Tag: Australia

Australia – A passionate plea from tea loving fans has motivated Lipton Teas and Infusions to relaunch its creamy spiced Chai Latte blend, filling hearts and glasses across the country.

One of those superfans has become the face of the relaunch campaign created by Think HQ to herald the return of Lipton’s Chai Latte to supermarket shelves.

The campaign creative includes three humorous films, and introduces real life local legend Gillian Allen as the heroine who saved the day with her social media campaign to bring back the brew. As well as the campaign films, Gillian features in promotional materials produced by Think HQ rolling out across digital, social, earned media and in-store, telling the story of how one woman’s love for a cup of Lipton Chai Latte inspired a passionate groundswell of fandom.

After seeing over 500 people sign a petition and fans flooding Lipton’s channels calling for Chai Latte’s return, Gillian was inspired. She started her own online campaign on Facebook, rallying a community to make their wishes clear, and becoming a leading figure in a grassroots movement to bring back the bevvy. Lipton Teas and Infusions noticed, and responded.

“We’ve been aware of the support from fans for Lipton Chai Latte for some time, and we knew we had to act,” said Sarah Shen, marketing manager at Lipton Teas and Infusions. 

“This relaunch of our two Chai Latte blends – Classic and Spiced – reflects our commitment to crafting products of excellent quality and are testament to the rich flavours that keep bringing customers back.”

By making Gillian the face of the relaunch campaign, Lipton is celebrating the power of everyday voices to influence real change. Think HQ’s strategy and creative focused on harnessing the energy of the loyal fans and turning their passion into a relaunch moment, while the search for the ideal ambassador led straight to Gillian. 

Meanwhile, Wellison D’Assuncao, creative director at Think HQ, said, “The campaign tells consumers the story of how their favourite brew found its way back on shelves. But the bigger story here for brands and marketers is the one about the importance of understanding your audience and the power they have. Kudos to Lipton for their powerful response in giving the fans what they wanted and Think HQ the opportunity to run with it.”

Gillian said, “Never in a million years did I think a Facebook group would actually bring it back. I just missed it so much – it was part of my daily routine and something that brought me comfort. To know so many others felt the same and that Lipton not only listened, but even made me the face of it, is amazing.”

Australia – Initiative has bolstered its Melbourne leadership team, appointing seasoned retail marketer Kathryn Griffiths as group business director and elevating long-time team member Mark Dawson to group business director.

Griffiths brings more than a decade of client-side experience at Bunnings, where she held senior roles spanning brand, digital transformation, loyalty and, most recently, growth strategy in the retailer’s B2B commercial division. 

Her tenure also included integrating Bunnings’ acquisition of Beaumont Tiles and steering major brand platforms that grew market share and customer loyalty. 

Megan Davey, head of Melbourne at Initiative, said, “Kathryn’s rare combination of retail, loyalty and transformation expertise, grounded in years of client-side responsibility, will give our clients fresh, pragmatic insight into growth strategies. Her perspective will immediately add value across our superannuation and retail accounts.”

A UK-native who has called Melbourne home for 13 years, Griffiths previously held public-sector policy roles in Brussels, Cardiff and Manchester, experience that sharpens her strategic perspective and stakeholder management skills. 

In her new role she will lead Initiative’s ISF portfolio (Cbus, Hostplus, ISA) alongside Crown Resorts and Repco.

Griffiths said, “I am genuinely excited to be joining Megan and her team and look forward to guiding our clients through their next stage of growth, ensuring they remain relevant in our fast-changing world and connected to their audiences. 

“Initiative’s strong people culture fits perfectly with my passion to create environments where my team don’t just thrive, they grow, evolve, and achieve their ambitions. I’m looking forward to being a part of the agency’s successful growth evolution moving forward.”

Dawson, who joined Initiative more than six years ago, is promoted from senior account director to group business director. A former investment specialist, known for his ability to align commercial discipline with creative media thinking, Dawson will now lead the high-profile Officeworks and DuluxGroup accounts. 

Davey added, “Mark is the epitome of a trusted partner. His investment background means he considers the clients’ every dollar, while his leadership acumen consistently earns client trust. This promotion recognises the breadth of his contribution and his role in mentoring our next generation of talent.”

The leadership changes come as Initiative Melbourne continues to scale. Davey noted the appointments “set us up for the next chapter of client growth and innovation in Victoria.”

