Tag: anz

Sydney, Australia – Few days left for the observance of Pride Month this June, yet new data from LGBTQIA+ media advocacy organization GLAAD and visual communications company Getty Images shows how even developed regions, specifically in the ANZ region, have low or stereotypical representation among visual storytelling in their respective markets.

According to their findings, 30% of such visuals depict gay men as ‘feminine’ and 31% of such visuals depict lesbian women as ‘masculine’. They also noted that 36% of such visuals depict gay men as ‘flamboyant’ and 25% of such visuals depict LGBTQ+ people carrying the rainbow flag in some capacity.

Consumer-wise, while 8 in 10 ANZ consumers say they expect brands to be consistently committed to diversity and inclusion, only 4 in 10 feel accurately represented.

According to Kate Rourke, head of creative insights for Asia Pacific at Getty Images and iStock, Australian and New Zealand brands have a great opportunity to look beyond token opportunism, and create and use visuals that effectively reflect and speak to the LGBTQ+ community – without fear of backlash or to simply ‘tick a box’.

“Brands that continue to use cliched visual stereotypes to minimise risk of offending the more conversative customers, will do more harm in the long run. Our society is constantly evolving and changing. Our recent research also revealed that for Australians and New Zealanders the top way they know a company is truly committed to diversity and inclusion is by consistently showing a wide range of people, lifestyles, and cultures in their communications. Ignoring these cultural changes means they will lose out to their competitors in the long run,” Rouke stated.

That reliance has left some advertisers feeling hesitant when it comes to proactively depicting the LGBTQIA+ community in their campaigns and communications, especially outside of events like Mardi Gras. 

In response, Getty Images’ has recently released its ‘LGBTQIA+ Guidebook for Inclusive Visual Storytelling’ that gives brands and businesses practical recommendations for confidently making more inclusive visual choices when depicting the broader LGBTQIA+ community.

“Our hope for the Guidebook is to empower businesses to step up and depict the LGBTQIA+ community in authentic and thoughtful ways, rather than relying on often overused stereotypes. This can be as simple as choosing visuals of real LGBTQIA+ people in their daily lives such as walking a dog, going to school, at work, cooking, running errands, even grabbing a coffee or doing laundry,” Rourke added.

Sydney, Australia – Professionals across the advertising industry in Australia, representing more than 20 cultural backgrounds, have joined forces to launch #onlyoneintheroom collective – a platform designed to create a more diverse advertising community.

Australia deems to be the most diverse country in the world, with 30% of people born overseas. However, this is not reflected in the adland, as only 16% of people in advertising are culturally diverse and often, they are the only ones in the room.

The #onlyoneintheroom aims to showcase homogeneity of the ad industry and rally industry professionals, advertising and media agencies, and industry bodies, as well as brands and clients, to partner on initiatives to tackle the diversity issue. 

Additionally, the collective comes with a fashion parody film featuring real diverse industry talents modeling a line of merch branded #onlyoneintheroom, highlighting the statement ‘It’s a trend we want to end’. The film directs to onlyoneintheroom.co, where people can join the movement, find out more about current initiatives, and buy the merch, with all proceeds going towards funding future projects.

“Our industry can’t correct imbalances overnight, but changemakers are emerging. This is a rallying cry for those who want to act,” said Ant Melder, creative partner and founder of Cocoa Coffee Gunpowder, and co-founder of #onlyoneintheroom.

Meanwhile, Avish Gordhan, executive creative director at M&C Saatchi, and co-founder of #onlyoneintheroom, shared that whether it’s by offering a voice, recognizing the diverse people that are already in the industry, collectively bringing more young diverse talent in, or even working on eliminating biases that can hold diverse people back, they are looking to partner with like-minded professionals and brands seeking tangible action.

BMF’s Group Creative Director and #onlyoneintheroom’s Co-Founder Pia Chaudhuri said that with the support of other like-minded folks, they are hopeful there will be real change in the near future. 

“Ultimately, a truly representative advertising community can only enrich our work and workplaces, and speak more effectively to a diverse Australian audience,” added Chaudhuri.

The #onlyoneintheroom has already garnered support and secured two partnerships. With marketing consulting company TrinityP3, the collective is developing a DE&I Index, which is designed to give agencies an indication of their own equity and inclusion practices by benchmarking against the general population. Drawing on expertise and knowledge from industry and academia, the index will help organizations focus on initiatives and programs to improve their results.

Australia – Creative agency The Works in Australia has recently promoted Kristie Thistlethwaite as the new managing partner, and Jasmine Lansdell as the new general manager of people and operations, to scale up its leadership team.

Thistlethwaite has previously worked as the head of project management at The Works, where she was responsible for client and team management. As part of her new role, Thistlethwaite will now be managing business strategy and will be supporting the development of effective creative work, as well as drive client growth and happiness.

Meanwhile, Lansdell has previously managed people and culture since being appointed in 2016 at The Works, during which time the agency has become one of the most recognized and awarded agencies for culture in the country.

In her new role, Lansdell will now be overseeing the day-to-day operations and financial management across The Works and Daresay – a content and production agency driven by a team of strategists, producers, and editors.

Commenting on her new role, Thistlethwaite said, “I’m really excited about the momentum within the agency as we’ve seen some incredible growth with existing and new clients this year.”

Lansdell also commented, “I’m proud to work for a business that truly puts its people first and now having a people lens on all financial and business decisions will continue to ensure that remains the case.”

The Works’ Founder Damian Pincus shared that as The Works goes from strength to strength, he is pleased that they have been able to promote people from within the agency to ensure they continue to drive forward. 

“Both Kristie and Jas have shown strong leadership and business ability and are perfectly placed to work with our clients and people to continue with our momentum,” said Pincus.

Melbourne, Australia – General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV), the newly launched General Motors venture operating within Australia and New Zealand, has appointed media agency Carat Melbourne, to be its media partner.

GMSV is a vehicle business unit that hand-picks the most iconic General Motors cars and brings them to customers.

The appointment comes after a competitive pitch, where Carat won the business based on the depth and experience of its digital and performance media capabilities. The agency showcased a proven track record of creating personalized and seamless customer journeys from media through CX, driving leading-edge business performance.

As part of the partnership, Carat will be supporting GMSV with end-to-end media strategy, planning, implementation, and optimization for its ANZ business. This includes all paid media across its product portfolio such as the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ Premium, the new-entry Chevrolet Silverado LT Trail Boss, and all-new Chevrolet Silverado 2500, among many others.

GMSV’s General Manager of Marketing, CX, and Communications Jodie Lennon shared that the pitch was competitive but Carat brought media expertise and diversified business platforms. 

“GMSV is a challenger brand and it’s essential to have partners who will work in harmony to gather customer insights and use them to guide our in-market activities, with a laser focus on efficiency. We are excited to have Carat in our fold as we continue to build awareness of the GMSV brand,” said Lennon.

Meanwhile, Chris Ernst, the managing director at Carat Melbourne, commented that they are thrilled to have the opportunity to assist the GMSV team launch their incredible products here in Australia and New Zealand. 

“I also couldn’t be prouder of the team at Carat. To have been chosen based on our credentials in digital and performance marketing, through to offline strategy, planning and buying is a great reward for the awesome team who were involved in the process,” said Ernst.

Australia – As travel restrictions are gradually being eased, global hotel operator Accor in Australia and New Zealand has launched a new campaign called ‘Go ALL Out’, with the aim to motivate travelers to seek out city experiences across the region.

The campaign is centered around a comprehensive and eclectic program of events, both large and small and across a diverse range of genres, taking place in cities across the region. The gateway to the ‘Go ALL Out’ campaign is Accor Live Limitless (ALL) – a lifestyle loyalty program that integrates rewards, services, and experiences throughout the Accor portfolio of brands.

These events are featured on a central campaign and events hub on ALL.com, which showcases more than 150 Accor-created and Accor-supported events.

Created in collaboration with creative agencies Special Group and John+John, the campaign will be running until 30 September 2021. It seeks to tap into the travelers’ passion points such as live music, food, and wine experiences, arts and culture, or sporting events.

To curate the line-up, Accor has collaborated with many of its major event and sporting partners, such as Vivid Sydney, the AFL, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, as well as Winter Pride Queenstown, among others.

Furthermore, Accor properties across ANZ are activating their spaces with a range of bespoke events. For example, Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour’s iconic Champagne Bar is inviting guests to celebrate Sydney Solstice and Fête de la Musique (France’s summer solstice festival) with live music, a collection of gin-infused cocktails, and a Yarra Valley Bloody Shiraz Gin Caviar pairing, which will be running until 20 June on Wednesday to Sundays.

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, Novotel New Plymouth Taranaki is celebrating Matariki (Māori New Year) with a degustation dinner hosted by renowned chef Martin Bosley and Kono on 8 July.

Accor Pacific’s CEO Simon McGrath shared that through the ‘Go ALL Out’ campaign, Accor will be showing their magnificent cities at their best, as vibrant and exciting destinations, bursting with culture and experiences. 

“By working with our incredible partners, we have curated a series of amazing events to inspire travel which will get our cities moving again,” said McGrath.

Across these events, ALL and Accor Plus members will enjoy exclusive access to offers, events, and limitless experiences.

The ‘Go ALL Out’ campaign is already available in paid media ads and owned channels.

