ShopFully, an international tech company in Drive to Store, has discovered that 70% of Australian consumers are now opting for Click & Collect when shopping online. The company, which joined MEDIA Central Group in 2023, is now a partner to over 500 top retailers and brands in 25 countries, operating with a team of over 450 individuals focused on Digital Retail.
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‘A little alarming’: ACCC net widens in latest data products and services report to breaches, fines, enforcement and consumer ‘harm’ beyond privacy reform – ID hashing, location data, clean rooms face more pressure
It’s not sexy but like AI, it’s going to affect your job – and your company. Another salvo in the fast approaching privacy regime set for tabling in parliament in August was fired last week by the ACCC around how personal information is collected and used by data firms – Experian, Nielsen, Publicis-owned Epsilon and Woolworths-owned Quantium were among those flagged by the competition regulator last week in its eighth interim report as part of the multi year Digital Platforms Inquiry. And to be blunt, any professional working in ecom, marketing, customer experience, digital advertising and data and analytics is going to have a rude shock for what they can do now versus what is likely in a year or perhaps a bit longer. But UNSW Business School’s Professor of Practice, Peter Leonard, says last week’s release by the ACCC of its Data Products and Services interim report makes “every firm in this economy a data firm.” And in the short-term, that’s not good news for most companies because their data readiness and maturity is not matched by the “fundamental change” which will force everyone to “rethink their understanding” of what even defines personal information” according to ADMA’s Director of Legal and Advocacy, Sarla Fernando.Leonard and Fernando are joined by Capital Brief’s Legal and Regulatory Affairs Correspondent, Laurel Henning and Civic Data’s founder, Chris Brinkworth. And for a tantalising teaser, Future Media’s Ricky Sutton lays out the changes Google is making to its search engine which is already seeing organic referral traffic to publishers abroad drop 40 per cent – brands, he says, are facing similar declines.
Flight Centre soars with Qualtrics AI-powered customer experience program
Flight Centre, one of the world’s largest travel retailers, is leveraging a new AI-powered customer experience program developed to enhance customer experience and agent productivity.
AI knowledge gap ‘worst I’ve seen’: Money, time, fear keeping marketers on backfoot – Princess Cruises, Care Pharma join This is Flow project to address hold-ups, agency ‘extinction event’
The AI revolution is upon us but the knowledge gap is unprecedented and the learning curve steep. Many in marketing are happier to keep the new tech at arms length – fears of getting AI wrong, given the the unique ethical and security concerns, are at the crux of the issue. Boss of AI consultancy Move 37 and former The Royals founder Dave King says the AI knowledge gap is the biggest he’s seen in his career and the only solution is for marketers to get into the tech and experiment for themselves. It’s what indie media shop This is Flow is looking to tackle, last week launching the first of a workshop series it’s coined ‘Playgroup’. The first session, fronted by King, attempted to crack through some reservations and give clients a holistic view of AI and what it can do for their organisation. So far, it seems to have landed but marketers from Princess Cruises and Care Pharma point to time and money as a key barrier to broader AI deployment. Nonetheless, former STW CCO turned advisor Chris Savage suggests that the agency is on the right track but with clients likely to in-house their future AI capabilities, he says agencies will also need to get their own houses in order via AI and automation if they’re to avoid an “extinction event”.
‘No long-term brand plan, two marketers’: SPC CMO reshapes portfolio for shifting food tastes, goes back above the line, shakes-up agency roster, eyes offshore expansion
Iconic Australian FMCG SPC had a massive 87 per cent brand awareness and a strong portfolio when CMO, Peta Allsopp joined the new-look leadership team. The bad news was that long-term brand strategy was virtually non-existent and it had a marketing team of two. But after re-engineering its balance sheet under private ownership and with a new exec leadership team in place, appetite for change was strong in the business – from the top down. Allsopp has wasted little time, hiring new marketers, shaking up its agency roster and building out the FMCG’s portfolio to better match shifting consumer tastes. She’s aiming to boost exports into Asia as well as re-fire local brands through consistent messaging and building mental availability. But while some brands are now getting above the line investment for the first time in years, there are some things Allsopp’s not going to do. TV partnerships for one.
Martech spend at 10-year low, broader budgets crunched but pressured marketers shielding paid media – CMOs, agency bosses on where axe is falling, defence mechanisms
Gartner’s latest global CMO survey finds marketing budgets as a percentage of company revenues are at a five-year low. Martech spending is its lowest in 10 years while talent and agencies are likewise getting squeezed. But results-pressured marketing chiefs are ringfencing working media in a bid for short-term growth. Locally CMOs from Uber, Adore Beauty, and one financial services firm, along with Publicis and Orchard executives, suggest overt trimming of marketing budgets is not prevalent – yet. But there is no doubt significant scrutiny is going into every dollar spent to maximise efficiency, productivity and commercial value across the funnel. Responsible marketing is the name of the game, and demonstrating impact – ideally immediately – is imperative.
Honda Australia to build in-house agency, appoints Howatson+Company as new external partner to replace trio of agencies
Honda Australia has announced a significant reshaping of its marketing and agency model, ditching Zenith Media, Wavemaker and TRP and appointing Howatson+Company as its new media and creative agency partner across its Automotive, Motorcycles and Power Equipment divisions.
Southern Phone slapped with $244,140 penalty for mishandling customer complaints
Southern Phone Company Limited (Southern Phone), owned by AGL Energy, has been fined $244,140 for inadequate customer complaint handling by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
Webjet explores demerger of leading divisions as it reports record FY24 results
Webjet, the online travel agency, has confirmed it is exploring a separation of its two leading divisions, WebBeds and Webjet B2C via a demerger.
National Breast Cancer Foundation recruits Futurebrand Australia for new brand strategy
The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF), Australia’s leading not-for-profit organisation funding breast cancer research, has teamed up with FutureBrand Australia to develop a new brand strategy.