Both Griffiths and Dawson report directly to Davey and take up their new roles effective immediately.

Australia – Woolworths Group plans to close the MyDeal customer website by 30 September, shifting its retail marketplace strategy to focus on BIG W Market and Everyday Market on woolworths.com.au. In a recent disclosure at ASX, the company said that the move is aimed at expanding product range for Woolworths and BIG W customers while consolidating traffic growth on its core digital platforms.

Woolworths Group CEO Amanda Bardwell said the decision followed a strategic review of the company’s portfolio. “In February we said that we would assess the shape of the Group portfolio to address areas where there was not a clear path to profitability or the prospect of a reasonable return on capital,” she said.

MyDeal, which Woolworths acquired a majority stake in in 2022, has provided marketplace technology and capabilities through the Group’s Woolworths MarketPlus platform, supporting rapid gross merchandise value (GMV) growth. 

However, Woolworths said the competitive environment and better economics of marketplaces integrated directly into retail brands led to the decision to shut down the MyDeal site. The closure is expected to reduce operating losses in Woolworths MarketPlus once finalised.

Despite closing the customer-facing website, Woolworths MarketPlus will continue to use the MyDeal technology platform and seller relationships to support BIG W Market and Everyday Market. Woolworths also thanked MyDeal CEO Sean Senvirtne and his team for their contributions to establishing MarketPlus.

The company estimates the cash cost of the closure will be between $90 million and $100 million, covering payments to outside investors, redundancies, and other expenses. In addition, non-cash costs, primarily due to impairments of MyDeal assets, are expected to be around $45 million. Woolworths said it will provide an update on these one-off costs with its full-year results in August.

Australia – The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched Federal Court proceedings against Australian Gas Networks Limited, accusing the gas distributor of misleading millions of consumers with claims that the gas it supplies will be renewable “within a generation.”

The ACCC alleges that Australian Gas Networks’ “Love Gas” advertising campaign, which ran on television, streaming services and YouTube during 2022 and 2023, contained false and misleading representations about the future of renewable gas.

According to the ACCC, the company suggested without qualification that it would deliver renewable gas to households within a generation, despite knowing it was highly uncertain whether this could be achieved, given significant technical and economic barriers.

“We allege that Australian Gas Networks engaged in greenwashing in its ‘Love Gas’ ad campaign,” ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said. “It is not currently possible to distribute renewable gas at scale and at an economically viable price, and throughout 2022 and 2023 it was highly uncertain whether, and if so when, this would be possible.”

The regulator claims the ads created the impression that switching to or remaining on the company’s gas network—and buying gas appliances—would help consumers secure a “renewable gas” future, despite no realistic timeframe or guarantee such technology would be viable.

“We consider that consumers were deprived of the opportunity to make fully informed choices, in accordance with their values, about the most appropriate energy sources for their homes,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

The contested advertisements depicted a young girl and her father using gas appliances for cooking, heating and bathing. The scenes then fast-forwarded to show the girl as a young adult continuing the same activities, with a voiceover claiming “Some things never change, but the flame we use will. It’s becoming renewable. Controllable, reliable gas. For this generation and the next.”

The final frames of the ads featured the company’s logo alongside a green flame and the slogans “Love gas. Love a renewable gas future” or simply “Love Gas.”

The ACCC alleges these ads included no disclaimers or qualifications, and therefore breached the Australian Consumer Law, which prohibits false or misleading claims.

“Businesses that make environmental claims about the future must have reasonable grounds for those claims,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said. “Misleading claims not only break the trust of consumers, they also breach the Australian Consumer Law.”

The ACCC is seeking declarations, penalties, costs and other orders from the Federal Court.

Australian Gas Networks is one of the country’s largest gas infrastructure companies, distributing natural gas to around 1.3 million homes and businesses, mainly in Victoria and South Australia, as well as in Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.

The ACCC investigation followed complaints from consumers and the Australian Conservation Foundation. The regulator’s court action also comes after it issued new guidance in December 2023 warning businesses against making unsubstantiated environmental or sustainability claims.

Australia – Independent creative and media agency Enigma has further strengthened its creative capabilities with another senior appointment, announcing Clare Yardley as head of creative services.

Clare joins Enigma after a decade in the role of resource & creative services director at BMF Australia. Her resume also includes a stint as creative services director at Saatchi & Saatchi.

