Tag: anz

Sydney, Australia – As part of the company’s stride to check out potential talents for the advertising and marketing industry, dentsu Media in ANZ has announced the launch of its learning and development program ‘Basecamp’ catered to interest high school students and university graduates. 

The program invites interested students to potentially learn and develop their advertising and marketing skills in order to score a position at any of dentsu’s multiple agencies.

Applications have opened with pre-screening until early December before assessment day mid-December and offers are given before Christmas. The program will then commence in February 2022.

Those joining the program will experience an interactive and immersive environment through four intensive learning sprints in strategy, digital, tech and data, and trading. The conclusion of the six-month program will give participants a chance to nab an executive role at one of dentsu’s media brands, namely Carat, iProspect, Dentsu X, or The Story Lab.

Sue Squillace, CEO of dentsu Media ANZ, the one who announced the project, said that the program is their stance of needing to act now in order to attract more diverse, motivated, and curious people to their business and to build their talent pipeline for the future. She added that the ‘war on talent’ isn’t just an important issue for them as a business, but also vital to the future of the industry.

Sue added, “Our commitment is simply to offer the next generation of talent the opportunity to experience dentsu in an environment that gives exposure to the best on-the-job training and the unrivaled knowledge and mentorship of our leaders. And better yet, we want to make it real; with participants landing a permanent role within our business.”

A dedicated group of dentsu leaders has been set up to build a rounded development program in partnership with L&D, People Team, and Agency Leadership. This will leverage media knowledge, publisher partnerships, and MFA for content development. 

All participants will have an executive mentor and a peer-level coach to guide them through the experience. They will also have extra support from the managing directors and general managers from each of the state offices, together with Amplifi, dentsu’s media innovation and investment arm, and training leads from Media Opps, a local media consultancy.

Lauren Small, managing director at Carat Sydney, said, “We’re thrilled to launch dentsu media Australia’s first early careers program; Basecamp, not only will it demonstrate the importance of investing in our future with diverse and fresh talent, but will also provide growth opportunities for new people managers within the business to develop and grow their leadership skills. Our graduates will not be defined by the qualification they hold, or education level they attain, but rather by their curiosity and a growth mindset.”

Meanwhile, Marcelle Gomez, general manager at iProspect NSW, added, “The shortage of talent in our industry is a test for us all. At dentsu, we have turned this challenge into an opportunity that will further differentiate our brands in the market. In a business that is built on and around our people, Basecamp confirms the commitment to our people, our willingness to invest in their future and equip them for successful careers with the company. We can’t wait to get started and help accelerate the learning of this future talent.”

Interested applicants for the program may apply for the respective websites for Sydney and Melbourne participants.

Australia – Foxtel, Australia’s subscription TV company, has rebranded its loyalty program Foxtel First, to be now called Foxtel Reward.

Following this endeavor, the company has also partnered with live entertainment company, Live Nation Australia, to bring Foxtel Rewards members unmissable live music events.

Through the partnership, Foxtel Rewards will be rolling out entertainment experiences across the most anticipated Live Nation Australia tours. It will also enable members to experience VIP benefits, such as meet and greets with the stars, invitations to exclusive pre-show parties, and reserved ticket allocations.

Moreover, members will be able to enjoy a slate of huge local and global talent in the upcoming Live Nation tours, including Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Tim Minchin, and Alanis Morissette, as well as Backstreet Boys, and Rod Stewart, among others.

Greg Segal, Live Nation’s president of brand partnerships for Australia, commented, “We are looking forward to bringing Foxtel Rewards members deeper connections to their favorite artists and the music they love. We know the Foxtel Rewards program will make these experiences even more memorable for members.”

Foxtel Rewards will also bring an enhanced sport offering to their members with action-packed live sporting events, allowing them to meet sporting heroes and score tickets as part of regular giveaways. 

The program will deliver access to all areas to some of the biggest cricketing matches across the summer months including The Ashes, One Day International, T20 World Cup, and the Big Bash League, as well as NRL, and AFL, Supercars events across 2022. 

Lisa Cronin, Foxtel’s director of customer marketing and loyalty, said, “At a time where live experiences are more valued and sought after than ever before, we’re thrilled to be partnering with Live Nation Australia and rounding out our strong loyalty offering with the most exclusive money can’t buy experiences for our customers.”

