is rife with gossip.

And how did Special Group go about setting up offices in Melbourne and the US in the height of COVID? Founding partners Lindsey Evans and Cade Heyde gave an insight into the process, noting talent was everything when it came to setting the culture. With the agency going from strength to strength the pair looked ahead to the future of independent agencies and the talent bubble in Australia.

This week, the latest chapter in 2Day FM's quest for a breakfast team that sticks continued, as it was announced that Hughesy and Ed would be shifting from drive to the morning, accompanied by Erin Molan. After a series of hosts beamed into Sydney from other states, and brief reprieve with a music-only show from Jamie Angel, locality is the name of the game. The Mumbrellacast team breaks down the strategy behind this latest talent update.

And, all eyes are on the ad market as the end of 2020 draws closer. Latest figures from the IAB showed growth in digital advertising for Q3, following positive early October numbers from the Standard Media Index. Market sentiment is high looking ahead 2021, but will we see a steady return to growth in the end?

Plus, TikTok's Brett Armstrong took the team through what's on the cards for the content sharing and social media platform. Fresh off launching its first consumer marketing campaign Armstrong reflects upon making a name for TikTok in Australia, why it is an important tool for marketers, and how it's user demographic is very different than one would think.

This week's Mumbrellacast comes to you straight from Mumbrella360: Reconnected, featuring a chat with WPP AUNZ CEO Jens Monsees. Discussing the progress of his transformation plan for the business, Monsees described where the holding group has gone wrong in the past, how he is now steadying the ship and explained why he moved halfway across the world for this job in the first place.

Consolidation of WPP AUNZ's agency brands is a key element of Monsees's plan for the holding company. Coincidentally, Monsees appearance at 360 comes as the business negotiates the new merger of AKQA and White Grey, as well as Geometry shifting into the VMLY&R network. The Mumbrellacast team breaks down what these moves mean for the group and how these diverse offerings will come together.

And in the most unexpected news of the week, Nine CEO Hugh Marks announced his imminent departure from the business, set for the first half of next year. Stating that his mission of drawing Nine, Fairfax and Macquarie Media together into a digitally-based media company has now been achieved, Marks said he feels this is the right time to leave the business. The Mumbrellacast team runs through the market's response to the news and the search for a new CEO.

This week on the Mumbrellacast, Publicis Groupe AUNZ CEO Michael Rebelo stopped by to reflect on how the group navigated COVID-19. Luckily the business introduced flexible working with Publicis Liberté not long before the pandemic hit. Rebelo also chats through the measures the group took to save as many jobs as possible, because "one job made redundant is too many".

And, looking forward to 2021 and beyond, Rebelo discusses the major changes made at the group this year - including the merger between Mercerbell and Performics - and how it will guide the group into the future.

Plus, in the news this week, Nine has bolstered its position in the sports broadcasting market with the launch of Stan Sport. Stan Sport, with support from the commercial television network, has picked up broadcasting rights for Rugby Australia and Wimbledon. The move also marks a significant change in the streaming market as the local offering continues its focus on growth.

And, Woolworths' retail media business, Cartology, has expanded its digital capabilities and services. It is the latest update to the way Australia's supermarket giants continue leveraging its consumer data to personalise customer experience and add value for brand partners.

This week it’s everything radio as the team look at the results from GfK radio ratings survey seven.

In Melbourne, Nine Radio’s 3AW blew critics away with another massive gain, while Sydney saw Kiis FM legends Kyle and Jackie O retain their FM crown. What should the industry expect from survey eight?

Media monitoring business Isentia had a rough week, dealing with fall out of a cyber security attack at its business Mediaportal. With rival businesses snapping at its heels and unhappy investors to appease, what does the future look like for Isentia? The team speculate over how much damage the loss will do to the business and whether it can recover when it still isn’t able to provide clear guidance.

And deputy managing editor Brittney Rigby sits down with PHD CEO Mark Jarrett. He stepped into the top position at the end of 2019, ahead of a year nobody could predict. How does one settle into their first CEO position when there’s a global pandemic raging and wreaking havoc across the media industry? And what impact has remote working had on PHD?

Over the weekend the AFL and NRL grand finals were played in back-to-back ratings hits. On this week's Mumbrellacast the team discusses the controversial change from an afternoon to night grand final for the AFL and Australia's push for a local Superbowl TV event. The networks would be overjoyed with the numbers but as the team points out, restrictions made viewing at home more common and viewing in pubs much harder - impacting the ratings.