In her new role, Clare will embed agency-wide processes and systems that ensure delivery of world-class creative work, drive cost efficiencies, foster cross-department collaboration, and contribute to business growth for Enigma and its clients. 

Her appointment is the latest in a string of key creative department hires this year that also saw Aldo Ferretto join as creative director and head of art in June, and Simon Lee take the creative helm as chief creative officer in March.

Says Lee: “A great Creative Services Director provides the emotionally intelligent oil that keeps an agency humming, so Clare’s appointment is a key hire for us. The brief was to find a talismanic figure to take on this role, and that’s Clare down to a tee. She has a great energy and has worked closely with many of the best in the business – it goes without saying (but I’m saying it anyway) that we’re delighted to have her on board.”

“I’m excited to have joined Enigma.To find an agency that genuinely values creative operations in the process of producing excellent work is fantastic. I love the energy of the place and the people, and can’t wait to start shaping how we work,” said Yardley.

Australia – Destination NSW has teamed up with CommBank in a major new initiative to drive the growth of the state’s visitor economy using real-time consumer spending insights.

The collaboration, announced today, will provide Destination NSW and its regional Destination Network partners access to Destination iQ, a platform powered by de-identified transaction data from millions of purchases across the state. This tool will help track and analyse aggregated visitor spending patterns by location and time, offering unprecedented visibility into traveller behaviour.

The partnership will utilise CommBank iQ, a joint venture between Commonwealth Bank and analytics firm Quantium, which brings its proprietary data set and data science expertise to the table. The insights will complement existing research from Tourism Research Australia by delivering more granular, localised, and timely data to help shape tourism strategies across NSW.

The initiative is expected to support key decision-making in marketing, infrastructure planning, and investment attraction, while also allowing tourism operators to spot emerging trends and fine-tune their offerings accordingly.

“This partnership with CommBank iQ gives us a new level of insight into visitor behaviour, helping Destination NSW and our partners across Greater Sydney and regional NSW make faster, smarter decisions,” said Destination NSW CEO Karen Jones. “It’s a practical step forward in supporting businesses, attracting investment, and driving toward our ambitious 2035 target.”

Regular data-driven reports will also be published on Destination NSW’s corporate website as part of the initiative, giving industry stakeholders access to timely information on visitor demographics, origin, and spending habits.

The move aligns with a key recommendation from the recent review of the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy, which highlighted the importance of faster and more detailed data in keeping the state competitive on the global tourism stage.

CommBank iQ CEO Makenna Ralston said the partnership would help empower tourism decision-makers. “CommBank iQ’s unparalleled insights into visitor behaviour, combined with our deep analytical and data science expertise, will help attract more visitors to the state and drive economic outcomes for both Greater Sydney and regional NSW,” she said.

John O’Neil, chair of Destination North Coast, welcomed the partnership, calling it a valuable tool for tourism businesses across the state. “In a rapidly evolving market, timely and accurate data is critical. This collaboration will equip stakeholders with powerful insights to keep their experiences consumer-focused and globally competitive,” he said.

NSW is divided into seven Destination Networks, which work closely with local councils and tourism operators to grow regional economies. With access to richer data, these networks are expected to gain a sharper edge in promoting their destinations and enhancing visitor experiences.

Australia – Nine has announced a major strategic realignment of its streaming and broadcast division, revealing a new leadership structure and operational framework aimed at driving growth, accelerating innovation, and strengthening its market position across free-to-air and subscription platforms.

The announcement, made by Amanda Laing, Nine’s Managing Director of Streaming and Broadcast, is part of the broader Nine2028 transformation program and follows the introduction of the company’s new Group Operating Model and the formal creation of the Streaming and Broadcast Division earlier this year.

Set to take effect from 1 July 2025, the restructure introduces a series of new senior roles overseeing key areas across Channel 9, 9Now, and Stan — marking the first time these brands will be managed under a unified leadership team.

Key appointments include:

  • Michael Healy, Executive Director – Entertainment: With four decades of experience in content creation, Healy will now oversee entertainment across both free and subscription services. His extensive understanding of Australian audiences and local storytelling will be central to programming strategies across all platforms.
  • Cailah Scobie, Executive Director – Entertainment Content Acquisitions: Scobie brings a strong background in both free-to-air and paid media, known for her negotiation skills and ability to secure high-performing content that drives both advertising and subscriber growth.
  • Fiona Dear, Executive Director – News & Current Affairs: Dear continues her leadership of Nine’s news and current affairs division, tasked with further transforming 9News and ensuring strong editorial performance across all broadcast and digital channels.
  • Brent Williams, Head of Sport Production: Sport remains a major investment pillar for Nine, and Williams will unify the production capabilities of Wide World of Sports and Stan Sport to optimise output and resources. Amanda Laing will also lead strategic initiatives across the wider sports business, focused on rights, advertising, and partnership growth.

