Rush reveals 'emotional spiral' in court | WPP AUNZ CEO departs | MCN rebrands | Blue 449 exec becomes Lendi CMO | CommsCon Awards open for entry | 33 new jobs

[View Newsletter Online]( [Mumbrella Newsletter][Mumbrella Newsletter]( Earlybird tickets on sale for Mumbrella’s SAGE, returning February 21 Returning on February 21, [Mumbrella’s SAGEÂ](is the leading event in APAC that brings together independent agencies to support their business growth and success. With two international headlines already confirmed and soon-to-be-announced interactive elements, this event will give you unbeatable insights on independent agency challenges and opportunities. [Book now from $330.]( News [WPP AUNZ's CEO Mike Connaghan resigns after 12 years]( WPP AUNZ’s CEO Mike Connaghan has resigned from the advertising and communications holding company after 12 years. In a statement posted on the ASX, the CEO of the Australia’s biggest advertising and communications holding group said it has been a “truly diverse experience and a privilege to serve the company.” [READ MORE »]( News [Actor Geoffrey Rush speaks of family distress amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour]( Geoffrey Rush has spoken of his “emotional spiral” amid claims in the Daily Telegraph he had inappropriately touched a fellow cast member during a production of King Lear. The Oscar winning actor told Sydney’s Federal Court that he was “sick to his stomach”, felt “demonised” and “distraught” as allegations appeared on the front page of the newspaper. [READ MORE »]( News [Lisa Ronson, Rebecca Wilson, Gerry McCusker and more confirmed as Mumbrella CommsCon 2019 launches]( Leading communications experts Rebecca Wilson, CEO of WE Buchan, and Gerry McCusker, founder of Engage ORM, will challenge perceptions and actions around crisis communications in two significant sessions confirmed for Mumbrella CommsCon 2019. Wilson will join Michelle Ryan, head of corporate at WE Buchan, the agency that won this year’s Mumbrella CommsCon Award for Agency of the Year – Large, in a session titled ‘Crisis Comms Is Dead: Why You Need To Take It Further’. [READ MORE »]( News [MCN rebrands and reveals revamped leadership team]( Multi-Channel Network has unveiled its new executive team, a major overhaul of its positioning and a revamped visual identity. At a press briefing in Sydney yesterday, new MCN CEO Mark Frain unveiled new signage for the brand and a move towards putting customers at its heart. Frain also named Nick Young, Suzie Blinman, Nev Hasan and Naomi Edney as the four members of his executive team. [READ MORE »]( News [Blue 449's Zara Cobb joins online home loan platform, Lendi]( Online home loan platform, Lendi, has appointed former Blue449 head of planning Zara Cobb as its new chief marketing officer. Cobb was appointed Blue 449 head of strategy and planning in September last year having joined the agency two years earlier. Prior to that, Cobb was the group client partner at Match Media and also group account director at MediaCom. [READ MORE »]( News [Mumbrella CommsCon Awards 2019 open for entry]( Entries into the 2019 Mumbrella CommsCon Awards are now open, with 28 categories across people, campaigns and business. After a record response this year, the award categories will carry over for 2019 including the awards for Best Social Media or Digitally-led Campaign, B2C Campaign, B2B Campaign, Influencer of the Year, PR Leader of the Year and Agency of the Year for Small, Midsize and Large. [READ MORE »]( News [DDB's planning partner Graham Sweet joins We Are Social]( Social agency We Are Social has appointed Graham Sweet as its head of strategy. Sweet joins the agency from his previous stint as planning partner at advertising agency DDB Sydney. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Financial services brands are in a make or break moment]( Brands such as Afterpay must respond to the current climate of financial services scepticism wisely, and will be made or broken by the power of brand, writes FutureBrand’s Richard Curtis. If money makes the world go round, then it’s no wonder that there are more financial services brands in the FutureBrand Index than any other sector. [READ MORE »]( News [New Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper film A Star is Born takes weekend box office]( Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s new film, A Star is Born, dominated the weekend box office, achieving more than $6m in earnings. The romantic drama is both filmed and produced by Cooper and is based on the life of a musician who falls in love with a struggling artist. