He might be known for directing Hollywood hits like Baby Driver and Shaun of the Dead, but the latest work from director Edgar Wright sure has eyebrows raising. Causing a stir online, Wright has created the perfect ad for, of all things, McDonalds.

The ad features an office place, with a bevy of hungry workers who communicated wordlessly to convey what they want: a McDonald’s lunch. As the crowd of hungry workers starts to grow, they all acknowledge their hunger with a simple raise of the eyebrows. A signal not only of hunger, but where to go. The famous Golden Arches. 

What has Edgar Wright done differently?

But it’s not just that the ad has been directed by a Hollywood hitmaker, but it’s something else that has the creative community buzzing. It’s what isn’t shown. The product itself. 

It’s a bold move to not show the product. It relies heavily on brand recognition. 

Edgar Wright weaves recognition into the ad seamlessly. From a woman clad in the famous red and yellow at the start of the ad, to the eyebrow raising emulating the Golden Arches, it’s the nuances in the ad that make it such a bold statement. 

In short, this ad throws away the rule book. But, the results are paying dividends. Although a UK ad, people from all over the world are discussing it. It will be used in university classrooms as a look at branding. And, at the very crux of it, it certainly made me want some Maccas.

Link in bio tool, Linktree might have some of the most accurate data to find out what consumers were looking for this year. The tool tracks what social media users are clicking on through others’ profiles. 

2022 was a year of formidable change. The world opened back up, and we took full advantage of it. From gigs to festivals, travel to dining out, we explored, discovered and reconnected with the world around us. 

So, what did Linktree find we were looking for?

Airbnb is still number one on Linktree

We were out there and exploring the world. Although Airbnb faced some controversy with rising booking and cleaning fees, travel related links increased 55 percent in 2022, and Airbnb continued to own the booking space.

Live entertainment

Taylor Swift announced a global tour that quite literally broke the internet, when Ticketmaster couldn’t handle the traffic. Harry Styles went global and musical fans flocked to Broadway to catch major stage plays before they left. Entertainment sites increased by 75 percent in 2022.

Retail therapy

Social media, more than ever before, is influencing our buying. It has the power to inform our purchase decisions, and nothing is more evident of this than the hashtag #TikTokmademebuyit having over 30 billion views. 

This year, we wanted beauty products and to shop locally.

Inflation

The cost of living is at the forefront of our minds. And, creators are no different. LinkTree noted a significant uptick of users taking advantage of monetisation features. In October alone, over 21 million clicks were monetised. From farmers to fitness coaches, there seems to be no niche not wanting to capitalise on their expertise.

BeReal took over, but TikTok remains on top

BeReal has been a huge part of 2022. The photo-sharing service saw a huge 1232 percent increase in monthly link creations. However, TikTok remains in the number one spot, with 177 percent increase.

These are the top five social platforms that Linktree reported as growing:

• BeReal: +1232 percent
• TikTok: +117 percent
• Instagram: +66 percent
• LinkedIn: +38 percent
• Pinterest: +26 percent

She’s conquered TV and then she conquered the airwaves, and now reality star turned influencer turned entrepreneur, Abbie Chatfield, is conquering booze. 

In her latest business venture, Abbie Chatfield has announced a new competitor to the growing beer market. On 16 November, Chatfield took to her Instagram account to spruik her own beer brand, Spill Easy Going Lager. The beer has been made in conjunction with the Australian Asahi Beverages’ team and is based on a single vision: “If you don’t like beer, you’re drinking the wrong one.”

Abbie Chatfield and her rising profile

Chatfield’s latest announcement is the most recent in a string of the influencer adding more strings to her own bow. From launching a size inclusive fashion label this year known as Verbose to collaborating with sex toy company Vush in the early stages of the pandemic and releasing a vibrator. The star is showing no signs of expanding her empire.

But Chatfield’s star prowess is not limited to collaborations or physical purchases. Her podcast It’s A Lot is one of Australia’s top rated, with sell out shows around the country. Chatfield’s on air skills went on to land her a drive time radio slot. It was from here that she landed two TV gigs, the first hosting Love Island’s after party and then as a panel judge on reality competition The Masked Singer. 

The influencer continues to grow her brand into a self-branded empire. 

This latest project is breaking through to another market. A market of beer drinkers, or soon to be beer drinkers. Chatfield understands her direct influence and almost cult-like following, and is making the most of it, from fashion to to sex toys to beer and at one stage even teasing a book.

But it leaves the rest of us with the question: is there anything that Chatfield can’t do?

Global advertising company Wunderman Thompson has released its list of 2022’s most inspiring brands. In a rather unsurprising turn of events, Google, Apple, Samsung and Amazon top the list.

Now in its third year, the Inspire Score was created by Wunderman Thompson, using a proprietary diagnostic tool which measures a brand’s inspiration status. The annual list of Top 100 Most Inspiring Brands in the World tracks and analyses the brands that are inspiring customers. 