Two additional executive roles are being created to support the division’s commercial and brand strategies:

  • Chief Strategy Officer – Streaming and Broadcast: Recruitment is underway for this new role, which will support strategic planning and execution across Nine’s suite of products.
  • Chief Marketing Officer – Streaming and Broadcast: A new marketing leader will be appointed to coordinate brand strategies across platforms and enhance audience engagement.

In a further shift, Nine’s State Managing Directors — Kylie Blucher (QLD), Clive Bingwa (WA), and Sean O’Brien (SA) — will now report directly to Amanda Laing. This realignment aims to support market-specific growth across Nine’s streaming and broadcast businesses in those regions.

Profit and loss accountability has also been redefined, with three executives overseeing the group’s core platforms:

  • Hamish Turner, Executive Director – Channel 9, 9 multi-channels and 9Now: Turner assumes financial and strategic responsibility for Nine’s free TV and streaming services.
  • Dan Taylor, Executive Director – Stan: Taylor continues to lead Stan, a key growth asset for the group, with full P&L accountability.
  • Tom Malone, Managing Director – Radio: Radio operations remain under Malone’s leadership, contributing revenue and EBITDA to the broader Nine Group.

Commenting on the changes, Laing said: “There is immense opportunity to drive growth for the Nine Group, and we are already building strong momentum. While our streaming and broadcast brands have each performed well independently, our greatest strength lies in how we bring them together under the power of the Nine Group.

“These changes are the first step in unlocking that potential. We’re fortunate to have some of the industry’s most talented leaders, and I’m excited to harness their experience as we move into this next phase.”

The new structure is designed to streamline decision-making, promote synergy across platforms, and align Nine’s strategic and operational efforts more closely with evolving audience and advertiser needs.

Australia – Sydney Airport has launched its latest campaign via independent media agency Bench, in partnership with travel search engine Kayak and creative agency Common Ventures.

Built around the energising brand platform “Life Takes Off When You Do”, the campaign invites Sydneysiders to embrace their next journey – be it a long-haul escape or a spontaneous getaway – by reawakening the excitement of travel.

Bench designed a media strategy that places the campaign at the intersection of innovation and immersion, with a heavy focus on high-impact, contextually relevant formats across multiple touchpoints designed to inspire travel at every turn.

Nate Vella, brand strategy lead at Bench said, “This campaign celebrates the emotional and physical lift-off that comes with travel.  We set out to design a media experience that doesn’t just show the journey – it feels like the start of one, encouraging inspiration and immersion from the outset.”

Bench showcased the campaign’s hero video asset within Netflix’s premium, full-screen ad environment, and leaned into increased foot traffic across the city during Vivid, by delivering sound-on video across JCDecaux’s XTrack TV network in the CBD and Eastern Suburbs, capturing attention in high-density transit zones. 

This combined with Kargo’s standout Lighthouse and Runway formats – which use dynamic, full-screen creative to connect with travel intenders as they browse and scroll – bring the scenic and emotive visuals of the campaign directly into the daily lives of Sydney-siders.

Shane Hodges, general manager of strategic aviation development at Sydney Airport, said, “This campaign is designed to reignite the excitement of travel, starting with the moment you begin planning your trip, and we’re extremely proud that in that journey, Sydney Airport as Australia’s premier international gateway, plays a key role in making it all happen.”

The campaign is live in Sydney across BVOD, SVOD, DOOH, and High Impact Display over curated publishers for the remainder of 2025.

Australia – Media agency, Initiative has announced a two-year contract extension with wellbeing company, Australian Unity, further strengthening its strategic partnership which commenced in March 2022.

Under the extended agreement, Initiative will continue to manage media planning and buying across Australian Unity’s brand and private health insurance portfolio. The new contract also sees the agency expand its remit to include media services for Australian Unity’s growing home health platform.

