Court blocks Fairfax merger with NZME again | The fall of Michelle Guthrie | ACCC calls out fake celebrity ads | Don't blame the pitch process | 27 new jobs | Coke campaign celebrates 80 years in Australia

[View Newsletter Online]( [Mumbrella Newsletter][Mumbrella Newsletter]( Tomorrow is your last chance to save $100 on MSIX tickets Be sure to book for [Mumbrella’s MSIX]( conference by midnight tomorrow to save. Any media and marketing professional should attend if they’re looking to improve strategies with proven, evidence-based tactics. From pre-testing your ad creative to neuromarketing tactics that can appeal to behavioural instincts, you’ll get a conference program unlike any other. [Book now.]( News [Court of Appeal rejects merger of Fairfax Media's Stuff and NZME]( Fairfax Media’s New Zealand arm Stuff and NZME Limited will not be able to merge, the Court of Appeal has ruled. The two businesses, which first flagged intentions to merge in 2016, hit another blockage today, after the Court of Appeal rejected the merger proposal. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Despite her good intentions, Michelle Guthrie was never the right fit for the ABC]( Although Michelle Guthrie wasn’t perfect, the real mistake was hiring her in the first place, argues Peter Manning in this crossposting from The Conversation. Michelle Guthrie has been badly treated – not by being sacked, but by being hired in the first place. As a former head of ABC TV News and Current Affairs, I met Guthrie several times at functions in the ABC, and once at a social dinner party. We discussed the state of ABC News and other editorial matters. She was well aware she was on a steep learning curve. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Michelle Guthrie’s stint at ABC helm had a key weakness: she failed to back the journalists]( Guthrie’s dismissal was a shock, but for some ABC journalists it was a welcome one, writes the University of Melbourne’s Denis Muller. Michelle Guthrie’s departure as managing director of the ABC, while a shock, is not surprising. In the face of sustained pressure from the government and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, she has seemed incapable of mounting a sustained and effective response. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Don’t blame the pitch process: Stick to the rules and everyone will benefit]( Calls are growing in the industry to ‘ditch the pitch’. Yet according to Trinity P3 chief executive Darren Woolley, it’s not the process that’s at fault, but how advertisers and agencies play the game. New business is a game. There are winners and losers. And the most competitive manifestation of this game is the agency pitch. Like all good games it has a set of rules for both sides in the game – the agencies and the advertisers. [READ MORE »]( News [ACCC calls on Google and Facebook to act on fake ads and celebrity endorsements]( The ACCC has called on Facebook and Google to put a stop to the celebrity endorsement scams currently plaguing websites and social media. Ads featuring fictitious quotes and doctored images of celebrities promoting products such as skin care creams, weight loss pills, or investment schemes have been appearing on the internet over the past year with Kyle Sandilands, Lisa Wilkinson, Shark Tank’s Steve Baxter and Studio Ten’s Jessica Rowe being among those used. [READ MORE »]( News [Coca-Cola reflects on 80 years of Australian heritage in 'made and shared down under' campaign]( Coca-Cola has reflected on its 80-year history in Australia by promoting its connection to the Australian culture and people. The ad, created by McCann, shows Coca-Cola’s history in Australia from the first bottle which was made and sold in 1938 to family businesses to the current day. [READ MORE »]( News [Serena Williams joins #itouchmyselfproject and sings in International Breast Cancer Awareness Month ad]( Tennis star and Berlei brand ambassador Serena Williams has joined the #itouchmyselfproject campaign which launched in 2014 featuring top Australian singers performing ‘I Touch Myself’. Created by J. Walter Thompson Sydney and Berlei, the campaign shows Williams singing I Touch Myself to encourage women to “touch themselves” in order to stay informed about their breast health. [READ MORE »]( News [One Green Bean's Carl Ratcliff joins DDB Sydney as chief strategy officer]( Carl Ratcliff, previously the CEO of Havas-owned PR agency One Green Bean, has joined creative agency DDB Sydney as its chief strategy officer. Ratcliff exited One Green Bean earlier in the month to pursue his “passion for strategic thinking” and replaces Fran Clayton who defected to McCann in April. [READ MORE »]( News [Yahoo7 Be name to disappear as website rebrands to Yahoo Lifestyle]( Lifestyle and entertainment site Yahoo7 Be will be rebranded Yahoo Lifestyle from October, as part of a ‘global realignment’ of the brand. The website first launched in 2016, with the idea being Australian personalities would partner with Yahoo7 to create and publish video and social-driven content. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Influencers must remember what the word influence actually means]( Leave your petty squabbles at the door as HooZu head of talent, Analise Trotter, discusses the implied social contract influencers have with their followers – and their advertisers. Let’s talk about the word ‘influencer’. Forget about the popular use of the word claimed by social media users, and instead let’s focus on the literal meaning. [READ MORE »]( Sponsored Post Win the attention of Australian women with Mamamia. Mamamia is the super channel for women, with unmatched engagement across editorial, podcasts, video, social and live events. Whatever women want to talk about, at whatever time of day, it’s always candid on Mamamia, and it translates to unmatched effectiveness for partners. Check out the latest podcasts with Germaine Greer, Olivia Newton-John and, coming September 30th, the worldwide exclusive podcast with Serena Williams. [Be part of the conversation.]