Key insights

The report took note that TikTok has animating and brightening lives and social interactions, therefore it cracked the top 100 list for the first time. TikTok has been joined by Disney+ in the lineup of first appearances in the list.

Tracing back to the pandemic, beer and spirit companies have become more influential – Wunderman Thompson has said that this might be due to a growing desire for spontaneity since the world has reopened.

The determining factors to find the most inspiring brands

The study showed that a brand’s Inspiration Score is based on how strong it is across three factors: elevating, magnetic, and motivating. 

Elevating: this factor looks at how brands demonstrate a positive impact on society with a caring customer approach. It breaks it down into whether the brand cares for the customers, is socially responsible and is helpful.

Magnetic: looking at the social power of a brand, magnetic scores are decided by looking at the leader and whether or not it would be recommended to a friend by the consumer.

Motivating: does a brand offer something different? Then this brand is motivating its consumers. This factor’s metrics include good value and simple UX.

Wunderman Thompson’s list leaves little wiggle room at the top. The dominant brands are described as “powerful inspiration engines with the ability to be at the centre of people’s lives”. However, when it comes to inspiration and some of the controversies that surround these brands, perhaps inspiration isn’t the apt descriptor. Is this not just a case of dominance of the top? The aforementioned brands own market share of the industries, therefore it gives little leeway for other brands to be able to inspire, or prove inspiration.

Magda’s Big National Health Check started on the ABC this week and it has reignited the conversation about the state of the nation’s health.

The series began with a particular focus on the forces that are holding us back from optimal physical health. And it wasn’t long before the subject of advertising junk food to children came up.

What are the rules around advertising junk food to kids?

In Australia, the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has codes around food and beverage advertising to children, which the industry uses to self-regulate. 

The codes say that advertising or marketing communication to children “must neither encourage nor promote an inactive lifestyle or unhealthy eating or drinking habits”. 

Advertising where 25 percent or more of the predicted audience will be children is not supposed to promote “Occasional Food or Beverage Products” (treats) at all.

But Magda’s Big National Health Check highlights how outdoor ads are slipping through the cracks, tantalising children with junk food messaging when they’re out in public.

Magda’s Big National Health Check weighs in on unhealthy advertising

In the first episode, VicHealth CEO Sandro Demaio joins host Magda Szubanski episode to investigate the problem. 

Demaio walks around Melbourne CBD with an eight-year-old wearing AI-powered glasses that track his gaze and attention. The glasses can detect what is coming into the child’s field of vision, while collecting data on the duration of his gaze and dilation of his pupils.

The results? The child’s interest piques when he sees a tram advertising potato chips.

“The data collected here provides a detailed picture of exactly how our kids are being set up for a life-long love affair with junk food,” Szubanski says after the experiment.

While it’s unclear how much the kid knew about the test he was participating in, the program highlights the ease with which junk food advertising can target – and is targeting – children, despite the Australian codes.

“Some countries around the world are now banning junk food advertising in places where children may be susceptible, including at sporting venues, in children’s programming and on public transport,” Szubanski says. 

“And they’ve shown that it works. Children are, in fact, consuming less junk food. But Australia has a long way to go compared with other countries.”

Some action in Australia

Unhealthy food cannot be advertised on government-run bus services and light rail in the ACT. From April 2019, Queensland also prohibited the advertising of unhealthy food and drink on state government advertising spaces. 

Not all states have followed suit and public health advocates have been calling for a wider ban to help tackle childhood obesity for the last decade. 

In 2021, the Obesity Policy Coalition – established by VicHealth, Cancer Council Victoria, Diabetes Victoria and The Global Obesity Centre – called again for public spaces and events to be free from unhealthy food marketing in its ‘Brands off our Kids!’ campaign.

The change they want might be coming – at least some time in the next ten years. 

Reducing exposure to unhealthy food and drink marketing for children, and all Australians, is on the National Obesity Strategy for 2022–2032.

With support from a national treasure on Magda’s Big National Health Check, the ABC and VicHealth have brought the issue back to the public’s attention for now. Whether this momentum continues is yet to be seen.

Photo: ABC

Pulling no punches, Adelaide developed campaign Selfish Prick has been given the top gong at Australian Institute of Marketing Awards for Excellence Gala in Sydney.

The campaign has a powerful, yet simple, public service announcement: Drink Driver. Selfish Prick. Although simple, it was clearly effective, as the campaign has been recognised with extremely strong outcomes of reducing drink driving incidents by 35 percent. South Australia has the lowest driving under the influence (DUI) rate in a decade.

Up against stiff competition, the SA Police campaign was awarded Campaign of the Year as well as Social Change Campaign. 

