Mi3Australia

Out of home firm oOh!media is hoping to scoop up mid and smaller sized retailers and sell their media assets on network and off, as well as set up in-store screen networks. Now it just needs a local client to land amid heightening competition. Maybe one or two will land before Christmas. Either way, marketing-content-creative lead Neil Ackland is confident it can deliver brand to demand for marketers while “turbo charging” its own core business.

A 25 per cent increase in capacity thanks to significant workflow management and prioritisation investments has led Foxtel Group’s in-house agency, Balboa, to take the plunge and begin competing with external agencies for sport and entertainment work. It’s already managed to pluck Kayo Sports from the external hands of Special Group the back of the recent ‘Get on Board’ campaign that led to double-digit improvements to brand positioning, appeal, likeability and consideration, says Foxtel executive director of marketing and creative, Michael Nearhos. While he’s not looking to displace McDonald's major agencies, Nearhos is bullish about Balboa’s prospects in the open market given its scale and full-service approach. This is no B team, he says, but one that can compete creatively – and cost-effectively – with the best standalone agencies given his team’s passion for the key categories it’s operating in.   #balboa

Latest analysis of SVOD growth rates from tech and telco analyst Telsyte proves one thing: fear of streaming services losing subscribers by pivoting to ads is overblown: They’re growing – though some more than others. MD Foad Fadaghi says ads, plus AI personalisation, integration and format innovation, will power the next cycle but streaming growth has peaked. Omnicom investment chief Kristiaan Kroon suggests Stan., Nine’s ad-free holdout, should heed that lesson because Nine has something globals like Netflix and others do not: “Sophisticated, at scale, sales infrastructure, which means they could make really good money.” That's crucial given the number of streamers selling ads is set to double within 12 months – and a market this size can't sustain all of them. Omnicom Media Group

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus will tonight field questions about how privacy reforms might play out as industry holds its breath. Whether government has the appetite ahead of an election to match increasingly hard rhetoric will start to become apparent next week, when the proposals are expected to land in parliament. Either way Nine CEO Mike Sneesby appears more relaxed than Australia's major advertisers and the broader supply chain. "I feel good that we're on the front foot," per Sneesby. One-time Attorney-General staffer Josh Faulks, now CEO at peak advertiser body the AANA, is less confident – and criticised the department for "pretty average" attempts at industry consultation given the stakes. AANA - Australian Association of National Advertisers

Seven’s operational purge under new CEO Jeff Howard is taking a sharp turn into AI with the media group unveiling an expanded venture with US cloud, data and AI firm Databricks in which a year-long program of two-to-four week sprints to develop and test “fast prototypes” of dozens of AI and machine learning pilots have started in a new unit called the Seven AI Factory. The AI focus initially is on Seven’s video streaming platform 7plus and comes after its first project, tipped at last year’s Upfronts, in which seven-day and 28-day VOD audiences can be forecast with 94 per cent accuracy.  Andrew Brain Seven Network Seven West Media

Influencer marketing has become a staple of modern brand marketing, but recognising and rewarding creators for direct revenue generation hasn’t been a big part of the value exchange. Until now. With better management platforms and measurement tools comes more visibility of the influencer’s impact through the funnel, making it clear just how much of a growing role these cultural and community forces play in delivering sales. Take the latest figures from Commission Factory on affiliate marketing sales through its platform: Influencers grew their share of transactions globally by 8 per cent in two years, and were 18 per cent more successful off the back of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales peaks last November than they were in 2022 – a sure sign of their growing bottom-line impact. Retailers and marketplaces are paying attention. Influencer-specific affiliate programs and offerings from Walmart as well as Amazon are commissioning influencers for product recommendations in their own personalised shop-within-a-shop. Yet it goes beyond that: Social commerce tools have made it ever-easier for influencers to become direct commerce conduits without the retail middleman. All this points to new revenue stream for Australian creators, say Australian Influencer Marketing Council's Patrick Whitnall and Impact’s Nick Randall. But it means we have another new avenue in a growing proliferation of commerce channels brands must navigate, says Arktic Fox founder, Teresa Sperti. AiMCO – Australian Influencer Marketing Council impact.com Belinda Gruebner Moose Toys Amanda Calkins Commission Factory Sharyn Smith Social Soup (Australia & NZ) Alberto Morencos Jorna

Finding a way to audit marketing skillsets – so you have a clue on what they are, and can then work out how to fill the gaps in marketing capability right now – is becoming an ever-greater need if we’re to cope with increased complexity within the discipline. Enter the latest tool to try and articulate the capabilities and provide a career roadmap for marketers: ADMA’s Capability Compass. The association’s second, re-engineered attempt at a skills assessment, learning and development pathway has been welcomed by former CMO and executive recruiter, Stuart Tucker, and Tourism Australia CMO, Susan Coghill, who both believe the complexity of modern marketing makes it vital we articulate all elements of the discipline, then build knowledge so teams can understand and collaborate each other. And given the dire recent ADMA survey results on how few practicing marketers can tell you what the 4Ps stand for – 32 per cent according to the poll – there’s a severe knowledge gap around technical aspects of marketing needing to be addressed, Mark Ritson says. Early criticism however was quick, with some industry pundits suggesting the Compass doesn’t go far enough in recognising the strategic aspects of areas like customer experience and digital transformation. But outside of the unique situational necessity of applying marketing skills to different industry categories and business needs, both Tucker and Coghill say the Compass should be embraced as a solid starting point if industry is going to lift the boat for the marketing profession. Hourigan International Andrea Martens Anthony Toovey Heartbeat Suite

Netflix took $6m each off Australia's major media buying groups then left them fuming as it initially massively under-delivered on its ad tier. Rivals like Foxtel-owned Binge and Amazon shook their heads, instead rolling subs onto ads automatically unless they paid more – and took plaudits from buyers for hitting the ground running. But the fable of the hare and the tortoise may yet apply. Now Netflix is getting serious with an in-house sales team, ad stack, new formats and is acquiring reach at speed. Local business development chief Benjamin Cox hints there may be another incoming boost. 

For anyone in ecom or performance marketing, it’s time to downweight ROAS and ROI and laser focus on unit economics, says former investment banker (her last big deal was the Myer float) turned entrepreneur Carla Penn-Kahn. She was early into ecom and left Credit Suisse to launch four of her own – Kitchenware Australia, A Gift Worth Giving, Everten and Buy My Thing. But she sold her last venture last year when she realised it had hit peak profitability. With performance ad prices doubling in four years, and Amazon reaching full speed, the unit economics weren’t going to get any better. Penn-Kahn thinks direct-to-consumer trailblazers now face the same dilemma, because they can no longer sustainably scale through advertising and VCs are sharpening their bottom line focus as much as the top.  Hence she’s cool on the outlook for many, but particularly the likes of THE ICONIC, Temple & Webster, Adore Beauty and Australian marketplaces like Woolworths-owned Catch, which last week put a $96m dent in Wesfarmers’ balance sheet. Loyalty programs and retail media offers a lifeline for some, per Penn-Kahn, but most DTC brands don’t have the latter option. Profit Peak Adore Beauty Group #ecom

Latest research from Gain Theory and WARC shows how marketing effectiveness links to revenue growth. Here’s how Australian marketers can get there, with insight from Diageo, Mars, and Melbourne Business School. #sponsored Justin Nel