Furthermore, the new rewards program will enable members to get their hands on premium movie tickets, bonus and exclusive content, and behind-the-scenes previews of their favorite shows, as well as attend VIP events.

Foxtel Rewards is free for all Foxtel residential customers with a set-top box only, which excludes Foxtel from Telstra customers.

Sydney, Australia – Global comparison platform Finder in Australia has promoted Taylor Blackburn, former head of media relations for ANZ, as its new head of public relations for ANZ. 

Prior to joining Finder in September 2018, he has previously worked as the account director of communications agencies Haystac and Howorth, and the account supervisor of creative network Ogilvy Health. 

The elevation of Blackburn comes after the stepping down of Adam Freedman, who will be pursuing a different path. 

Commenting on his promotion, Blackburn said, “It’s a thrill to be leading such a great team of professionals, but even more rewarding because of what we do. I joined a really strong crew at Finder in 2018 and it’s my privilege to enable them to go even further as a team.”

Chris Ellis, Finder’s CEO for Australia, shared that Blackburn has powered an incredibly strong media relations team at Finder and demonstrated his deep understanding of the role communications plays in their business – from idea creation to media spokesperson.

“For us at Finder, our customers, partners and crew are at the heart of everything we do. As a passionate and popular leader, Taylor’s unique skill set and experience will be vital to this role, and we’re excited to see him lead our communications function into the future,” said Ellis.

Australia – Swimming Australia, the governing body for swimming in Australia, has appointed Publicis Groupe’s global creative network Publicis Worldwide, as its new full-service agency partner.

As part of the mandate, Publicis Worldwide will be overseeing Swimming Australia’s marketing strategy, creative, media, and design, as well as social, and partnership development. 

Eugenie Buckley, Swimming Australia’s CEO, believes that they have created a strategy to expand from their platform engaging Australian swimmers and the sport’s wide fanbase.

“Publicis Worldwide has proven experience bringing together communications strategy, creativity, data, and technology to lead the change, and to shape the future of the sporting and entertainment experience in swimming,” said Buckley.

Meanwhile, Simone Waugh, Publicis Worldwide’s managing director, said, “Our expertise in building brands and now applying it to sports is timely for our agency – with the momentum and change evident as soon as the 2032 Olympic Bid was successful for Queensland.”

Australia – As more and more speed driving cases occur in Australia, increasing risk for fatalities, the NSW Government has released a new campaign aimed at urging motorists to slow down and think about the dangers of going ‘just a bit’ over the speed limit.

The campaign, which was created in collaboration with creative agency BMF and full-service media agency UM, challenges various casual perceptions of low-level speeding to reset the attitudes and culture on NSW roads. 

Its three main objectives are to educate drivers and riders on the significant role speeding plays in fatalities and serious injuries on NSW roads, reset drivers’ attitudes to how they view their normalized ‘everyday speeding’ behavior, and highlight the unique risks of speed and its contribution to crash likelihood and severity. 

Titled ‘Casual Speeding. Every K Counts’, the spots are a confronting reminder that there’s nothing casual about any form of speeding and to reinforce the serious consequences these attitudes can bring.

Tara McCarthy, Transport’s deputy secretary for safety, environment, and regulation for NSW, said, “Every kilometer counts when it comes to speeding on our roads, a little bit over double your chance of crashing, and this campaign demonstrates how speeding can change your life and others’ lives forever.”

Meanwhile, Christina Aventi, BMF’s chief strategy officer, noted that by labeling a new type of speeding, the ad encourages motorists to take a moment to self-assess, recognize risk, and correct their low-level speeding. 

“We hope that the term ‘Casual Speeding’ provides a way for road users to talk about this dangerous behavior,” said Aventi.

Andy Clift, UM’s senior client director, said, “Our media strategy will shift the cultural perception of ‘speeding’ by defining and showcasing the impact of what a few kilometers over the speed limit can have.

The campaign was launched last 14 November 2021.It will be supported by OOH, and include a radio partnership and social media, to tap into diverse state-wide communities at the grassroots. 

The campaign will also be supported by a wide-ranging media strategy developed by UM to spark discussion.

Australia – Semi Permanent, the creativity and design festival firm based in Australia, has officially launched today its creative services and experience design agency, SP Brand Studio.

