Rush quizzed over 'panting' emoji | WPP shares slammed | Sky News to return to Melbourne stations? | Fairfax and NZME give up merger dreams | Mercedes announces global media shakeup | Nick Clegg and Zuckerberg: The dream team? | 17 new jobs

[View Newsletter Online]( [Mumbrella Newsletter][Mumbrella Newsletter]( