Nine boss hits back at Wilkinson exit | Meet the 'entirely transparent' media agency | Film company slated for evil clown ad | TV spend back up | 65 new jobs

[View Newsletter Online]( [Mumbrella Newsletter]( Gold Logie-winner Samuel Johnson to host next month’s BEFEST Awards night The shortlist has been announced for November’s [BEFEST Awards](, with companies in the running including Hoyts, Mahlab, Domain, Vice Australia and many more. The night will be hosted by Gold Logie-winner Samuel Johnson, and will take place directly after the Mumbrella Entertainment Marketing Summit on November 30. The awards ceremony is open to all, so be sure to secure your tickets early and join us for a night recognising Australia’s best in branded entertainment. For those attending Mumbrella’s Entertainment Marketing Summit during the day, access to the awards is complimentary. So if you’re free, [grab a ticket]( to that and make the most of your budget. News [Nine CEO Hugh Marks hits back on Lisa Wilkinson departure: 'It's not just a pay thing']( Nine CEO Hugh Marks has refuted claims the shock departure of Today Show host Lisa Wilkinson was primarily about money, arguing that she had declined to sign an exclusive contract, which restricted their ability to use her across Nine’s digital assets. Marks said the reason the company walked away from the long-standing television host was because they couldn’t secure exclusive digital rights. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [What Lisa Wilkinson's departure means for junior women in media]( As Lisa Wilkinson steps down from her role on The Today Show over an alleged pay dispute, Bold Media’s Emilie Sharp considers what it all means for the industry’s junior females. Lisa Wilkinson’s departure from The Today Show has sent a tremor through the nation. Both her co-hosts and viewers were shocked to see her depart so abruptly, and the alleged reason why is nothing short of jaw dropping. [READ MORE »]( News [Today Show exit aftermath episode wins breakfast ratings battle]( Nine’s first Today Show without Lisa Wilkinson beat Seven’s Sunrise for the first time in nearly a fortnight as viewers tuned in to see co-host Karl Stafanovic’s reaction to her abrupt exit. The Today Show averaged 301,000 metro viewers, while Sunrise rated 262,000. The last time Today beat Sunrise was on October 5. Today won in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, while Sunrise won in Perth and Adelaide. [READ MORE »]( News ['Entirely transparent media agency' Avenue C launches]( As debate continues to grow around the digital buying practices of the world’s big media agencies, a group of former holding company staff have launched what that they claim will be “entirely transparent” independent agency. Avenue C will be run by former IPG Mediabrands group operations business director Hugo Cutrone and Ansible Australia’s former client advisory and partnerships lead William Chapman. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Ad fraud – the quarter billion dollars we’re leaving on the table]( Unless agencies can defeat ad fraud once and for all, Australian businesses are throwing a quarter of a billion dollars down the drain each year, argues Path 51 managing director Simon Larcey. It’s a scary thought that of the $7.4 billion spent on digital ads in Australia in 2016, at least 4% is lost to ad fraud. That’s if the IAB’s ad fraud figures as they relate to display advertising can be applied more broadly to digital advertising in general. In my opinion – having looked at other markets around the world, where the figures are much larger – this is a conservative figure. [READ MORE »]( News [IT movie evil clown trailer should not have aired during Little Big Shots, rules ad watchdog]( A trailer for the horror film IT has been banned by the Advertising Standards Board for including content which is “offending”, “too scary” and would cause “alarm and distress” to both children and adults. The 30 second trailer for the film aired during Seven’s family program Little Big Shots with one complaint arguing that the trailer should be “removed and unlinked with shows that children will obviously be watching”. [READ MORE »]( //e.mumbrella.com.au/c/185s8eeDbKL6eS2F4rvTSn News [TV ad spend climbs 6% in September thanks to AFL and marriage debate]( Television, outdoor and radio all experienced higher agency advertising spends for the month of September compared to 2016, according to the latest Standard Media Index figures. While outdoor spend showed the biggest increase – up 9.5% year on year, television was in second place with ad spend up 5.9% in September. [READ MORE »]( News [Adam Boland partners with Australian Academy of Science for social-driven publishing strategy]( Adam Boland’s new short form video venture Media Holding Group has unveiled its first major project, helping the Australian Academy of Science launch its social-led publishing strategy. Boland was for a time one of Australia’s best known TV executives as the creator of Seven’s morning juggernaut Sunrise and later Ten’s brief morning venture Wake Up. More recently he was head of video at News Corp’s News Digital Networks Australia before moving to Canberra earlier this year. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Endless corporate sign offs will ruin your branded content campaign]( The appeal of branded content is it places enough distance between you and your customer that if done correctly, the consumer shouldn’t even notice they’re being sold to. But when a brand tries to manipulate that content, all authenticity is lost, explains The Remarkables Group’s Natalie Giddings. It is not uncommon to have an anxious, uneasy, borderline alarmed brand marketer ahead of a branded content campaign going live. And of course, the bigger the brand, the more the stakeholders who need to weigh-in and approve the content, before anything can go live. It’s enough to keep you awake at night. [READ MORE »]( Features [Turning a 'national obsession' into an 'analytical art show': ABC launches Screen Time]( ABC launched new show Screen Time yesterday evening, aiming to create an “intelligent conversation” around the film and television industry. Hosted by The Chaser team member Chris Taylor, with a cast of regularly panellists, the show reviews films and television shows from across the world, and discusses broader issues and themes across the respective programs. [READ MORE »]( Features [24 hours with Penny Rowland, director of marketing at The Australian Ballet]( In this “24 hours With…” The Australian Ballet’s director of marketing Penny Rowland talks Facebook Live, the Dancer’s Deli and how to translate ballet into a podcast. Why do I always wake up before the alarm? I rush to get dressed, grab my cappuccino (I dream about the first cup!) from One Final Step – a quintessential Melbourne café that makes THE best coffee in South Yarra. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Why naming your business is so much harder than naming your child]( When it comes to choosing a business name, too many cooks can spoil the alphabet soup. Emma Heath, founder of Sydney copywriting agency Words By Nuance, explains. Having a fledgling business is a lot like having a newborn baby. On one hand, it’s the most exciting thing ever – you’re so full of pride, the world is full of possibilities, and your little nugget is so full of potential! [READ MORE »]( //e.mumbrella.com.au/c/185tQuJ8IZMlSdtNFqcQsF News [Hedgehog Agency wins medicinal cannabis accounts]( Hedgehog Agency has scored wins in the cannabis products market having landed ASX-listed cannabis products company MGC Pharmaceuticals, subsidiary company MGC Derma and the Medical Cannabis Council of Australia. Founded ten months ago by brother and sister duo Ali and Josh Berg, the agency will be managing and developing the MGC brand across all channels. [READ MORE »]( News [Ogilvy Brisbane hires Richard Taylor as creative director, Andy Geppert as head of art]( Ogilvy Brisbane has appointed Richard Taylor as a creative director and Andy Geppert as head of art. Taylor joins the agency after spending time consulting to M&C Saatchi, WhiteGREY, and DDB in Sydney. [READ MORE »]( News [AANA to review operations and funding of Ad Standards Board]( The Australian Association of National Advertisers has flagged it will alter the funding model of the Advertising Standards Board to better reflect the digital media environment. The announcement from new CEO John Broome came at this morning’s AANA Reset conference, soon after he welcomed Facebook as a new member of the association. [READ MORE »]( News [Sophie Monk becomes Slim Secrets ambassador]( Media personality and current star of The Bachelorette Sophie Monk has signed up with Slim Secrets – self-described as “Australia’s leading healthy snack label” – to become the brand’s ambassador. The agreement will involve Monk representing Slim Secrets nationally and promoting its “range of innovative and delicious healthy snacks”. [READ MORE »]( Sponsored Post Publish kicks off tomorrow with speakers from The Australian, Buzzfeed, Domain, The Betoota Advocate and more The fourth annual [Publish]( conference will kick off at The Westin Sydney tomorrow, and you won’t want to miss out on this line-up. Hundreds of top brands and publishers will gather to hear about satirical news, consumer and advertiser trust, the rise of print, tips for email marketing, branded content tips and tricks, the relationship between publishers and tech giants, and much more. The stellar line-up includes the CEO of The Australian, the Publisher of The Betoota Advocate, Chief Editorial & Marketing Officer for Domain, Editor in Chief & General Manager for Buzzfeed, and many more. It’s the last chance to buy a ticket – [grab yours now](. FYI • [QMS unveils first roadside digital billboards in Canberra]( • [Haystac Melbourne promotes Nicole Hamilton to head of PR]( • [NRL star Benji Marshall and A-League personalities join sports platform 20FOUR]( • [Big Mobile and Widespace join forces on demand side advertising platform]( Jobs [65 New Jobs]( MOST DISCUSSED [Media agencies defrauding clients by asking for kickbacks to recommend software, says Salesforce boss]( [Lisa Wilkinson quits Today after contract negotiations break down, joins Ten's The Project]( [Ten loses The Simpsons as 21st Century Fox pulls rights]( [Storyful's Ebonie Newman promoted to global chief revenue officer]( mumbrella.com.au Sent By Focal Attractions Pty Ltd 46-48 Balfour Street, Chippendale, NSW, 2008, Australia If you would rather not receive this newsletter, you can [unsubscribe]( or [manage subscriptions here.](