Socceroos World Cup qualifier cracks 1 million
The Socceroos crucial 2-1 win over Syria was watched by an average TV audience of 725,000 on Nine last night. The match peaked at 1.08 million and rounded off a strong night for Nine in which The Block registered an average of 1.77 million and Big Bang Theory netted 1.06 million. Tim Cahill's double, including the winner deep into extra time, secured Australia's passage to the final round of World Cup qualifying - a do-or-die battle against either Hoinduras or Panama.
Seven swaps Sydney for Melbourne
As the upfronts season gets in full swing, with MCN and YouTube having already rolled out their efforts and Nine’s showcase tonight, Channel Seven has this week revealed a shift in strategy by hosting the main event in Melbourne. The annual show and tell is an opportunity for TV networks to tout their wares, content slate and any other innovations that may woo agency media buyers and brands - getting them to shift ad spend dollars behind them, over rivals. Despite many key agency heads based in Sydney and having always hosted its main event in Sydney, and only ‘toured’ the event in other markets, Seven is placing its bets on Victorian capital this year. It coincides with the Rugby League World Cup opening game in Melbourne – one of Seven’s major events in a six-month cycle of big events. Seven West Media’s chief revenue officer Kurt Burnette tells AdNews: “After the stunning AFL Grand Final results, The Rugby League World Cup opening game in Melbourne represents the start of what will be the largest and most effective content-lead marketing platform we have seen. See our upfronts coverage so far.
ANZ marketer resurfaces at Australian Sports Commission
Former ANZ marketer Louise Eyres has resurfaced at the Australian Sports Commission (ASC). Eyres starts immediately as ASC general manager and will be part of a new-look ASC executive team. Eyres joins from ANZ Banking Group, where she was group general manager marketing, and will lead a new ASC division – ‘Marketing, Customer Insights and Analytics’. Eyres, who has also been global head of brand for BHP Billiton, left the bank in May this year.
Orchard hires Verbrugghe from Deepend
Orchard has hired Kim Verbrugghe as head of strategy, in a move that the agency's founders say signals a “new phase” of how the business approaches strategy. Verbrugghe will implement a design thinking methodology across the entire strategy function, with the aim of making it more human-centric and collaborative. Andrew Antoniou, Managing Partner at Orchard, said: “As a business, we need to continue to innovate, grow, stretch and push the jagged edges to stay at the forefront of what the market is demanding. Kim will help us do that and more. She is super smart and has a history of driving change in the digital space.” She joins from Deepend where she spent five years.
Switch on Media wins Aussie Home Loans digital
WPP’s Switched on Media has won the digital duties for Aussie Home Loan, following a highly competitive pitch process. The agency will now lead the brand’s strategy, planning, media buying and execution across the full range of digital services. Switched on Media will work as an extension of Aussie’s in-house marketing team.
Bastion expands to the US
Australian communications group Bastion Collective has bought California-based SEO and digital advertising agency, TLG Marketing, to bolster its services for international clients. It will be renamed Bastion TLG. Bastion Collective has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Shanghai and Los Angeles offering services in PR, communications, social and digital media, sponsorship, activations, government and China advisory services, reputation management, insights and consumer research. Founder of Bastion Collective Fergus Watts says: “We need to gain insights from around the world in order to deliver world-class work which is why we are excited by the addition of Bastion TLG, based in one of the world’s biggest markets.”
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