Accor has more than 380 luxury and economy properties across the ANZ region, including international brands such as Sofitel, MGallery, Art Series, and Pullman, as well as Swissôtel, and Novotel, among many others.

Australia – As part of its continuous effort to promote self-love, beauty brand The Body Shop has brought its global campaign ‘Self Love Uprising’ to its Australian audiences, to further defy category norms, drive social change, and inspire one million acts of self-love.

Done in collaboration with advertising agency Havas Media Melbourne, creative communications firm Marilyn & Sons, and stylist Deni Todorovic, as well as mindset coach Allira Potter, the campaign aims to ensure that its self-love message feels personal and close to home for young Australians.

For the campaign, the brands’ PR and influencer agency, Havas Village’s One Green Bean, brought together local self-love contributors including social media star Abbie Chatfield, feminist writer Clem Ford, and appearance activist Carly Findlay, to tell their stories and self-love journey in a series of videos online and through OOH placements.

In addition, a series of videos featuring Todorvic and Potter will be launched, with the aim to encourage people, particularly young women, to join the movement across YouTube. A full-funnel social strategy will also ensure that target audiences won’t be able to open Instagram and Facebook without seeing its self-love message.

The Body Shop’s Deputy Brand and Activism Director Jessica Styles said they really wanted to elevate the storytelling behind Todorovic and Potter’s self-love journeys and the work with Havas Media Melbourne did just that. 

“We loved how they encouraged us to be bold with the placement of our content and focus on platforms that shine a spotlight on their inspiring stories. Because of this, we are thrilled to say that we have already inspired one million acts of self-love, hopefully with many more to come, encouraging Aussies to rise up and create positive change in the world,” said Styles.

Meanwhile, Naomi Johnston, general manager of Havas Media Melbourne, commented that it has been inspiring to work on the global campaign movement, completely brand-led and focused on raising awareness around the impact of self-doubt and inspiring acts of self-love. 

“It is quite special to work with a client with shared values and beliefs. At Havas, we believe in delivering meaningful media experiences for meaningful brands. This campaign is the complete embodiment of that belief,” said Johnston.

The ‘Self Love Uprising’ campaign is already running in digital large format and high-impact street furniture across Melbourne and Sydney, with a QR code allowing audiences to find their way to the ‘Self-Love Hub’ where they can explore ways to practice self-love.

Australia – Television network SBS in Australia has partnered with Spotify and Publicis Media’s ROI agency Zenith for its new media campaign called ‘Demand Different’.

The campaign, which runs until July 2021, aims to build a customized digital experience to drive new audiences to SBS’s video streaming platform, SBS On Demand, and reconnect with its lapsed viewers. 

Through the partnership, Zenith will be tapping into Spotify’s enhanced algorithms to curate a custom SBS weekly playlist based on a user’s unique music preferences. Spotify users in the free service will be targeted via audio and display ads across platforms, while its paid subscribers are targeted on social media. 

Users will all be directed to a ‘Spotify X SBS On Demand’ microsite where they can opt in to be served a weekly SBS playlist based on their music preferences. This will allow SBS to showcase the breadth and depth of its SBS On Demand back catalog as a world-class streaming destination while opening up a new world of programs, genres, and key sporting events to Spotify listeners.

Zenith Sydney’s Managing Director Jonny Cordony shared that the team at Zenith has worked hard to differentiate from other performance-driven campaigns, and as part of this, they identified music as a core consumption opportunity within the streaming community.

“We were able to showcase hero programs and hidden gems across various content pillars in a completely customized way, curated based on their music preferences,” said Cordony.

Meanwhile, Pieter Manten, the regional head of sales at Spotify AUNZ, said that the breadth and depth of their data and insights offer a level of targeting which is unparalleled with any other audio format, as they are with their 11.9 million users every day.

“The opportunity to collaborate with SBS and Zenith to combine our insights represents a best in class approach to targeting, as we are not only driving new audiences but creating unique and customized experiences for users across both platforms,” said Manten.

Australia – In celebration of World Environmental Day which was celebrated on 5 June, felix mobile, a strongly-committed environmental-conscious telecom in the country, has put up a mural painting in Melbourne that is very much like a tree – using paint that absorbs CO2 emissions. 

Felix mobile is a telco startup that is certified carbon neutral and is powered by 100% renewable electricity. To double down on its support for the environment, it has made its mission to plant one tree for every active customer in a month.

Done in collaboration with hybrid creative agency Paper Moose, the mural is the centerpiece of felix mobile’s new national campaign, building off its brand platform – ‘The Plan With A Bigger Plan’.

The mural is painted with CO2 absorbing paint made by paint manufacturer Graphenstone. It absorbs as much carbon dioxide as what a mature 250kg tree does in six months. The paint also emits ultra-low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) compared to traditional commercial paints.

