Media Mayhem: Adam Furness – ‘We are more connected than ever, yet somehow more isolated’
These are interesting times, and the challenges faced by Australian marketing and media are frequently diabolical. There is always opportunity in a crisis, but rarely a single solution that is easy to see. Many are worried, searching for answers, and seeking guidance from our best thinkers. At Mumbrella, we want to interview industry leaders to understand their insights and learn how they handle the challenges and structure for the future. We hope this can help inspire our industry to trade through the storms and deliver the best work on the global stage.
In this week’s Media Mayhem, we speak to impact.com managing director, Adam Furness.
How is the operating environment impacting your team, clients and partners?
The bearish market is certainly turning up the pressure. Right now, most people in the industry are being asked to do more with less, which means stress and uncertainty are prevalent.
We’re fortunate at impact.com to remain in growth mode, but we’re certainly being more careful and considered with our investments. Plus, it’s important to remember that reading about industry-wide layoffs can cause jitters, particularly for younger staff members who are experiencing their first industry down-cycle.
In a stressed-out market, opportunities for time-out, creativity, and fun can take a hit, so I’m currently focused on ensuring we continue to find ways to stay engaged and connected with our clients, partners and each other. Whether it’s organising a team meeting at a park, sharing a laugh, or simply taking time to check in on clients and partners to ensure they’re doing well – it’s about finding joy in the process, without necessarily spending a fortune.
In terms of strategy, while it’s natural to seek efficiencies, it’s important to avoid knee-jerk reactions. It’s about playing the long game. Markets are cyclical, and by making smart, strategic investments during tough times, we position ourselves to come out stronger when things pick up. Hang in there, and together, we’ll navigate this phase and come out ahead.
What changes are you seeing in consumer behaviour and preferences?
The rise of platforms like TEMU and Shein indicates that many consumers are gravitating toward convenience, aesthetic appeal, and affordability. They want products that look good and don’t break the bank.
At the same time, resistance to traditional advertising is becoming more apparent. Audiences are tuning out ads, preferring recommendations from people they trust. The viral “TIKTOK made me buy it” trend shows how powerful social influence has become in purchasing decisions. That’s why word of mouth, product reviews and referrals are more critical than ever. People want authentic, relatable content – something they can see in action through their peers, not just a polished ad campaign.
For brands, this means adapting strategies to prioritise authenticity and organic connections. Leaning into community-driven conversations and focusing on creating a brand experience that people want to talk about is the key to staying relevant.
How are you meeting those expectations?
Our technology is all about helping brands navigate and take advantage of this change in consumer behaviour, as it enables them to scale affiliate and referral style partnerships with publishers, their customers, influencers and creators.
Internally, we talk about adopting a ‘blue ocean’ mentality. We’re riding the wave of change and creating a new technology and mindset to embrace the partnership economy. So, at the moment, we’re doubling down on educating and inspiring the market.
How are you using technology to your advantage?
Anyone who knows me, understands I’m a huge ‘voice’ person so I use a lot of voice to text, as well as audio messages via SMS, slack and other channels. For work, we love Gong for sales coaching, and I use ChatGPT for dot point summaries on businesses and people I’m meeting with. The search functionality on TikTok is also a lifesaver for inspiration and ideas for recipes. It’s also great for travel tips once I’m at a destination.
How are you using generative artificial intelligence?
We leverage generative AI to intelligently match businesses that have complementary goals or offerings, so clients can discover partnerships that make strategic sense. Additionally, we’re utilising AI to predict campaign outcomes, helping businesses make more informed decisions. It’s also a great tool to streamline our customer support to help customers get the answers to their questions more rapidly.
When you lift your eyes from the screen to the media and marketing horizon, how are you planning?
We’ve got our eyes on continued and sustainable growth, so we’re constantly thinking about how we can do more with and for our community of brands, publishers, agencies and creators. How can we serve them better, connect them, inspire them, create loyalty programs and drive further advocacy and value? As part of our double-downing on education, we’re extending our PXA (Partnerships Experience Academy) online training platform offer, to provide live courses and demos in Australia. It’s free and open to everyone – including our competitors.
What proposals for legislative change would you prioritise, or are there areas you would like government assistance on?
We need to raise the age of incarceration. In my role as co-chair of industry social purpose organisation UnLtd, I’ve discovered that children can go to jail from the age of just 10 years old in Australia which is crazy. Advocating and campaigning for change will be a big focus for UnLtd over the next twelve months. We hope to harness the power of the media, marketing and advertising industry to effect change, so I’d encourage anyone reading to join the movement!
Personally, I’m also supportive of efforts to restrict social media for those under 16 as the negative effects on teenagers are becoming increasingly concerning. As a parent with teenage daughters, I’ve witnessed firsthand how online platforms can foster environments where bullying, fake and digitally altered images, and superficial connections thrive. The pressure for teens to constantly compare themselves to these unrealistic standards is leading to rising levels of anxiety, depression, and even self-harm. We are more connected than ever, yet somehow more isolated. It’s a big problem.
What opportunities do you see, and how are you positioning your organisation to exploit them?
We’ll continue to listen to the market to see where it’s heading – and make continual adjustments to our product roadmap and market offerings. For example, we’ve recently introduced a new product (advocate) to tap into the rise of customer advocacy campaigns and the power of ‘word of mouth’ or referral based marketing. We’re in a continuous feedback loop with our customers and so far, it’s working pretty well in keeping us one step ahead of the game.
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Neil Griffiths is the Managing Editor of Mumbrella. He joined the company in October 2023.
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