Tag: Australia

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Marketing Featured ANZ

SLIK unveils new GM, senior hires to helm creative, production

SLIK unveils new GM, senior hires to helm creative, production
SLIK unveils new GM, senior hires to helm creative, production

Sydney, Australia – Independent creative agency SLIK in Australia has unveiled four key appointments across management, creative, and production.

Taking the role of general manager is Sarah Wood who’s had 18 years of experience in the integrated marketing and creative industry, having spent 12 of those years at experience design agency, Imagination. Her role will focus on developing insights and strategies for SLIK that will drive the agency’s growth and direction across commercial, creative, client, and culture.

Meanwhile, assuming the position of senior art director is Randle Juan who brings a wealth of experience in art direction, digital design, and motion. Juan has worked with both specialist boutique and larger agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi and Naked. 

For the role, Juan teams up with SLIK’s new Senior Copywriter Sophia East. East comes from a customer experience background, having spent seven years at CX agency MercerBell working on end-to-end campaigns for clients including Qantas, Toyota, Allianz, and American Express. 

Meanwhile, with big name brands like Google and Sainsburys under his portfolio, Kyle Blanshard joins the SLIK team as head of production. Blanshard recently returned from the UK where he spent over 12 years working in management roles at production houses and creative agencies such as Warp, Gramafilm, and Pulse. 

Cooper LaPlanche, SLIK’s director and co-founder, commented, “We’re excited to welcome such a diverse range of talent and energy to the team. All four new hires bring fresh perspectives and are already making an impact here at SLIK, as well as with our clients.”

SLIK’s portfolio includes brands from the charity, food and beverage, finance, and music industry with notable new clients including Active Super, Redkite, and Bupa

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Marketing Featured ANZ

Former Colenso BBDO CCO Levi Slavin joins Howatson+Company as new CCO

howatsoncompany
howatsoncompany

Australia – Advertising agency Howatson+Company has just announced the appointment of Levi Slavin, former chief creative officer of creative firm Colenso BBDO, to be its new chief creative officer.

Slavin’s creative reputation has been built over a 21-year career, working in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. His work has been featured at TED, ranked #1 on both the iTunes music and podcast charts, and become part of popular culture through song, product innovation, and branded series, as well as film.

The appointment of Slavin will commence officially in January 2022.

Commenting on his new role, Slavin said that he is beyond thrilled to finally have the opportunity to work with Howatson. 

“It’s the only model I’ve come across that will keep up with culture, the needs of brands, and return some humanity to our industry. I can’t wait to return home to Australia and get started,” noted Slavin.

Meanwhile, Chris Howatson, the CEO and founder of Howatson+Company, commented that Slavin is renowned for his empathy, his commitment to developing his teams, and his building deep relationships with his clients. 

“I’ve known Levi for many years – both of us having long tenures at Clemenger Group – and the opportunity to partner with him in building H+Co is a career highlight,” said Howatson.

Just recently, Howatson has announced the rebranding of the company, from Howatson+White to Howatson+Company, following his partner Ant White’s sudden exit.

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Platforms Featured ANZ

iStock launches new products to simplify video creation for SMBs

istock video editor
istock video editor

Sydney, Australia – iStock, the e-commerce platform that provides premium visual content to SMBs, SMEs, creatives, and students, has just announced the launch of its two new products that aim to make professional-quality video creation more simple and affordable for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

The first product, iStock Video Editor, is a video maker that does not require any previous design or editing experience, helping customers quickly go from start to finish of the video-creation process. Combined with the depth and breadth of iStock’s videos, photographs, and illustrations, the tool allows businesses to use customizable templates, music, colors, fonts, and layouts to produce high-impact videos. To use the Video Editor, users simply need to click ‘Create’ at the top of the iStock homepage.

Meanwhile, the iStock’s new subscription plan, Premium Plus Video, seeks to give subscribers on-demand access to millions of video clips, images, and illustrations all in a single easy and affordable subscription. 

Moreover, it is available in monthly or annual plans in which image and video downloads count the same, allowing customers to license video for as low as a few dollars per asset. Subscribers will also be able to roll over unused downloads and enjoy the same rich royalty-free rights included with all iStock content. 

Grant Farhall, iStock’s chief product officer, shared that video has become the preferred way for companies to reach and communicate with their audiences in compelling ways, however, their customers have told them that while they want to create more video it is a difficult and time-consuming task that requires complicated tools and large budgets.

“We listened to our customers and the launch of Premium Plus Video subscription and the iStock Video Editor will make professional video creation fast and easy for small businesses and entrepreneurs, no previous experience needed,” said Farhall.

The new iStock Video Editor and Premium Plus Video aims to remove the barriers to video creation and give businesses, both large and small, the opportunity to optimize their visual strategy to create higher engagement and improve ROI’s. 

