Live blog: Thursday, August 14
Welcome to Mumbrella’s live blog, our daily roundup of what’s happening in media and marketing.
Top Stories:
- Fairfax gives four execs $2.4m rise as staff there and at News corp battle for pay increase – as an exec justifies increase saying management “back” themselves but journos won’t
- As Fairfax records profit of $224.4m on the back of asset sales
- Qantas making Frequent Flyer push with new web portal
- STW Communications has seen revenues rise despite CEO saying there hasn’t been enough new business
- News.com.au top news site as Daily Mail creeps up rankings again in big news month
- Diageo marketing boss: ‘I was sick and tired of wasting strategy money’
- Opinion: It ain’t weak to speak – how I dealt with depression
- Dr Mumbo: Do you want flies with that?
3:47pm – One of the four Fairfax execs who received the $2.4m pay increase wrote in an email the management “deserved” it because they were prepared to back themselves to hit targets, while journalists weren’t.
2:23pm – Staff at Fairfax are preparing to go into a stop work meeting to discuss a pay freeze, just hours after it emerged four of its execs shared $2.4m in extra remuneration
12:45pm – July had a series of major news events including MH17 disaster, the Commonwealth Games and FIFA World Cup final which helped boost audiences to most of the major news sites, according to the latest Nielsen online rankings.
11:45am – Telstra’s latest ad for its ‘Unexspected upgrades’ program takes place in a hotel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpFJLkfgN7Q
11:34am – In agency related news experiential outfit Chieftan Communications has sold a stake to shopper marketing agency Creata, now led by Charles Rallings, with a view to expanding abroad.
10:43am – STW Communications has seen its revenues rise, but its CEO Mike Connaghan has admitted its new business record this year has not been good enough, pledging to change that.
10:03am – Telstra has boosted profits again to a cool $14bn and change, however its media division actually made $5m less than last year.
9:32am – Fairfax bosses will be happier today as the company has reported a profit of $224.4m for the year, up from a loss of $16m last year. However, that was fuelled mostly by the sales of tow digital assets.
8:24am – We’re now slap bang in the middle of results season, so this morning you can expect to hear from Telstra, STW Comunications and most intriguingly Fairfax Media. We’ll have the breakdowns as they come in.
8.11am – Good morning, here’s what’s been happening overnight internationally:
Campaign: Comparethemarket.com “homeland” by VCCP
“Comparethemarket.com’s meerkat saga continues as the furry mascots take their adopted son back to his roots in a new campaign from the price-comparison site. VCCP created the TV ad, which was launched on 9 August. It shows Aleksandr and Sergei visiting Africa in order to introduce their pup, Oleg, to his homeland. The story will play out in a series of ads to air over six months and will be supported by idents on Coronation Street. The work was written by Javier Romartinez, art directed by Stephen Misir and directed by Darren Walsh through Passion Pictures. Post-production was handled by Passion Pictures and Rushes.”
The Guardian: Ben Ashford found not guilty after trawling stolen phone for ‘flirty’ texts
“A former Sun journalist has walked free from the Old Bailey after he was cleared of all charges levelled against him after he looked through the contents of an iPhone that did not belong to him.
Ben Ashford looked thoroughly relieved as the jury of 12 pronounced its “not guilty” verdict on the two charges in the five-day trial.”
The New York Times: On Twitter, Mourning Is Collective – Robin Williams’s Death, Reflected in Social Media
“Within minutes of the news of Robin Williams’s death on Monday, his legions of fans — regular people and celebrities, too — were creating an electronic scrapbook of his life in real time.
News feeds on social media sites were transformed into highlight reels from his stand-up routines, his Academy Award acceptance speech, his performances in films like “Good Morning, Vietnam” and “Good Will Hunting.” Mindy Kaling wrote on Twitter that she’d been named after Mr. Williams’s fictional co-star on “Mork and Mindy.” Judd Apatow tweeted that he’d taken a job as an intern at Comic Relief “just to be near him.” On Facebook, Chevy Chase posted a photograph of himself with Mr. Williams and Steve Martin.”
AdAge: Watch This (Now Heartbreaking) Robin Williams Commercial for Nintendo’s Zelda From 2011
“With the news that Robin Williams died today at 63, remembrances of the beloved actor and comedian are flooding social and mainsteam media. There are countless moments from his career to cherish — like the “It’s not your fault” scene from “Good Will Hunting” — but one of the sweetest just might be this 30-second commercial for Nintendo’s Zelda, in which he stars alongside his daughter Zelda. It was released in 2011.”
Campaign Middle East: Saatchi & Saatchi bags RTA account
“Saatchi & Saatchi has won the Roads & Transport Authority’s creative brief following a competitive pitch.
The win covers all strategic communication activities for the Roads & Transport Authority’s (RTA) brands, including the launch brief for Dubai Tram.”
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