Tag: Australia

Australia – Due to the scare of health and environmental hazards of most commercial bug repellents, people tend to resort, although unverified, to natural remedies – with some even surprising to see people agreeing to.

This is the theme of the new campaign by Reckitt’s hygiene brand Aerogard as it presents the value of its new ‘100% plant-based’ insect repellent, Aerogard Naturals.

The campaign, which was created in partnership with creative agency Host/Havas, aims to introduce the product as a new ‘force of nature’ that is both effective and safe, in a series of four 15-second spots, designed for TV and online.

The spots feature the ‘Murphey Family’ and the alternative attempts they used to avoid bugs with common and not-so-common natural remedies, such as onions, mozzie bands, and fly swatters, as well as essential oils.

Saurabh Jain, Reckitt Hygiene’s marketing director for ANZ, said, “The creative from Host/Havas brings to life some familiar scenarios, with a touch of humor spritzed throughout, which will resonate with all.”

Jon Austin, the executive creative director at Host/Havas, commented, “It was great to work with our partners at Reckitt Hygiene to showcase a genuine force of nature when it comes to natural pest repellents. I’m looking forward to busting out the Aerogard Naturals as we launch into summer.”

The campaign has been rolled out on 7 November 2021 across TV, online, and social.

Melbourne, Australia – Keep Left, a local independent agency, has appointed former general manager at advertising company Proximity Worldwide Germany, Mike Doman, to be its newest general manager, under the creative and content division.

He will be leading the agency with responsibilities for strategic planning, digital, social, content and creative. Along with the broader management team, he will be responsible for the growth and continued evolution of Keep Left’s creative offering, which has grown under ECD Blair Kimber’s leadership on key clients such as ANZ, Openpay, and Charter Hall.

During his time at Proximity Worldwide, he helped shape the agency’s digital, experience, media, social and technology teams, while overseeing a client portfolio including Porsche, Amazon and Unilever. Prior to this, he also spent six years at CHE Proximity in Melbourne in a mix of strategic and creative roles, working across clients including Telstra, Mazda and Latitude Financial.

Speaking about his appointment, Doman said, “Keep Left is an agency with a huge ambition and the team has the talent to deliver on the vision. The opportunity for independent agencies in Australia is huge right now and – more than ever for advertising and content work – the need to earn attention, and not just pay for it, has never been more important.”

He added, “Keep Left’s heritage in earned media and PR – when combined with a crazy smart team that is experienced in advertising, editorial and digital – puts the agency in a front row seat to make seriously impactful work. The team is also genuinely nice, which is a major bonus.”

For his new role at Keep Left, he returns to Australia after working in Germany.

Caroline Catterall, CEO at Keep Left, commented that Doman is thoroughly energized by the challenge of shaping and building agencies, hence they couldn’t be more excited to have him join the team at this important time on embarking on a new three-year strategy.

“Mike’s breadth of experience across strategy and creative, and an understanding of PR and content marketing from early in his career, made him the standout candidate for us. The stars really aligned that he was planning to return to Australia and we’d built the business to a point where it presented the right opportunity for him,” Catterall said.

Australia – Retail e-commerce company Cashrewards has launched its biggest season marketing campaign, including a new creative that features content queens SketchShe, which will be all delivered end-to-end by its in-house creative team. 

Called ‘Happy Dayz’, the campaign aims to celebrate the unique sense of excitement as the nation enters the first key shopping season since the pandemic, with ‘dayz’ referencing the key seasonal shopping days, such as Black Friday, Cyber weekend, Christmas, Boxing Day, and the New Year Sales.

Through the campaign, Cashrewards has tapped SketchShe to bring their signature inventive wit and energy to the creative. It will run across BVOD, YouTube, social, and advertorial, as well as digital display, and outdoor.

Matthew Poulier, Cashrewards’ head of brand, noted that their biggest ever campaign combines with a record media spend to maximize the most important quarter of the year at a time where pent-up demand is at an all-time high.

He further shared that as the nation emerges from lockdown, the ‘Happy Dayz’ campaign taps into the mood of celebration as Australia gears up to celebrate the joy of summer freedom. 

“Cashrewards is growing fast with more than one million members geared up to reward our merchant partners for the incredible program of cashback offers they have programmed throughout the key seasonal shopping period. I’m particularly proud of the Cashrewards in-house creative team for delivering such an outstanding campaign from end-to-end,” said Poulier.

During the campaign, shoppers will see brands such as Myer, Big W, Catch, Liquorland, and Booking.com, as well as Expedia, and Bonds, among others, active on the platform.

Sydney, Australia – More younger consumers in Australia are utilizing social media to conduct product research and discovery before deciding to purchase a product, the latest survey from cloud-based e-commerce solutions ChannelAdvisor notes.

According to the survey, 64% of 18- to 25-year-olds have researched products on Instagram during the past 12 months, while 67% of 26 to 35-year-olds have researched products on Facebook within the same period. 

