Red Agency’s James Wright lands global Havas role
Red Agency group CEO James Wright has been appointed global chair of Havas PR Collective and CEO of Havas PR North America. The PR arm of Havas Group comprises 40 agencies and 1,500 professionals around the world. Aside from leading Red Agency, Wright has been the chief commercial officer for Havas-owned PR agencies across the Asia-Pacific region and was named Agency Head of the Year at the PR Asia awards. “His impact in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region in the PR industry is peerless—and his experience is what we need to deliver a strong, cohesive earned and experiential offer that will attract the best talent and future-focused clients,” Havas Group Chairman and CEO Yannick Bollore said.
Pernod Ricard names Hakof global marketing director
Pernod Ricard Winemakers has appointed Australian Darryn Hakof as global marketing director. Sydney-based Hakof, who did an MBA at Adelaide University, brings nearly 20 years of experience within the Pernod Ricard Group and was most recently director of strategy and new business for Pernod Ricard Winemakers. He will report to chairman and CEO Bruno Rain and continues as a member of the Pernod Ricard Winemakers Management Committee. Pernod Ricard Winemakers includes brands such as Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Stoneleigh, Campo Viejo, Kenwood Vineyards and Graffigna in its portfolio. “This is an exciting opportunity to work with our talented, innovative and passionate teams, and with our valued global partners, to bring our brand stories to life with consumers around the world,” Hakof said.
The inaugural Launch Marketing Council.
Lift off
Australian marketers have come together to form the Launch Marketing Council (LMC), which aims to help marketing teams execute launch campaigns more effectively. The council comprises of marketers in tech, travel, QSR, telco and the investment community, including Guzman y Gomez CMO Lara Thom, Outdoria CEO Nick Baker and Facebook ANZ’s head of marketing Alexandra Sloane. It is an initiative of global launch agency Five by Five and will be chaired by Bold Media’s managing partner Alex Hayes.“The council members have a really varied background and experiences, from corporate environments to startups and rapidly growing companies,” Hayes said. “We want to understand how businesses can overcome some of the issues tabled by our very senior marketers in a way that goes beyond theory and is instead based on actual experience.”
Digital broadcaster OVOPlay renews drag racing rights
OVOPlay has secured a new five-year global broadcast deal with 400 Thunder drag racing (pictured above) after boosting the competition’s audience by more than 750% in the past 12 months. OVOPlay said it is further evidence that digital streaming can help niche sports reach larger audiences. The exclusive rights arrangement will incorporate a tiered pay-per-view and subscriptions structure and extends to international audiences that want to watch the Australian drag racing competition. The US has a large fanbase of drag racing fans that are likely to be interested in the event. 400 Thunder said the it had increased live event ticket sales and sponsorship in the past year since it began broadcasting its events on OVOPlay. "Live streaming broadcast of sport is the way of the future. Our audiences want instant gratification. They're looking for content where and when they want it,” 400 Thunder chairman Tony Wedlock said.
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