Kelly Rollason, the head of sales and marketing at felix mobile, said that they are proud to show the industry that by minimizing your impact on the planet, you in turn are able to maximize brand loyalty. 

“A billboard that consumes CO2 like a tree was the perfect execution to complement our existing efforts as a mobile provider that puts people and planet first,” said Rollason.

Meanwhile, Paper Moose’s Creative Director Jeremy Willmot, said, “It’s so rewarding to partner with a brand that’s not only committed to neutralizing their environmental impact, but are eager to embrace innovative new ways to do it too.”

Furthermore, the telco has announced its commitment to planting an additional 25,000 trees, in aid of their larger goal of 1 million trees planted.

The new campaign follows Paper Moose’s announcement on its imperative to work with more sustainable brands, with its goal to drive a positive and lasting change in the economy. Through a new program for clients, the agency will be donating time and creative resources to selected organizations that are on the mission to decarbonize the planet.

Australia – In line with the celebration of National Reconciliation Week in Australia, Surfing Australia, the governing body for surfing in the country, has launched a short film ‘Welcome to Sea Country’, to showcase the Indigenous meaning behind its national team design and national team name – ‘Irukandji’.

National Reconciliation Week is a time for Australians to learn about their shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and making the most out of the celebration, the body’s film aims to put light on its recently launched name and tagline, ‘The Irukandjis: Deadly in the Water’, which boasts of a unique cultural context.

The new film, which is done in collaboration with BWM dentsu and young Indigenous artist Jasmine Craciun, presents cinematic shots of seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore, combined with the equally soulful footage of Yirrganydji Traditional Owner Gavin Singleton and his community, to visualize the spiritual connection both surfers and First Nations people share with the ocean – known as ‘Sea Country’.

In addition, the film consists of traditional line art and ripple effect concept overlayed with free-flowing tentacles design, which will be a true statement for the Australian team across uniforms, surfboard accessories, and transport, as well as team jet skis, and all of Surfing Australia’s internal assets.

Surfing Australia manages the national surf team of the country. Its new name and tagline were named after the Irukandji jellyfish – an extremely venomous species of jellyfish that inhabit the country’s marine waters.

Surfing Australia’s CEO Chris Mater is all thanks to Singleton and the Yirrganydji people for officially giving them the Irukandji name, looking to it as a valuable feature of the future of surfing in Australia. 

“The designs BWM dentsu and Jasmine have created really bring that deeper connection to Indigenous culture to life. And that embedded respect for First Nations people now gives our athletes something much bigger to compete for on the world stage,” said Mater.

Meanwhile, Marcus Tesoriero, the executive creative director at BWM dentsu, commented that no matter how big or small the role is, they all have a role to play in Reconciliation. 

“In a land surrounded by Sea Country, we hope the attention our newly uniformed Irukandjis team get heading to the Olympic Games plays a role in spreading recognition and respect, driving us all to build deeper relationships with First Nations people,” said Tesoriero.

Australian representatives across all surfing genres, such as Junior, Open, Masters, and Longboard, as well as Big Wave, and Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP), among others, will compete under The Irukandjis national identity and united colors at international events such as the Olympics, International Surfing Association (ISA), and World Surfing Games, as well as WSL World Juniors, and Longboard Championships.

Sydney, Australia – Multinational tax services company H&R Block in Australia has appointed InMoment, the experience improvement (XI) software and solutions company, to be its customer experience improvement partner. 

H&R Block deems to be the leading tax services company in the country, providing advisory on income tax returns, tax preparation, and refunds. 

The partnership aims to expand H&R Block’s current Voice of the Customer (VoC) program, with the goal of understanding exactly what customers want and expect. The new program will include listening posts across critical moments in the customer journey. By gathering solicited and unsolicited feedback, as well as using text analytics data from InMoment and its XI technology, H&R Block will unlock richer customer insights, to employ more innovative ways to deliver an improved digital experience for customers. 

According to H&R Block, they are committed to differentiating themselves by deep-diving into each customer’s experience along the process of preparing taxes. It plans to push industry boundaries and proactively meet customer’s needs in an evolving, digital-first world.

H&R Block’s Managing Director Brodie Dixon said, “Our primary goal is to provide the very best customer experience possible on every visit. Whether you visit one of our stores or engage in our digital services, we believe a strategic differentiator is our focus on continual experience improvement.”

Meanwhile, David Blakers, the managing director of InMoment APAC, commented, “This partnership is special to me on a personal level as I trained as an H&R Block tax consultant for my first proper job. We are so excited to partner with this iconic brand and see the industry as a whole turn toward being more customer-focused.”