A spokesperson for SAPOL said “addressing road trauma is an emotive and daunting task, but we are pleased that our un-flinching efforts to reduce the lives lost each year are being recognised at a national level by our peers.”

Black Sheep Advertising’s Director of Client Services, Tom Ootes pointed to a Human Centred Marketing approach when developing the campaign.

“Our target market had likely driven under the influence of alcohol before – and gotten away with it, so we needed to develop an idea that resonated with them on a deeper level.”

“Occasional Offenders self-rationalise to themselves about why they will be ok and why they won’t get caught. They can even persuade themselves they drive more carefully after a few drinks and therefore won’t hurt anyone else too.”

“By positioning drink driving as a selfish behaviour, we bypassed all those arguments and hit them where it hurt.” 

Post campaign research showed that 100 percent of the target market felt ashamed about previous drink driving behaviour and 97 percent felt others would judge them if they drove drunk.

The term ’selfish prick’ entered the vernacular and was used in editorial, with 80 percent of the target market suggesting they would use the term to refer to drink driving behaviour in future.

After the success of its Power 100, Mediaweek has announced its Star Power 25. The accolade finds the top 25 most powerful talent on screens and on air. It factors in the average number of listeners, influence on the future as well as commercial value.

For its inaugural award, Mediaweek’s Star Power 25 has been dominated by those on air. Topping the list is controversial radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O. Having been in our ears on drives to work for nearly 20 years, the pair are firmly in the category of ‘you either love them or hate them’. Despite what your opinion is of the duo, their star power cannot be denied, as they continue to dominate ratings on their breakfast show and their subsequent podcast.

Podcast hosts and radio stars

Going through the top 10 list, it is dominated by podcast hosts and radio stars. Coming in at number two is the always loveable Hamish and Andy. The comedians have become as Australian as Vegemite, and in 2018 they made the leap to go from their comfortable commercial radio spot into pure podcasting. And, it’s a move that paid off. Their podcast, appropriately named Hamish and Andy, consistently takes home the number one spot in the country.

Taking home third place is Walkley Award winning journalist and radio star Ben Fordham. Once on screen, the now radio host has claimed nearly 17 percent of market share, and continues to dominate on his 2GB daily show.

Reality star turned podcaster turned radio host Abbie Chatfield has claimed fourth place in the Star Power 25. The newest name in the media industry among the top 10, Chatfield has been dominating podcasting, radio and television since she first appeared on our screens on 2019’s season of The Bachelor. 

Fifth place was also taken by a radio host. Christian O’Connell has been dominating Melbourne breakfast radio on Gold 104.3, and he claims over 10 percent of the audience each morning. 

It’s not until we get to sixth place that we get the first TV dominant recipient. Osher Gunsberg has hosted a plethora of reality TV shows since he first started out hosting Channel V in 1999. His star power is evident as he continues to host shows and garner 37,000 weekly listeners to his podcast Better Than Yesterday.

Get the full list of Mediaweek’s Star Power 25.

In partnership with Special New Zealand, Kathmandu premiers its new summer campaign full of nostalgia and fun. 

The campaign aptly titled Summer Never Sleeps highlights how the summer holiday season is full of new adventures and surprises. Kathmandu is seen to support all adventures, from having fun with friends toasting marshmallows, to biking along a mountain range. 

The new launch builds on Kathmandu’s ongoing ‘where out there’ platform, acknowledging that in the summer, people get out there for a multitude of reasons: festivals, day trips, swims and everything in between. Summer holidays leave no time for rest, and Kathmandu is there so you have one less thing to worry about, leaving time to focus on adventure. 

Headlining the campaign is a 60-second spot created by Special and Scoundrel, which follows a group of friends on a quirky summer adventure. Set to the soundtrack of Jimmy, Rend-Se by Brazilian composer Tom Zé, the group go on crazy adventures decked out in Kathmandu’s outdoor gear. 

Kathmandu’s chief customer officer, Eva Barrett, says: “As the Number 1 outdoor brand in Australia and New Zealand we play a meaningful role in summer and we’re on a mission to get as many people ‘out there’ in nature as possible. Why? Because we know how the outdoors make us feel. The outdoors is transformative. When we spend time out there our stress goes down, our empathy goes up and we become more creative and feel happier… And that’s at any time, not just when the sun is up.

“We’re thrilled to have continued our work with Special New Zealand who helps us tell our story innovatively, creatively and passionately.”

Special’s executive creative director, Lisa Fedyzyn, adds: “Kathmandu is an adventurous brand and one that stands out, not just in its category, but in everything it does. The Summer Never Sleeps campaign encourages and facilitates everyone to fit in as much as they can over summer because it’s most rewarding when you make the most of being out there and staying out there.”

The campaign concludes the launch of Kathmandu’s new Spring/Summer collection, and was released yesterday across TV, digital, social, out of home and PR in New Zealand and Australia, and is set to run until 19 November.