Megan Davey, head of Melbourne at Initiative said the agency was proud to be continuing its work with one of Australia’s most respected wellbeing companies whose core mission to make a positive impact on the wellbeing of people and communities, aligned closely with Initiative’s ethos.

“We’re delighted to continue our partnership with Australian Unity. Over the past three years we’ve worked in close alignment to drive real brand growth and realise its ambition to be Australia’s most trusted wellbeing company. With the expansion into Home Health, we’re excited to support the company’s next phase of growth in what remains a highly competitive category,” she said.

Meanwhile, D’arne Buckley, head of brand & content at Australian Unity also welcomed the extension and the deepening of its agency partnership with Initiative.

“Initiative has proven to be a committed and strategic partner. Their work on last year’s Masterbrand campaign has helped reshape how we communicate the real value of wellbeing to Australians. We’re excited to continue the momentum and opportunities ahead to connect with audiences in more meaningful ways,” Buckley said.

The contract extension is effective immediately.

Australia – Australian marketers are grappling with widespread underutilisation of marketing technology, capability gaps in first-party data, and mounting pressure to adapt to emerging AI technologies, according to a new report from digital consultancy Arktic Fox.

The Digital, Marketing & eComm in Focus 2025 report, released today in collaboration with recruitment firm Six Degrees Executive, surveyed over 200 senior marketing and business leaders nationwide. Now in its fifth year, the report paints a sobering picture of the challenges facing the industry, with only 19% of brands reporting semi or strong utilisation of their martech tools.

The findings suggest many brands are falling short in converting technology investments into business impact. While 51% of brands say they’re focused on implementing existing tools rather than acquiring more, utilisation remains low, and nearly half of respondents feel pressured to prove return on investment. Arktic Fox founder Teresa Sperti says the disconnect points to broader strategic and organisational issues.

“Despite significant investment in martech and data, many aren’t seeing meaningful returns. Maturity gaps across key areas like analytics, customer experience, and AI readiness are holding brands back,” said Sperti.

AI adoption accelerates, but sophistication remains elusive

The report reveals that 59% of brands are experimenting with or scaling their use of AI and generative AI, particularly in personalisation and content generation. However, Sperti warns that many efforts are still efficiency-led and lack strategic depth.

“Brands are beginning to embed AI into workflows, reskill teams and establish governance,” she said. “But without strong data foundations—like a unified customer view—more advanced AI applications remain out of reach for most.”

Just 14% of brands reported having a mature, unified view of the customer. While most respondents rank customer data strategy as a high priority, 53% admit their capabilities in this area are lagging.

Data strategy misalignment and privacy readiness lag

The findings also highlight a growing tension between data ambitions and execution. While 83% of brands view first-party data as critical over the next two years, only a minority are investing in identity resolution—a foundational step toward creating a unified customer profile.

Billy Loizou, area vice president at Amperity, said the misalignment is a major red flag. “Without identity resolution, personalisation falls apart. Brands can’t grow without it. Closing that gap is no longer optional.”

Privacy compliance is another pain point. Fewer than half (47%) of surveyed leaders believe upcoming changes to the Privacy Act are well understood by their teams, and only 4 in 10 say they have a plan in place to adapt.

Talent and skills gap deepens

Adding to the challenge is a widening skills gap. For the first time in the report’s history, ‘emerging technologies’ overtook data and analytics as the most urgent skills gap across marketing teams. This reflects the growing pressure on marketers to adapt to rapid technological change and the AI revolution.

Meanwhile, e-commerce maturity continues to lag, with 75% of respondents saying they trail behind global leaders. Trust in retail media networks is also low, with only 46% expressing confidence in these platforms.

Shift toward composable martech stacks

In response to rising frustration with monolithic martech platforms, the report found a shift toward more flexible, composable stacks. Brands that embraced this model reported higher levels of utilisation and impact. However, Sperti noted that IT departments often remain a barrier.

“Too often, IT drives martech decisions based on control and cost rather than business impact,” she said. “Aligning IT and marketing strategy is critical for driving value from these platforms.”

Outlook: ambition outpacing execution

While many brands understand the strategic imperatives—AI, data unification, privacy compliance—the report concludes that execution remains the primary barrier to progress.

“There’s a disconnect between ambition and capability,” said Sperti. “Investment must now shift from tools to skills, strategy, and activation if brands want to close the maturity gap and unlock value.”

With economic pressures rising and competition intensifying, the report serves as both a wake-up call and a roadmap for brands looking to evolve.