SP Brand Studio aims to bring together innovative brands and creative audiences through the lens of contemporary culture, and physical and digital experience design.

The new creative agency will be offering services in strategy, creative, and curation, as well as omnichannel production. It will also be tapping its network of global talent to deliver first-to-market concepts and ideas for partners and owned IP, driving cultural connection, audience engagement, and relevance for modern brands in the luxury, lifestyle, design, and technology sectors.

Murray Bell, Semi Permanent’s founder and CEO, believes that after nearly 20 years of creating well-attended events across the globe as well as online, Semi Permanent is uniquely placed to share its success with the brand partners.

“We know that an experience has the profound ability to directly connect with and immerse an audience in a brand’s story, and never before has that level of cut-through been necessary for gaining a competitive advantage,” said Bell.

The founding clients of SP Brand Studio are KPMG, Microsoft, Heaps Normal, and Perion, as well as Sea Forest, who join ongoing retainer accounts Rare with Google and Highsnobiety.

Australia – Vicinity, the Australian retail property group, has launched a new sculptural Christmas tree called ‘NFT: Illuminated’, a one-of-a-kind installation developed using the works of Australian NFT creators.

The ‘NFT: Illuminated’, which was created in collaboration with creative agency Fabric, features the work of eight NFT creators, namely Aldous Massie, Bianca Beers, David Porte Beckefeld, James Jirat Patradoon, Jonathan Puc, and Lucius Ha, as well as Rel Pham, and Serwah Attafuah. 

Installed in Sydney’s The Galeries, the installation was constructed from glass, mirrors, and Perspex, which captures and accentuates the natural light that streams through The Galeries.

Moreover, the installation activates the newly developed creative platform ‘It’s An Art’ for The Galeries Artist in Residence program. It also builds on Vicinity’s Christmas campaign, ‘Where There is Light’, which was launched earlier this month.

Keenan Motto, Fabric’s creative partner, believes that their newly developed platform for The Galeries intends to position them as ‘the center loved for unconventional artistic exploration, with purpose’.

“NFT is an exciting new space to play in, and we are lucky to have a brave client in Vicinity who was willing to explore a more contemporized expression of the season which reimagines traditions for new audiences,” said Motto. 

Corrine Barchanowicz, Vicinity’s head of brand marketing and experience, shared that The Galeries has long been a destination for the contemporary and unique, and they wanted to extend that vision into Christmas by combining unique artwork with new technology.

“The new tree is distinctly The Galeries, introducing our customers to a new, cutting-edge experience never before seen in Australia,” said Barchanowicz.

Vicinity said that there will also be bespoke signage throughout The Galeries, which will direct shoppers towards the exhibition. It will also display the QR codes which connect to each creator’s profile on Foundation. Each artist will be profiled across The Galeries’ social media channels and website.

Visitors have the opportunity to explore ‘NFT: Illuminated’ and become NFT art collectors from 16 November 2021 to 5 January 2022.

Australia – Canteen, the Australian national support organization for young people living with cancer, has launched a new campaign, highlighting its refreshed brand positioning. 

In contrast to the usual approach in supporting acts of ‘bravery’ against fighting health conditions, the new campaign, which was created in collaboration with advertising agency Havas Village Australia, aims to encourage the youth impacted by cancer to take off ‘their brave faces’ and be open to embracing the help they need when times are tough.

Through the campaign, Havas honed in on a creative approach centered on ‘unmasking’ to highlight how young people can feel safe to express what they’re truly feeling. The ‘unmasking’ proposition spearheads the launch campaign creatively, with the simple but powerful message to ‘Take off your brave face. When cancer gets tough, find the support you need.’

A new support-focused brand tagline – Cancer support made stronger – will appear across Canteen’s communications and marketing collateral.

Kerry Kalcher, Canteen’s head of marketing and communications, said, “This campaign is a wonderful first step towards achieving our brand objectives and the culmination of the journey we’ve been on with the entire Havas team over several years.”

Canteen said that the work began with extensive quantitative and qualitative research, including focus groups with parents and young people, to gauge awareness that would resonate best, and most importantly, to encourage seeking support.

Elizabeth English, Havas Blvd’s client services director, shared that bringing this campaign to life has been a collaborative process with Canteen and the agency had the benefit of direct insight gleaned from Canteen’s own young people.