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Marketing Featured ANZ

University of Technology Sydney unveils new 360 video tour via partnership with Paper Moose

UTS and Paper Moose
UTS and Paper Moose

Australia – The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has partnered with independent creative agency Paper Moose, to launch their new 360 video tour of its innovative Sydney CBD campus, aimed at attracting both international and Australian students.

UTS said that the campus has recently been transformed through over AU$1b City Campus Master Plan, which has delivered new landmark buildings, refurbished facilities, and created sustainable, state-of-the-art learning, teaching, and research space.

The platform was specifically designed to appeal to prospective students from anywhere looking to study at any level. 

In addition, the creative and non-binary tour guide avatar was specifically tailored to have the broadest cultural appeal and personify the UTS brand through their young and dynamic look-and-feel.

Christina Miebach, the international marketing manager at UTS, said that their purpose-built facilities, future-focused approach to learning, and inspiring community of students and staff is what attracts lifelong learners to UTS. 

“We hope that this 360 experience showcases our unique value proposition and helps build connections in an increasingly digital and ever-changing world,” said Miebach.

Meanwhile, Nick Hunter, Paper Moose’s executive creative director, commented, “We love playing in the VR/360 video space and we always get goosebumps when a job like this comes our way. The key here was to create the best UX experience possible to deliver a refreshingly simple tour experience that any user could immerse themselves in.”

The tour is guided by the jade-haired and 3D-rendered Alex. It offers a slightly gamified experience through a choose-your-own-adventure narrative tailored to the user’s academic interests. Users will be in a completely 360-degree environment, encompassing 17 scenes and nine faculties and schools, with interactive hotspots and free-roam mode included throughout.

Behind the scenes, the platform itself is largely custom-coded to deliver superior performance, seamless streaming, and smooth scene transitions with minimal loading screens — even on slower connections anywhere in the world.

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Platforms Featured ANZ

Fetch TV renews BBC Studios deal spanning seven channels

Fetch-BBC-Studios-Extended-Deal-Streaming-Platform
Fetch-BBC-Studios-Extended-Deal-Streaming-Platform

Sydney, Australia – Local entertainment service Fetch TV has renewed its existing partnership with global content company BBC Studios, which spans seven channels of BBC Studio available on Fetch, following the availability of BBC Kids on the platform last March this year.

The seven channels are namely BBC First, BBC World News, UKTV, BBC Earth and CBeebies, along with Virtual Playlist Channels BBC Brit and BBC Kids which are only available on Fetch.

Fetch subscribers can view the BBC linear channels on their TV or on the Fetch Mobi app, with a ‘start over’ option available for the majority of programs which enables viewers to join the channel at any point and watch from the start.

“We are delighted to continue our decade-long relationship with BBC Studios, which thrives on innovation and creativity to deliver the best of British content to our customers,” said Sam Hall, chief content and commercial officer at Fetch TV.

Meanwhile, Fiona Lang, general manager at BBC Studios ANZ, commented, “Our partnership with Fetch showcases the breadth and depth of the BBC’s content across world-class drama, documentaries, entertainment, children’s programming, and news.”

She added, “We’re excited to renew our agreement with Fetch to bring their audiences this comprehensive offering via their unique mix of linear and virtual playlist channels.”

The BBC channels are all available in the 46 channel Fetch Ultimate Pack for AU$20 per month, and also in the AU$6 per month Fetch Channel Packs.

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Platforms Featured ANZ

Here are the top streaming services in Australia during the pandemic

Australian-Streaming-Video-On-Demand-Ranking-Telsyte
Australian-Streaming-Video-On-Demand-Ranking-Telsyte

Sydney, Australia – Despite easing movement restrictions due to COVID-19, streaming content consumption in Australia remains large, with 19.1 million subscriptions recorded at the end of June 2021 across these platforms, which is an increase of 16% from 16.4 million in June 2020. This is according to the latest insights from technology analyst firm Telsyte.

According to their latest insights, Netflix dominates the Australian subscription video on demand (SVOD) services market, with 6 million subscriptions recorded by the end of June 2021. This is then followed by Amazon Prime Video with 2.9 million, Disney+ with 2.6 million, Stan with 2.4 million, and Kayo Sports with 1.1 million.

The remaining 4.1 million are from more than 30 SVOD services such as Binge, Apple TV+, Hayu, Paramount+, Optus Sport, and Britbox.

The survey also notes that 78% of Australian households had at least one entertainment subscription at the end of June 2021, an increase from 65% three years earlier. Subscribing households now have an average of 4.3 entertainment services, which is up from the average of 2.7 in June 2018, largely driven by SVOD subscriptions.

In terms of what type of content Australians want to watch, the sports category has grew 48% year-on-year and the percentage of paid sports subscriptions has also improved significantly, from less than 15% a year ago to over 50% at the end of June 2021.