And, what do Australian brands have to gain from making jokes about US president Donald Trump? Just days out from the election, Grill'd is taking aim at Trump's dietary habits, saying 'You are what you eat'. Sportsbet has also launched the a specialised betting hub enabling punters to gamble on the president's unpredictable behaviour. The team discusses the delicate balance of politics in advertising.

There’s change at ACM including the retirement of CEO Allen Williams after 30 years, and deals being made with IVE and realestateview.com.au. The team give their predictions on owner Antony Catalano's long term plan.

And former GPC marketer, Diana Di Cecco, gives an inside look at Repco's name sponsorship deal with Supercars and this year's "intense" pitch which saw the business appoint Initiative to its media account.

This week, Seven rounded out the commercial free-to-air upfronts season, boasting ‘disruption, but in a good way’. After announcing last year it was time to refresh the content slate and being hit the hardest of all the networks in production by COVID-19, Seven is coming out swinging for 2021 with Holey Moley finally hitting screens alongside the revival of Australian Idol, a refreshed The Voice and Ultimate Tag.

The Mumbrellacast is joined by chief marketing officer Charlotte Valente, chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette and director of network programming, Angus Ross, to discuss what Australia should expect from Seven in 2021.

The week also saw the first Christmas ads emerge on TV. Michael Hill alluded to the tough times we've lived through, but Kmart invested in childhood joy. With very different approaches to the holiday season in a year like no other, the team discusses how to go about making a Christmas ad in 2020.

And, with Group M's Nicola Lewis moving overseas to take up a job with its addressable TV business Finecast, the team analyses how the changes forced upon adland by the pandemic will change the talent pool over the next couple of years.

It was the week of Ten's upfronts, giving media buyers an insight into what the network will look like in 2021. Bachelor in Paradise won't be returning next year, but three new shows, including Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman's Making It, have been added to the slate. The Mumbrellacast team gives their impressions on how Ten's virtual performance went, and Brittney Rigby breaks down all the network has to offer with key executives Beverley McGarvey and Rod Prosser.

Also this week, Gruen returned. Fresh off his success in the Melbourne radio ratings, Russel Howcroft joined the podcast to discuss why talkback radio deserves more ad spend, what keeps Gruen fresh, and how marketers and agencies should be preparing themselves for the continuing onslaught of market changes.

And, Tourism Australia revived 'Holiday here this year' to kick off another domestic tourism push ahead of the summer holidays. Starring Hamish Blake and Zoe Foster-Blake, the campaign puts an upbeat spin on the cabin fever many Australians are experiencing. But, has it come at the right time? And what does it say about the tourism market more broadly?

"COVID basically has accelerated the digital transformation at the consumer level, at the media level... and then last but not least at the enterprise level."

In this special episode of the Mumbrellacast, Mumbrella founder Tim Burrowes chats with S4 Capital founder and executive chairman, Sir Martin Sorrell.

Up for discussion is Sir Martin's outlook on the economic climate, why the 'growth' model of S4 Capital outstrips those of traditional holding companies, how WPP is cannibalising itself, and the legacy of David Ogilvy.

Sir Martin reflects on previous economic crises, offers his views on whether the 'quadrennial effect' of the Olympics and US election on marketing spend will actually take place in 2021, and explains why he is "quite bullish about next year".

He also dives into holding group models; critiquing WPP's recent mergers of Wunderman and JWT, and Y&R with VML, analysing why traditional models need to be dismantled, and explaining why S4 Capital's growth strategy is built for this era.

This week, Ten's The Bachelorette delivered the lowest-rating premiere in the show's history. Despite the shake-up of the format with sister-bachelorettes, the Mumbrellacast team asks, do viewers still care about it?

In agency land, the team weighs in on the industry opinion that it's time for independent agencies to shine once more, thanks to COVID-19. Ben Lilley finally put the 'independent' stamp on his McCann-led business, and Aden Hepburn compared starting up his indie, Akcelo, to his 15 years at WPP. As clients continue to demand more for less, is it time for them to look for a more nimble partner?

And, Coles released new brand platform 'Value the Australian way'. Featuring Curtis Stone with a lamb chop in hand, plus some everyday Australians, the team might not believe it has reinvented the wheel of advertising, but it does mark an important investment into Coles' brand ahead of Christmas.

Plus, Brittney Rigby spoke with Masterchef host, Melissa Leong, ahead of this weekend's launch of its Junior series. Leong gave an insight into what will make Junior Masterchef so charming, and how, off the back of a hugely successful season of the franchise, she thinks it will perform in the ratings.