Will the AJF acquisition fail? | Ten starts Lisa Wilkinson push | Jumanji's box office performance | The brand feedback problem | Sky News deal announced | Back to the future with the NBN

[View Newsletter Online]( [Mumbrella Newsletter]( Not long left to save yourself $800 - get your super earlybird ticket by Australia Day A ticket to [Mumbrella360]( gets you in the door with over 2000 of your media and marketing peers from across Australia for three days of industry-led, cutting edge content; formal networking opportunities with marketing leaders; hands-on masterclasses where you’ll brush up on the latest tricks of the trade; and many industry-renowned social events. If you grab your ticket before January 26 you could save $800 – but you’ll have to hurry, as there are limited tickets with this massive saving and they won’t last much longer. [Book now.]( Opinion [Why the Trimantium GrowthOps' acquisition of AJF will probably fail]( A combination of high costs, related-party transactions and a rich valuation are fuelling market scepticism about what was to be one of the year’s most intriguing agency acquisitions and tech floats, argues Mumbrella’s Paul Wallbank. When it was announced back in November that AJF Partnership and several smaller agencies, would be rolled together for a float on the ASX by the previously low-profile Trimantium GrowthOps, it looked like a new chapter for one of Australia’s biggest independent agencies. But a closer look at the prospectus reveals a web of conflicts that make me question whether the venture will be successful, even in the increasingly unlikely event that a float – which has already been delayed twice – goes ahead. [READ MORE »]( News [Foxtel owners News Corp and Telstra agree to Sky News deal]( Sky News has revealed Foxtel owners Telstra and News Corp have reached an agreement over carriage fees for the news service, allowing it to stay on air. Mumbrella understands the two companies failed to reached an agreement before the deal’s expiry on December 31 last year, but new terms have now been agreed and will be finalised in due course. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Brands must stop pestering us for ‘feedback’ – it’s irritating, worthless and buys no loyalty]( Data collection masquerading as customer feedback does nothing but irritate and antagonise and leads to a sub-standard experience, argues Bob Hoffman. We can’t do anything these days without someone annoying the shit out of us for feedback. [READ MORE »]( News [Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle knocks Star Wars off top spot at weekend box office]( The second instalment in the Jumanji franchise, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, knocked Star Wars: The Last Jedi off the weekend box office throne. The follow up of the original Jumanji film, which was released in 1995 starring Robin Williams, made $9.222m on its first weekend, according to the Motion Pictures Distributors Association of Australia report. Since its premiere, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle has collected almost $16m. [READ MORE »]( News [Ten begins publicity push for Lisa Wilkinson joining The Project]( Ten has released commercials promoting Lisa Wilkinson’s imminent arrival at its nightly news and current affairs program, The Project, showing her at the desk with future co-hosts Waleed Aly, Carrie Bickmore and Peter Helliar. The promo features Helliar trying to answer the voiceover’s question: “In 2018, guess who’s coming to The Project?” [READ MORE »]( Dr Mumbo [Dr Mumbo: Back to the future with the NBN]( Dr Mumbo hasn’t been much into computer games since being comprehensively beaten in a game of Pong by his four-year-old sister during his formative years. So there was a mix of apprehension and delight when the latest NBN advertising campaign featuring enthusiastic video gamers was brought to his attention. [READ MORE »]( SUPPORTED ['I wanted viewers to experience drowning' – inside Surf Life Saving's award-winning TVC]( The creative director behind Surf Life Saving’s award-winning ‘drowning’ TV ad has revealed he used insights from swimmers who nearly died to help create the video. KWP!’s Corey Swaffer told Mumbrella that the decision to cut the sound and film underwater was designed to ensure viewers felt “helpless and isolated”. The campaign won The Sport Award at November’s Australian Multicultural Marketing Awards as well as previously receiving funding from SBS. In 2017, 300 people died at sea, including 18 in December alone. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [#MeTourism: the hidden costs of selfie tourism]( Gone are the days where destinations and travel marketers have control over their image making and communication, explains The University of South Australia’s Marianna Sigala in this cross-posting from The Conversation. Technology has changed the way we travel. Smartphones, travellers’ comments and photos, search engines and algorithms can all inspire and empower us to plan complex journeys all over the globe within minutes. [READ MORE »]( News [Family dog, talking plant and The Easter Bunny enjoy annihilation of cockroaches in Mortein ad]( Santa, The Easter Bunny, a talking dog and plant all feature as part of an advertisement for Mortein’s new indoor and outdoor surface spray, celebrating the product’s long-term effectiveness. The ad sees cockroaches scurrying across the floor before being zapped in front of the various characters. As the cockroach dies, Santa shouts ‘woo’, as do the children, the dog and a plant. [READ MORE »]( SUPPORTED [Traders often 'stuffed in back rooms' says Programmatic Media founder]( The founder of Programmatic Media has warned that many traders in the industry are ostracised by their marketing teams. In a candid talk at Mumbrella’s Demystifying Programmatic event, Virginia Hyland suggested that companies need to work harder to integrate staff. She said:  “A lot of the time, programmatic traders are kept at arm’s length. There are account directors on some businesses who have never actually met the people doing the trading.” [READ MORE »]( Sponsored Post Are PR agencies ready to make the leap to the creative side? This year’s [CommsCon]( conference will see Edelman Australia’s Creative Director, Ogilvy PR Australia’s ECD and Poem’s Co-Founder/Director sit down for a debate around PR and creative capabilities. In 2017 a number of well-known, often global PR agencies, decided to invest in serious creative talent – a big investment for a PR agency and potentially a big risk for the career for a seasoned ECD or CD. This panel will discuss whether PR agencies are set up to make use of creative skills, how this trend might continue and whether new PR professionals need to build up their creative skills. Check out this session and more [online now.]( FYI • [Transferwise launches campaign recognising immigrants]( • [Susan Oliver appointed Wheeler Centre chair in board reshuffle]( • [Rohan Creasey to replace Simone Krakowiak as Rubicon Project country manager]( Jobs [15 New Jobs]( MOST DISCUSSED [Charlie Pickering apologises for ABC New Year countdown 'kill a police officer' autocue blunder]( [Agency invites brands to pay for creative with beer or nappies instead of money]( [ABC sports broadcaster Gerard Whateley to join SEN]( [Bad year for investors with most ASX media investments declining in 2017]( 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.](