In addition, around 51% of Australian SVOD customers believe it is important to have content that has Australian stories, voices, culture, and values on SVOD services.

“Australians are clearly attracted to big production movies, TV shows and sporting codes they follow year on year, and are collecting subscriptions on the way,” Foad Fadaghi, managing director at Telsyte, says.

The firm also estimates that total SVOD subscriptions could reach 26 million by June 2025 with higher multiple subscriptions and new services which are boosted by new content licensing deals, and potential bundling, like what is done with Amazon Prime.

“Increasing investment in original content will become more important as part of SVOD providers’ growth and retention strategies. Additionally, Australia has been a popular choice as a source of content and content production,” the firm said in a press statement.

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Marketing Featured ANZ

Business Council of Australia brings Aussies ‘one shot closer’ to return to normal life in new campaign

One Shot Closer BCA
One Shot Closer BCA

Australia – Business Council of Australia, the association of business leaders that gathers and engages in professional, intellectual, and leadership development, has launched a new campaign, aimed at bringing together employers of all sizes from across the economy to boost vaccination rates in the country.

Titled ‘One Shot Closer’, the campaign, which was created in collaboration with creative agency M&C Saatchi and supported by Facebook, seeks to reach at least 80% of Australians and give every business in the country access to a toolkit of messages and assets to let them speak with a united voice. 

The Business Council’s CEO, Jennifer Westacott, shared that the campaign is carefully researched and geared to complement existing state and federal advertising with messages that remind Australians that safe and effective vaccines are their path back.

“This is critical to the economy and the mental health and well-being of all Australians, as businesses across the country are pulling out all stops to reach our vaccination targets and put Australia on track to reopen. We have shown we can bounce back if we plan now to safely reopen, but that all depends on our ability to get Australians vaccinated,” said Westacott.

Meanwhile, Will Easton, Facebook’s managing director for AUNZ, noted that they have supported Aussie businesses and the community in staying connected during these challenging times.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer our support to the ‘One Shot Closer’ campaign and help the Business Council of Australia amplify this important message on our platforms,” said Easton.

Alexi Boyd, the CEO of Council of Small Business Organizations, believes that without a clear roadmap out of COVID restrictions small businesses will struggle to reopen and stay open.

“This initiative will help small businesses by encouraging more Australians to get jabbed, get our communities flourishing again and support Australian businesses,” said Boyd.

The campaign comes as more than 160 businesses employing millions of Australians sign the Business Council’s joint letter backing the National Plan, which is to help the residents to be freed from the pandemic lockdown.

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Technology Featured ANZ

DoubleVerify announces new hires for Australian market

DoubleVerify-Australia-New-Hires
DoubleVerify-Australia-New-Hires

Sydney, Australia – DoubleVerify, the software platform dedicated for digital measurement and analytics, has announced a slew of appointments for its Australian market namely Sophia Warren as client strategy director, David Shen as business director, Susie Mather and Stuart Kruger as sales directors, and Neil Anderson as sales solutions specialist.

The team expansion adds commercial expertise to support customer growth in the region — helping global brands maximize their digital investments and drive real business outcomes. 

Warren will continue to build deep relationships with partners in order to better understand their performance criteria — ensuring the application of DV solutions complements their investments and helps deliver better outcomes for brands. 

“I’m excited to work more closely with our brand and agency partners to drive media quality and performance across the market. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be a part of the DV team as we continue to work with our customers and partners, helping to build a better industry,” Warren said regarding her appointment.

Meanwhile, Shen will be helping programmatic buyers derive maximum performance from campaign investments. He has over a decade of digital and ad-tech experience across agencies and vendors, working on prominent global and local brands such as Samsung, Nestle, Amazon, Coca-Cola, J&J, and NBNCo.

On the other hand, Mather is in charge of serving the needs of brands and agencies in ANZ, and helping them maximize media quality and effectiveness. She has over 20 years of broadcast and digital experience, including stints at ViacomCBS (UK), Matterkind and Seven West Media (SWM).

Kruger’s responsibility scopes responsibility for partnering with media agencies, trading desks and clients to educate them on how to best utilize DV’s programmatic offerings to drive media performance. He spent nearly seven years with Unruly in both London and Sydney, ending up in an ANZ Group Sales Director role.

Lastly, Anderson will be the key technical resource to the team. He works with clients to manage discussions, testing and the troubleshooting of DoubleVerify’s solutions. With over fifteen years experience in the ad tech landscape across the ANZ region, Anderson has worked at Google/DoubleClick, neo@Ogilvy, Lotame and the first demand-side platform in Australia, Brandscreen. 

According to Imran Masood, country manager for ANZ at DoubleVerify, the new hires to their team bring valuable experience from the agency, publisher, broadcast and programmatic fields.