Despite that, social media use for product research remains the least-used online channel for product research, with only 6% of all respondents using it. Search engines or organic search remains to be the go-tochannel for product research, which is used by 37% of respondents. This is followed by brand websites (23%) and marketplaces or retailer sites (35%).

In regards to what affects a consumer’s purchasing decision, price takes the lead with 79% of the respondents agreeing so, followed by availability (55%), reviews (44%), delivery speed (42%), brand name (35%), and payment options (35%), and flexibility of delivery time (22%).

“The survey results are clear: consumers aren’t buying products and interacting with companies the way they did before 2020. Consumers want convenience at each stage of the buying journey — from research to sale. Brands and retailers need to shift their focus to their consumers’ demands,” said Mike Shapaker, CMO at ChannelAdvisor.

The survey also noted that factors such as a product being out of stock (61% of respondents), a possible better price (46%), negative reviews (35%), unclear product information (32%), as well as unclear product images (26%), and too few reviews (17%) are reasons why consumers would abandon online purchases.

For the upcoming holiday season, about 36% of surveyed consumers plan to do more holiday shopping online this year, while 42% of survey respondents plan to use ‘buy online, pick up in-store’ or curbside options this season. Meanwhile, 7% plan to do less holiday shopping online.

“Ahead of peak season, they’ll [brands and businesses] need to reimagine and reinforce e-commerce strategies to take advantage of these permanent changes, as their competitors will soon begin doing the same,” Shapaker added.

Sydney, Australia – Corporate affairs agency Bastion Reputation has roped in Jim Carden, former corporate communications specialist at broadband access network NBN Australia, to be its principal consultant for campaigns and digital reputation.

Carden brings decades of experience across the business, government, and not-for-profit sectors in Australia. Aside from his previous role at NBN Australia, Carden has led corporate work for brands including Qantas Airways, BHP, and Brisbane Airport Corporation, as well as Transport for Victoria. 

Bastion Reputation believes that Carden’s breadth of experience across industries will ensure the agency’s reputation as a national leader in corporate and public affairs campaigns. For the role, he will be overseeing the critical practice as part of Bastion Reputation’s full-service offering. 

The agency shared that Carden has already rounded out an experienced team of principal consultants and heads of practices, covering media and public affairs, organizational and stakeholder communications, and issues and crisis, as well as training and capability.

Clare Gleghorn, Bastion Reputation’s CEO, commented that they are pleased to welcome an experienced and well-credentialed practitioner like Carden, as they look to address their most difficult challenges in an increasingly complex world.

“Jim will be a fantastic asset to our team of senior leaders who are able to provide the experienced and specialist support which our clients demand as the corporate affairs partner of choice for leading brands. I am really looking forward to working with Jim as he continues to grow our campaigns practice including building on our nation-leading capability in the digital reputation space,” said Gleghorn.

Sydney, Australia – Woolworths@Dentsu, dentsu’s dedicated agency for Australian supermarket giant Woolworths, has announced today the appointment of Matt Benning, formerly of AKQA Media, as its new head of digital & performance.

Most recently at AKQA Media, Benning was the Sydney team’s head of digital. He spent close to 15 years at WPP with notable roles over this period as media lead on Vodafone for Wavemaker. He previously worked with MEC in the UK as global digital director on Vodafone and Visa Europe. In this position, he led the digital strategy for Visa across Europe, activating their Olympics and Football World Cup sponsorships.

Barbara Messitt, the agency’s managing director, commented, “I am so pleased that Matt is joining our team. With his wealth of experience and passion for all things digital, I am certain he will further drive our digital transformation journey with the brands. The team here are all very excited to start working with him.”

Gayle While, chief digital officer of dentsu Media, added, “We’re delighted to be welcoming Matt into the Woolworths team. He’s a passionate and highly respected digital leader whose expertise will be invaluable in supporting our clients to respond to today’s fast changing market with effective strategies and innovative solutions.”

Benning will be based in Sydney and the agency said his new role will include working with some of Australia’s leading brands in retail amid the growth in today’s digital, data, and technology solutions.

“I am thrilled to be joining the talented Woolworths team and to work alongside some of Australia’s most trusted brands. I am excited to continue the development of our digital capabilities as we navigate the evolving digital landscape,” commented Benning.

Benning will officially join the agency on 29 November.

Sydney, Australia – Whiskey brand Lark Distilling Co has tapped Alley Group as its performance agency, as it expands its e-commerce presence.

Lark Distilling Co has a market capitalization of approximately US$268m, and has recently acquired the iconic Pontville Estate and Distillery in October, making its third working distillery in the state. 

As part of the mandate, Alley will be managing performance marketing for Lark, including Facebook, Google, and YouTube, as part of its strategy to grow the direct-to-consumer channel locally and internationally.

Clayton Anderson, Lark Distilling Co’s head of e-commerce and brand communications, said that with e-commerce now a key growth strategy for the brand, they require an agency with the experience to help realize their ambitious plans.

“The team at Alley demonstrated clear strategic insights and an understanding of how best to utilize performance media channels to build our direct-to-consumer business and we look forward to working with them,” said Anderson.