“No young person should have to face the impact of cancer alone, and we hope that this campaign will continue to build awareness that Canteen is in their corner to help,” said English.

Meanwhile, Steve Fontanot, the managing director of Red Havas and Havas Blvd, noted that Canteen is focused on making a meaningful difference to young people, whose lives have been impacted by cancer. 

“We’re very proud of the work that our collective teams have delivered over the years, with this latest campaign being the culmination of the many passionate humans who are dedicated to this truly integral organization,” said Fontanot.

The campaign will be running until 31 December 2021 across OOH, video, social media, and youth-oriented digital channels including Twitch, as well as radio, and Spotify.

Australia – Creative agency BMF in Sydney has announced two new teams to further strengthen its creative department. Within the teams are four new hires. 

Joining the senior creative team are Josie Fox, former senior art director at creative agency Special Group Australia, and Harry Stanford, former senior copywriter at Special Group Australia. On the other hand, Erica Mallett, former radio host at radio station Triple J, and Angel McMullan, current art director at BMF, will be joining the new junior creative team. 

For more than 10 years, Fox and Stanford have worked at various agencies across Australia and London. Both have previously worked at Special Group for the past five years, and some of the duo’s most notable work includes their Uber Eats campaigns – Australian Open ‘No Repeats’ and ‘Tonight I’ll be Eating’ with Simon Cowell and the Wiggles.

Fox and Stanford commented, “BMF has such a wide range of exciting and iconic clients and is full of lovely people. Who wouldn’t want to get stuck into some juicy new briefs and make some work that both we and Australia love?”

Meanwhile, the agency is beefing up its creative force with Mallett bringing with her a multi-faceted background as a musician, content creator, and podcaster, while McMullan carries with her credentials in literary creatives as a book designer and picture book illustrator.

Mallett and McMullan said, “We can’t wait to get our grubby little fingers all up in BMF’s pies. We’re looking forward to using our experience to bring to life some big, meaningful ideas – and to learn from the incredibly clever team at BMF.”

With the new appointments, Alex Derwin, BMF’s chief creative officer, noted that the agency prizes its open and collaborative culture above everything.

“Josie, Harry, Angel, and Erica are top-drawer creative thinkers who offer an even more diverse skill set to our creative department,” said Derwin.

Just recently, BMF has also appointed three new hires to strengthen its planning department, namely Anna Bollinger, the new head of planning, Jessica Sutanto, the new senior strategic planner, and Benjamin Yap, its new junior planner.

Australia – With populations of Sugar Gliders, Krefft’s Glider, and Savanna Glider declining, Australian telco firm Optus has partnered with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) to launch a new campaign, aimed at raising funds for the cause.

In the new film, which is titled ‘Tis the season of yes’, Optus follows an Australian glider, risking life and ‘tail’, for an ambitious surprise for its expectant glider partner for Christmas, going all out to create a pair of bassinets. The film then reverted back to the moment of ‘yes’ that inspired these ambitious events – pinpointing the moment where the glider decided to turn optimism into action by starting a family of his own.

The campaign aims to raise an excess of AU$50,000 to help AWC deliver fire management across 100,000 hectares of natural habitat, remove feral herbivores to help create safe refuges for the gliders, and support its scientific monitoring program to ensure key threats to their survival are controlled.

Mel Hopkins, Optus’ vice president of marketing, noted that they want to play a part in affecting real change for the future of Australia.

“We’ve been part of Australia’s social fabric for 30 years, so it was important that a native species was front and center of our campaign. We are encouraging Australians to fall in love with these wonderful creatures and join us in saving them in the most generous time of year – now that’s optimism in action,” said Hopkins.

Optus said that the campaign is the latest iteration of its acclaimed ‘It Starts With Yes’ platform, which the telco debuted last year.

Tim Allard, Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s CEO, shared that most Aussies know about wombats, koalas, and quokkas – but there is little knowledge of this flying marsupial. 

“AWC is taking practical and effective action like fire management and feral animal control to address the key threats to the glider’s survival and restore their populations. This partnership with Optus will help teach Australians about the incredible diversity our country holds, and the funds will help us protect these threatened animals now and into the future,” said Allard.

The campaign has been available last 14 November 2021, with television spots, social content, and OOH.