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Be authentic in your public persona, avoid ‘productivity porn’ when promoting yourself]( When promoting yourself in a public forum why not give over some of the real you, rather than the sanitised public relations version of yourself? Neal Moore explores the murky world of ‘productivity porn’. Kudos to my fellow scribe Nat Eliason for calling out ‘struggle porn’ i.e. the glorification of the hustle over the win – leading hustlers to believe they’re winning even when, clearly, they’re not. [READ MORE »]( Fill out the State of the Industry survey and you could win $1000 [Mumbrella State of the IndustryÂ](survey will take the pulse of Australia’s media and marketing industry. The research findings will help marketers, agencies, media and entertainment companies, tech providers and parallel services work better with their stakeholders as the industry evolves. [Take the 15 minute survey online here]( and you’ll go in the running to win $1000. News [Changing consumer priorities are forcing a marketing rethink, says WPP AUNZ study]( The traditional 4Ps of marketing need to be rethought as consumers are changing their attitudes towards ‘protection, privacy and power’, says WPP AUNZ in a survey that found Australians frequently lie about their behaviour and beliefs. WPP AUNZ interviewed 2500 people in its ‘Secrets & Lies, Uncovering the Underbelly of Australia’ survey which analysed the difference between what Australians tell others against what they think or do. [READ MORE »]( News [Honey Birdette has 20th ad banned by Ad Standards]( Lingerie brand Honey Birdette has had its 20th ad banned by Ad Standards for yet again not treating the issue of sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity. The ad, which features two women in black lingerie standing on a balcony, saw complaints labelling the ad as “sexual”, “offensive” and “a form of pornography”. [READ MORE »]( News ['Every time you masturbate God kills a kitten' Wicked Campers van deemed inappropriate by ad watchdog]( Wicked Campers has had yet another one if its vans banned by the ad watchdog, this time for using the phrase “every time you masturbate God kills a kitten” on the back of a vehicle. A complaint to Ad Standards said: “God does not Kill . It is slandering people’s God . It is a gross misrepresentstion [sic] of religion . It is private sex talk that shouldn’t be on cars for a start.” [READ MORE »]( News [Ten's Have You Been Paying Attention pulls 778,000 metro viewers as international agreement is announced]( Ten’s late evening game show Have You Been Paying Attention pulled in a metro audience of 778,000 last night, the same night it was revealed the show’s production house, Working Dog Productions, has signed with CBS Studios International for worldwide format rights. The program is currently in its sixth season, and was the top show in its time slot, slightly up on last week’s 769,000 viewers. Have You Been Paying Attention also topped the 16-39 demographic. It placed second across the 18-49s and 25-54s and when including regional figures, climbed to 1.019m. [READ MORE »]( News [Sony Pictures' 'excessively menacing' Venom movie trailer deemed too violent]( Sony Pictures’ trailer for its American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics, Venom, has been banned by the ad watchdog for its trailer which was found to be too violent and “excessively menacing”. The trailer was described as “terrifying”, “frightening” and “distressing”, with one complaint arguing the trailer “shows a horrifying dark image of a monster, with sharp teeth, grabbing people by the neck. Seriously full on for a toddler to see”. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Putting purpose back into public relations]( Sponsorship of events like the Invictus Games prove that purpose doesn’t have to feel inauthentic, argues Zeno Group’s Margaret Key. In case you hadn’t heard amongst the baby fever, the main reason the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in Australia is for the 2018 Invictus Games, which are taking place this week in Sydney. The Invictus Games are a prime example of where companies are reaching beyond ‘a vision’ and reaching into their pockets to make a real difference. [READ MORE »]( News [VMO Active acquires health club marketing firm, Collective Media]( Val Morgan Group’s fitness centre advertising division, VMO Active, has acquired health club advertising service Collective Media. The acquisition, which will see Collective’s CEO Andrew Sneddon join VMO Active as general manager, brings the Anytime Fitness network into VMO’s portfolio of health clubs which includes Fitness First, Good Life and Fernwood Fitness. [READ MORE »]( News [Medium Rare to launch magazine for Bunnings Warehouse]( Medium Rare will launch a monthly magazine for retail chain, Bunnings Warehouse. The magazine will be available from March 2019, and will be distributed in stores, with a circulation of 500,000 in Australia and 100,000 in New Zealand. [READ MORE »]( Sponsored Post Entries now open for Mumbrella’s CommsCon Awards Entries are now open for [Mumbrella’s CommsCon Awards,]( set to return on March 28 to celebrate the breakthrough PR and communications work across Australia. The 2018 awards saw almost 350 submissions across 28 categories, and competition is set to be even stiffer in 2019. From the best PR employer to standout campaigns, be sure to enter your best work from the last year. [Start an entry now.]( F.Y.I • [Edge hires Peter Mountford and Salvatore Cavallaro as creatives]( Jobs [33 new jobs]( MOST DISCUSSED [Andy Lark out at Foxtel as Kieren Cooney appointed CMO]( [Ten's Eleven and One channels to become 'Ten Boss' and '10 Peach' in network rebrand]( [Bauer Media closes Cosmopolitan Australia]( [Tourism Australia invites travellers to see the Dundee movie 'set']( 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.](