Welcome to Unmade on a Monday morning, as the media and marketing news agenda finally slows down for 2021.

Happy Cathode Ray Tube Day.

Today’s edition offers a newsfeed of stories that broke over the weekend and this morning.

Simon Smith leaves News Corp

News Corp’s content marketing supremo Simon Smith has departed four years after launching the organisation’s in house content agency Suddenly.

Smith’s exit (announced in a LinkedIn post) comes as News Corp gears up its in house creative capabilities under managing director of commercial content Mike Connaghan, the former boss of STW Group. Two months ago, News Corp took a majority stake in Visual Domain, one of the country’s largest full service video production companies in a move that suggested the company is looking to take business from the creative agency sector.

Facebook worst company of the year

A survey of Yahoo Finance readers has selected Facebook and parent company Meta as the worst company of the year. Criticisms of the company included ignoring safety issues in order to pursue growth, and spreading misinformation about health and politics.

Seven wins the ratings week

Seven cruised to a comfortable win in Total People and all of the key advertising demographics for Week 51 of the ratings year, OzTam data reveals. Viewing was dominated by Seven’s coverage of the Second Test of the Ashes contest between Australia and England. Nine was second for the week while Ten was a distant third.

ABC wants more cash

The ABC is launching a pre-election push for more money in the next funding round.

In the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, managing director David Anderson today argues for an end to the Coalition instigated indexation freeze: “My expectation is that I can see indexation returning to the ABC in the next triennium in line with all other government agencies.” The ABC is also seeking funding to revive its Asia Pacific output, seven years after being forced to close the Australia Network.

And in The Australian today, ABC chair Ita Buttrose tells Media Diary: “I’m optimistic that after the election, the funding of the ABC will be given proper consideration. We would hope that the 90th year of the ABC will be the reason for whoever wins government to give us the funding we need.”

The ABC’s funding negotiations could be the last on a three-year cycle, with Labor committing last month to five-year funding terms.

Communications chief exits

Craig Middleton, director of media and communications for Greater Sydney Commission, has stepped down after 40 years in the communications industry. Early in his career at 2GB Middleton won a Walkley Award. He went on to high level comms roles with NSW Police, City of Sydney, Energy Australia, Telstra, and Transport NSW.

P&G keeps faith with digital ads

Procter & Gamble is the biggest spending digital advertiser in Australia, data from advertising intelligence company Pathmatics suggests. According to the research published in today’s Australian Financial Review, P&G spent just over $30m on digital advertising in 2021, ahead of PepsiCo on just over $27m and Telstra on just under $27m. However, the data is based on estimating average CPM so is likely to be of limited accuracy.

New Jetstar campaign

Qantas’s budget airline Jetstar has launched a new marketing campaign aimed at persuading consumers to start making holiday plans. The ad, created by Wunderman Thompson, features a man in a shopping aisle with his two bored daughters while he fantasises about taking them on a rollercoaster. Via Campaign Brief.

Police chase Canberra leaker

Police have raided homes in an investigation into a whistleblower who shared distasteful images of misbehaviour in Parliament House. The warrant sought the man’s correspondence with journalists Peter van Onselen from Ten and Chip LeGrand from Nine.

Influencers shortlisted

Influencer marketing body AIMCO has released its shortlist for its inaugural awards process for influencer marketing campaigns. A total of 77 finalists have made the cut, with winners due to be announced in February.

Quote of the day

“Several agency heads told head office they would leave if she got that role”

Mumbrella’s Olivia Kruimel on Rosemary Herceg’s part in the battle for succession as WPP Australia’s country leader.

Back tomorrow

There’ll be more from Unmade tomorrow, with my podcast interview with Andrew Jaspan, founder of new information service 360Info. And there’ll be further analysis on Wednesday, assessing the state of battle between the major radio networks.

Have a great day.

Toodlepip

Tim Burrowes

Proprietor - Unmade

letters@unmade.media