Nick Lavidge, Alley Group’s CEO, said, “As a premium brand, Lark’s range of whiskies and spirits have attracted a strong and loyal following. As they expand operations, we will use our digital expertise to bring their products and experiences to new customers both online and in-store.”

Just recently, Alley has been acquired by independent media agency Nunn Media. Through this, Alley’s leading capabilities in search, social, programmatic, e-commerce, and digital creative will be forming a powerful, integrated business proposition with Nunn Media.

Australia – BMF, the creative agency based in Sydney, has 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, the junior planner.

Bollinger’s career spans over 14 years in the advertising industry, with broad experience in QSR, FMCG, service, and retail industries. Bollinger’s appointment is a comeback to BMF, having started her career in the agency as a grad. From BMF then, she moved on to work with advertising agency DDB, and then independent creative firm The Special Group.

Commenting on her appointment, Bollinger said, “I was fortunate to start my career at BMF and so rejoining the team feels like coming home. What’s more, it’s my joy to be invited to work on ALDI: one of the most pioneering and entertaining brands.”

Meanwhile, Sutanto joins from DDB where she worked on large accounts including Westpac and McDonald’s, and dabbled in brand work with Netflix, Neutrogena, Carefree, and Pharma. 

And lastly, Yap has worked in multiple social content roles at creative companies including Red Engine, Ogilvy PR, and most recently at BMF’s sister agency Orchard. He brings with him over five years of experience in delivering social campaigns for the likes of consumer and healthcare brands, and working with clients such as PepsiCo, Carnival Cruise Lines, and Microsoft, among others.

Christina Aventi, BMF’s chief strategy officer, commented that they feel lucky to have three stellar planners “stomping the floor” at Pyrmont. 

“Ben is a beautiful soul and a modern-day planner whose background will teach us a thing or two. Jess is a licorice all-sort of a planner, equally comfortable in the lofty heights of brand and deep in the nitty-gritty of connections planning. I will likely be reporting to her one day. And Anna, well, what can I say? When I asked people for recommendations for the best head senior planner around, her name ALWAYS came up,” said Aventi.

In August this year, BMF has also announced the return of its former senior copywriter, Lucy Kough to become its new creative director. She brings over 20 years of experience across direct, brand, media, digital, and experiential, as well as regional, and CRM.

Australia – Following the recent launch of Riverina Dairy Co.’s new range of flavor-infused cheeses, the dairy brand has released a new campaign series, aimed at convincing consumers to create an adventure in the kitchen.

The campaign, which is created in collaboration with independent agency Paper Moose, features a series of micro-narratives that highlights the brand’s new range of cheeses by bringing food to life – such as summiting a mountain of basil pesto fetta and hiking across spicy jalapeno halloumi slabs, among others. 

Riverina said that each spot was filmed entirely in-camera, utilizing miniatures of varying scales coupled with sound design to transport the viewer’s imagination to intrepid culinary scenarios.

Karen Prebble, the head of marketing at Riverina Dairy Co., shared that they needed an agency partner that understood the importance of standing out from the crowded dairy aisle while growing their category at the same time. 

“Paper Moose was the perfect fit to bring our fresh-thinking new fetta and halloumi range to life,” said Prebble. 

Jeremy Willmott, Paper Moose’s creative director, commented, “What better way to showcase Riverina’s ‘daring’ range of flavored cheeses than a daring miniature adventure set atop your dinner. Who says you can’t play with your food?”

The campaign has already rolled out on 1 November across online, social, and print, as well as retail.

Sydney, Australia – Fintech lender Plenti has partnered with advertising agency Howatson+Company to launch a new campaign that aims to inspire Australians to stop putting their big ideas on hold and instead make them real.

Plenti assists Australians with loans through smart technology. Its proprietary technology platform provides automotive, renewable energy, and personal loans to help bring their big ideas to life.

Titled ‘Destroy Your Dreams’, the campaign nods to the fact that most Australians are using ‘inspiration boards’ on social media sites including Pinterest and Instagram, to plan their dreams, and it remained just that, living inside boards and not brought to life.

In addition to the ad film, Plenti has released a suite of product films, social assets, and is facilitating a ‘Destroy Your Dreams’ consumer promo.

Daniel Foggo, Plenti’s CEO, commented, “We’re excited to be launching a major brand campaign and customer competition that highlights how Plenti can help people achieve their dreams. It highlights just how exciting it is to bring people’s big ideas to life as we continue to build Australia’s best lender.” 

Meanwhile, Samantha Saunders, the head of marketing at Plenti, believes that the brand is young and still relatively new to the consumer marketplace. 

“We needed a cut-through brand campaign that would resonate with our affluent customer base. As a modern lender, with modern customers, we were prepared to take risks with the creative, so long as the work reflected who we are and where we’re going,” said Saunders.

Gavin Chimes, Howatson+Company’s executive creative director, shared, “This campaign is about shaking people out of their complacency and inspiring them to take action. And by creating it, we got to fulfill one of our very own dreams, blowing stuff up in an ad.”