( News [Lee Lin Chin sells Sydney Metro Northwest as 'grooviest public transport project yet' in government campaign]( Lee Lin Chin, who hosted SBS’ weekend news bulletins for 30 years, has fronted the latest campaign for Transport for NSW which aims to sell the Sydney Metro Northwest infrastructure project to the public. Launched by creative and content agency Emotive, the one-minute ad features Chin positioning the project as the “grooviest” one yet as she explains the disruptions the seven-month project will cause. [READ MORE »]( News [Banks, government and Amazon expected to drive Australian ad spend, claims Zenith]( Banks, the government and gambling sites have driven Australia’s advertising spend growth this year with Amazon Advertising’s entry into the local market expected to boost spending later in the year, claims Zenith in its latest forecast. The Zenith Advertising Expenditure Forecast estimates Australian ad spend will grow 3.3% for the year, compared to global industry growth of 4.5%. [READ MORE »]( News [AFL Brownlow Medal broadcast falls below 1m metro viewers, but Seven wins the night]( Seven’s 2018 AFL Brownlow Medal broadcast was down on last year, falling below 1m to attract 895,000 metro viewers. Last year the ceremony, which also ran on a Monday evening, pulled in a metro audience of 1.089m across Seven and 7mate, and placed second across the key advertising demographics, the 16-39s, 18-49s and 25-54s. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Ask the experts: What has marketing science taught you?]( We asked the authors of Eat Your Greens: Fact Based Thinking To Improve Your Brand’s Health what marketing sciences have taught them in a sentence (or less). Here’s what they said. [READ MORE »]( News [New Australian film Ladies in Black struck by Johnny English at the weekend box office]( Australian comedy drama Ladies in Black made $1.865m on its first outing at the weekend box office, but failed to beat the third film in the Johnny English series. Ladies in Black, which is based on the novel by Madeleine St John, follows the lives of a group of department store employees in the late 1950s. It stars Rachael Taylor, Julia Ormond and Angourie Rice. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [What is the ABC's Project Jetstream, the scheme that doomed Michelle Guthrie?]( Disagreements with chairman Justin Milne over ‘Project Jetstream’ have been listed one of the key reasons for ex-ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie’s sacking. But what is this mysterious project? Mumbrella’s Paul Wallbank explains. In an interview on ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie’s abrupt termination, chairman Justin Milne constantly referred to Project Jetstream, an idea he first floated in an interview with The Australian earlier this year. The interview left little doubt Guthrie’s opposition to the project had sealed her fate. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Why we should care about changes to our internet domain names system]( Laurie Patton explains the shifts currently at play within Australia’s internet domain names system, and what it means for the future of Australian websites. Australia is a country in transition. Although we don’t hear as much about the “innovation nation” these days as we did a few years back, the reality is our future prosperity still lies in embracing a digitally enabled world. As the problems plaguing the National Broadband Network remain unresolved, another critical debate is reaching a climax. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [An algorithm is only as good as its trainer]( AI is the talk of the marketing world, but marketers must learn algorithms are only as good as their trainers, argues Alchemy One’s Joel Trethowan. The difference between a cyborg and an android is that androids are robots made to look like humans, whereas cyborgs are humans augmented by technology. You see cyborgs every day. Listening to podcasts to improve their knowledge, watching YouTube to learn how to cook better – people, today, are cyborgs – conscious beings attached to technology that makes them more intelligent. [READ MORE »]( News ['The world can wait', says Melbourne Cup campaign]( The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) has said ‘the world can wait’ in its latest campaign which seeks to promote the biggest day in racing, the Melbourne Cup Carnival. McCann Melbourne said the campaign aimed to capture the fun and frivolity of the carnival, which allows attendees to leave the “humdrum” behind. [READ MORE »]( News [QICGRE appoints Speed to handle strategy and planning]( Speed Agency, which partners with Clemenger Group, has won the planning and strategy account for real estate company QICGRE. QICGRE, which operates 26 shopping centres across Australia including Eastland, Castle Towers and Westpoint, has engaged Speed Agency to handle its media planning for each shopping centre. [READ MORE »]( Sponsored Post Hear how leading entertainment brands are growing their audiences With an ever-growing demand amongst consumers for new and engaging experiences, arises quite a challenge for marketers of entertainment brands. [Mumbrella’s Entertainment Marketing Summit]( on November 22 is a chance to gain deep insights from industry leaders and understand how you can evolve your marketing to meet the consumer needs of today. [Book your ticket now to save.]( F.Y.I • [Game of Games to premiere October 7]( • [Adshel unveils new research]( • [Keith Urban to host the 2018 ARIA Awards on Nine]( • [Employee engagement app Funlocka launches to serve people with desired experiences]( Jobs [27 new jobs]( MOST DISCUSSED [Lisa Messenger bringing back The Collective Hub print magazine]( [Experts divided on Ikon TV ad as historic court case rumbles on]( [ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie in shock departure]( [Nine's Today Show falls below 200,000 metro viewers]( 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.](