“In the past two years, we have secured major wins in the telecom, financial services, FMCG and retail industries, and have forged relationships with global holding companies and local independent agencies. I am delighted to welcome David, Susie, Stuart, and Neil to our team as we advance our mission to make the online advertising ecosystem stronger, safer and more secure — for advertisers and publishers alike,” Masood stated.

He added, “Growth has been underpinned by our focus on delivering a single, definitive standard and currency for media quality across all media channels — including priority investment areas, like CTV. Our team is focused on supporting and advising our clients on the best use of quality metrics to maximize brand outcomes.”

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Marketing Featured ANZ

Independent creative agency The Core Agency bags Quest Apartment Hotels’ account

The-Core-Agency-Quest-Apartment-Hotels
The-Core-Agency-Quest-Apartment-Hotels

Sydney, Australia – Following a competitive pitch across multiple agencies, local independent creative agency The Core Agency has won the business account of Quest Apartment Hotels, spanning brand strategy and creative development, covering identity design, advertising and digital.

Quest Apartment Hotels is a global apartment hotel brand run by local business owners, and since 1998, Quest has opened four to 10 new properties every year in Australia alone, to become the largest serviced apartment operator in Australasia. 

Quest’s business continues to grow rapidly, with four hotels currently announced as under construction in Australia. The group is also expanding overseas with plans for five new Quest Apartment Hotels to be opened by 2025 in Europe.

Christian Finucane, founder and creative partner at The Core Agency, said, “Quest Apartment Hotels represent a fantastic choice for travellers who want more than just a room with a bed in it. During the pitch we visited their properties and instantly realized they had a wonderful product. We’re excited to now partner with the Quest team and help tell their story.”

Meanwhile, Jeff Baars, chief marketing and digital officer at Quest Apartment Hotels, commented, “We’re thrilled to be working with The Core Agency to help bring our passion for the local soul, and commitment to a truly effortless guest experience to center stage.”

The Core Agency’s clients include IGA Supermarkets, PwC, Just Better Care, EasyFlowers, Doctors on Demand and Evergreen Garden Care.

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Technology Featured ANZ

Nielsen Australia, PubMatic announce data collab for better audience targeting

Nielsen-Australia-PubMatic-Data-Collaboration
Nielsen-Australia-PubMatic-Data-Collaboration

Sydney, Australia – Market measurement firm Nielsen in Australia and adtech PubMatic have recently announced a new data collaboration, which now makes Nielsen’s audience data now available to PubMatic’s Audience Encore™ product, allowing advertisers to buy premium omnichannel inventory layered with quality data for precision targeting and better performance.

PubMatic’s Audience Encore™ is an audience platform designed for marketers to transact on unique, addressable audience data across premium omnichannel inventory.

Through the data collaboration, brands can benefit from PubMatic’s extensive reach, enabling advertisers to engage audiences wherever they may be across all digital channels. Furthermore, brands may now access Nielsen’s premium audience data, along with insights into consumer behavior, preferences, and purchasing decisions. 

Nielsen’s rich audience data has a unique breadth and depth and includes proprietary fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) data, credit card transaction data, psychographic data, intent, and interest data.

For Daisy Smith, associate director for Nielsen Marketing Cloud at Nielsen Australia, brands are constantly competing for consumers’ attention, hence audience data and insights play a significant role in engaging consumers when they are most receptive to advertising.

“With the widespread adoption of premium programmatic deals, the need to package high-quality datasets with premium inventory is bigger than ever. The partnership between Nielsen and PubMatic provides marketers with a high level of consumer intelligence while optimizing their advertising investments across all the touchpoints on the consumer journey,” Smith stated.

In a statement, Nielsen stated that their data layered onto PubMatic’s Auction Packages or private marketplaces (PMPs) may benefit advertisers by giving them the ability to leverage data and contextual targeting across premium inventory. 

“This can enable advertisers to identify and buy media with the publishers that attempt to attract the most suited, addressable audiences for each brand. This gives advertisers the opportunity to reduce wasted ad spend and focus budget on premium inventory, maximizing the effectiveness of campaigns,” the company said in a press statement.

Meanwhile, Peter Barry, regional director for ANZ and head of audience for APAC at PubMatic, commented, “With Nielsen data available through PubMatic’s Audience Encore, our clients can expand their media campaigns and reach new, highly targeted audiences. Our goal is to fundamentally change the way marketers and data owners transact on audience data by giving more control to the data owner and better return on investment (ROI) for the advertiser. For retail brands, this provides an exciting opportunity to engage consumers in the run-up to key shopping periods, such as Black Friday and the run-up to Christmas, to ensure they are top-of-mind when consumers look to purchase.”

The data collaboration recently follows the partnership between NielsenIQ and experience management (XM) company Qualtrics in aiding to create comprehensive brand experience solutions for brands.