Leos hires from The Hallway for group head
Leo Burnett Sydney has hired former The Hallway employee Bec Morton as group head. Prior to joining Leos Morton spent two years as head of account/client management at independent agency The Hallway. With 15 years industry experience, Morton also spent a decade with BMF in roles such as group account director and client services director roles. In November last year the agency suffered global backlash after hiring an all white male creative team.
Todd Sampson stars in new show for Ten
Todd Sampson is the star on Network Ten’s upcoming new series BodyHack. In the show, The Leo Burnett Australia non-executive chairman will take on some of the biggest challenges of his life as he embarks on an exploration investing some of the world’s most extraordinary people. In true Sampson style, the Gruen panellist will not just observe them – he will try and become them, including living as a hunter-gatherer in Tanzania and stepping into the ring as a professional cage fighter in Mexico.
VCCP wins Hipages account
VCCP Sydney has been named the creative lead agency for Hipages, an online marketplace to find and hire tradies. Hipages CMO Tracy Richardson says: "VCCP demonstrated an unnatural knack to nail our tone of voice, unpack insights, extract every ounce of delight from every concept they presented. They just seem to get us to the bone."
Out with MRECs in with better creative
Creative ad tech company Playground XYZ has seen seen such “rapid” business growth, fuelled by demand for new mobile ad formats, that it has today added Fairfax as publishing partner - alongside MCN, Nine, SBS, Ticketek, Gumtree, Daily Mail, Mamamia, Bauer and more. Launched by ex-Big Mobile employees late last year, the company says its new bolstered client list is proof that current mobile ad formats are failing to deliver key metrics for brands. While the majority of technology out there lets creative executions be built within the specified IAB formats, Playground's offering is about reshaping the ad formats themselves.
The Bachelor partners with Giphy ahead of debut
Network Ten is partnering with the world’s largest library of animated GIFS, Giphy, to host an official brand channel for The Bachelor, which debuts this Wednesday. From today, fans of the popular TV show can access thousands of official GIFS, with more published live as the action happens during each episode’s broadcast. This season, Ten is tapping into the huge social following of the show. You can read more about how the network plans to monetise its social presence here.
M2M hires three
M2M, part of the Omnicom Media Group, has made three senior hires. James Parry joins as business director from OMD in London. Tarryn Blackwood joins as head of social from a client side role with Mondelez in the UK Dan O’Brien joins as head of digital from Frontier Australia. Wendy Gower, managing director of M2M Sydney said: “The M2M business has experienced significant growth over the past 2 years and with the capabilities within the M2M management team as well as across the broader business we are hoping to continue on this trajectory”.
Verizon to buy Yahoo for $US5bn
Verizon has agreed to buy Yahoo for an estimated $US5 billion, according to multiple media reports. The deal is expected to be announced formally in the US this week. US telecommunications giant Verizon had emerged in recent days as the front runner for the beleaguered internet company. The deal may have implications for Yahoo's local partnership with Seven West Media group, however Yahoo declined to comment.
Rupert Murdoch named Fox CEO
Rupert Murdoch has replaced Roger Ailes as Fox News chief, after Ailes resigned following a sexual harassment lawsuit. The company said in statement that Ailes resignation was effective immediately and Murdoch, the head of Fox’s parent company 21st Century Fox, would take over the roles of chairman and acting CEO For Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.
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