TV ad sales set to bounce back
The Australian Financial Review spoke with the bosses of the free-to-air TV networks and they remain bullish that TV ad spend is set to bounce back in 2016. Kurt Burnette, chief revenue officer at Seven West Media, told the AFR: "Going into next year we are going to have an election, an Olympics and a census. We have never had all three of those events in a year. The last time we had an Olympics and and election was 2004 and the TV market grew by 11%." The networks are so confident that they are said to be asking media agencies for increases in their year-end negotiations.
Qantas' 'Love Actually' moment
According to Qantas' top marketer Olivia Wirth, Qantas has achieved it's own 'Love Actually' moment with its 'Feels like Home' campaign. Speaking with The Australian Wirth said the airline had tpo be authentic, otherwise consumers wouldn't buy what he airline was selling. “The Australian public were quite cynical and if we tried to spin or talk about untruths or push the story too far it wouldn't ring true to them.”
News Corp acquires
News Corp Australia has acquired a 25% stake in hipages, the startup that aims to help people find and hire tradespeople in Australia, The Australian is reporting. Launched from a garage in 2004 by two Aussie entrepreneurs, hipages now directly employs 200 people, helps more than65,000 verified tradespeople find work and get access to $1.35 billion worth of jobs generated annually. It is understood that News' investment comes as the business is looking at an IPO.
Disney ready for Star Wars launch
Local Disney managing director, Catherine Powell, told The AFR that while the business is nervous about the release of its first film in the new Star Wars trilogy; The Force Awakens, she believes Disney has nailed it. "We all feel the pressure, not just in terms of delivering a success, but that the film itself won't disappoint, and the balance between the appeal to existing fans versus the broadening out of the appeal to a broader audience, and getting that balance right, is something they've been incredibly mindful of and respectful of," Powell said.
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