It’s set to be one of the biggest privacy breaches in Australia’s history. The data breach at Optus has sparked questions about the poor communication by the Optus public relations team. 

Ten million Optus customers past and present have been affected by the data breach and customers are expressing their frustration at the telco’s communication.

Customers describe feeling disappointed because they were not notified by Optus of the data breach, but rather through the media.

The information that has been exposed includes customers’ names, dates of birth, phone numbers and email addresses, as well as ID documents, including licence numbers and passport numbers. 

Optus did not directly contact the customers and rather put statements on its media webpage to address the situation.

One of them states, “The security of our customers and their data is paramount to us. We did this as it was the quickest and most effective way to alert as many current and former customers as possible, so they could be vigilant and monitor for any suspicious activity. We are now in the process of contacting customers who have been impacted directly.”

One disgruntled customer and Twitter user expressed the following statement.

Thanks for letting your “valued customers” know. Seems your systems were fine to send my bill today. I found out about the data breach because I am watching the football on TV and there was a news update at half time. NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!

— Mike Steell (@1truesteelly) September 22, 2022

What is a data breach?

The Australian Government lists a data breach as when personal information is accessed, disclosed without authorisation or lost. 

A data breach can harm any individual whose personal information is affected.

Optus outlined four days after the cyberattack that its priority is to communicate with customers whose information has been compromised. 

The biggest risk that comes from this cyberattack is identity theft. This occurs when criminals steal information to demand money or gain other benefits such as getting a mortgage, passport or a new phone account.

In response, Optus is offering the “most affected” current and former customers the option of taking up a 12-month subscription to Equifax Protect at no cost.

Equifax Protect is a credit monitoring and identity protection service that can help reduce the risk of identity theft. Optus states that no passwords or financial details have been compromised.

Customers are complaining that there was no immediate communication about whether or not their data was breached.

One customer spoke to the Guardian Australia and said they received an email two days after the data breach was announced. 

In remarks made to Parliament earlier this week, Home Affairs Minister, Clare O’Neil, said, “The breach was of a nature that we should not expect to see in a large telecommunications provider in this country.” 

It has been alleged that the hacker has posted on an online forum that they will release 10,000 customer records unless a $1 million ransom is paid.

Concrete Playground has been sorting through the noise to offer recommendations in travel, food and entertainment Down Under since launching in 2009. 

This week, the digital city guide made the natural transition to travel e-commerce with its new booking platform ‘Concrete Playground Trips’.

Powered by travel technology platform TRAVLR, CP Trips curates itineraries across Australia and New Zealand. Itineraries include flights, accommodation and experiences, from outdoor adventures to luxury getaways and city breaks.

Importantly, the platform has found its niche among online travel planning providers. Leveraging Concrete Playground’s existing audience of 1.2 million monthly young users, CP Trips is designed specifically for Gen Z and millennial voyagers.

“For 13 years, we have been the go-to destination for the best experiences on offer across Australia and New Zealand,” says Concrete Playground’s founder and director Rich Fogarty.

“So it’s only fitting that we take this one step further and actually offer these as bookable experiences to our dedicated audience.”

CP Trips takes advantage of post-pandemic wanderlust for users who have lost two years of their youth to lockdowns and border closures. To further investigate their expectations and the trends coming out of the pandemic, Concrete Playground conducted research in April 2022 among its Gen Z and millennial audiences.

Trends in youth travel

The research found 40 percent of respondents are planning to spend more than their pre-COVID spend. Relaxation is the most popular reason they’re splashing out on tourism. Thirty-one percent of Gen Z and 30 percent of millennial respondents say they’re booking trips to de-stress.

CP Trips has focused its attention on domestic travel, with 50 percent of New Zealanders and 53 percent of Australians planning to do more domestic travel this year compared to pre-pandemic.

Tasmania is top of the list for Australians to head to, and CP Trips has tailored itineraries accordingly with the likes of ‘Five Days of Hobart’s Finest’. 

It’s also digging up lesser known destinations for the 70 percent of respondents who would prefer to go off the beaten track, and the 74 percent who want to “live like a local”. 

Gathering booking data and creating new revenue streams

CP Trips expects to gain further insights from use of the booking platform. Its editorial team owns all of the first-party data generated from the bookings, which they say they will use to create experiences suited to their audience in the future.

And they’re not the first media company to integrate TRAVLR’s platform. Others include Discover Beyond for BBC Global News, Nickelodeon Travel, MTV Travel and 10Travlr for Paramount ANZ.

Concrete Playground says the platform allows them to retain audiences within their ecosystem for longer, generating an additional revenue stream and capturing behavioural data that would otherwise be lost to other distribution channels.

According to the company, this model benefits travellers, media companies and the travel industry, who have traditionally experienced a fragmented travel booking journey across multiple platforms and providers.