Mumbrella live blog: Wednesday, March 19
This is Mumbrella’s live blog, all you need to keep you up to date in the media and marketing world. Refresh the page for latest updates refresh the page.
Top stories:
- Last chance to get tickets for CommsCon today
- Twitter coy on speculation it now has 4m Australian users
- Woolworths shortlists three smaller agencies for media strategy help
- The general manager of Domain has taken redundancy during restructure
- Carefree goes for another frank message in latest tampon ads
- Dick Smith to fight ruling striking OzEmite off trademark list
5:46pm – Apologies for the blog being a tad quiet this afternoon – the Mumbrella offices have been a hive of activity in preparation for tomorrow’s CommsCon conference and Awards. Here there are some last-minute tweaks being made to scripts ahead of the Awards, where there are just eight seats left. Want a ticket – click here for more details.
3:32pm – So, it seems Twitter’s push Down Under in the last 18-months has paid off, with the social network doubling its user base according to presentations seen by agency execs. However, boss Karen Stocks is staying mum on the matter.
1:38pm – In the latest on the Woolworths media pitch the supermarket has shortlisted three “smaller” agencies to assist on its strategy, including Ikon.
12:21pm – There’s an interesting piece on smh.com.au today by Richard Ackland accusing Andrew Bolt of hypocrisy, after the right-wing commentator said he had been deeply offended by implications he is racist aired on last Monday’s Q&A.
11:52am – Dick Smith has made a U-turn and decided he will appeal the decision to strike the OzEmite name from the trademark list as battle with Roger Ramsey’s Aussiemite intensifies.
11:18am – Remember a couple of years ago when Carefree managed to get the most complaints to the Ad Standards Board for using the word vagina in an ad? Well, its latest set of ads pulls no punches again.
11:00am – There’s news around this morning about US retargeting giant AdRoll launching in Australia, as we revealed in Mumbrella a couple of weeks ago.
10:52am – TV ratings are in, and its more bad news for The Biggest Loser which dropped to a season low of 307,000 viewers, as My Kitchen Rules and The Block dominated. Meanwhile the debut of The Face, Fox8’s new modelling show starring Naomi Campbell got 40,000 viewers, 18th in the pay-TV category.
10:18am – It’s all going on on Studio 10 this morning, where The Cookie Monster is making his second appearance of the morning on Aussie TV (see 8:18am), and Joe Hildebrand has had a makeover. Conveniently just in time for tomorrow night’s CommsCon Awards, which he is hosting.
9:57am – The CommsCon event for the PR community is happening tomorrow in Sydney. As well as a keynote from LA Dodger’s publicity chief Joe Jareck there’s also a session on global best PR thinking from Red Agency’s James Wright, a series of best practice case studies, and how to pitch journos. If you work in communications this day is a must.
Today is the last chance to get your tickets. Click here for the full program.
9:39am – Well, the John Stephens saga between Seven and Ten just gets weirder, with Ten issuing yet another statement this morning saying it had “extensive negotiations” with the him and questioning if he was influenced by prescription meds when he signed a contract, which he later tried to pull out of. They added they “are not prepared to be bullied”.
9:25am – Last night on the ABC’s The Business there was an on-air gaffe with the screen going to black and then coming back to presenter Ticky Fullerton who for a full 30 seconds didn’t realise she was live on-air. See video below.
8:26am – So apparently it’s the drugs that made John Stephens sign a contract at Ten and quit Seven, according to a number of reports around this morning. Seven’s lawyers are claiming the veteran programming executive was under the influence of heavy painkillers following a hip operation when he signed the Ten contract. Yesterday the two sides put out competing statements on the matter.
8:18am – In an unexpected twist The Cookie Monster has been co-hosting the Today show on Nine this morning. Strangely his over-the-top hyperactive demeanour doesn’t seem out of place on breakfast TV.
8:07am – Happy Repeal Day everyone! (is that a thing?) Lots of communications “red tape” is set to be cut away today by the government – but not the media reach rules. We’ll be following developments through the day.
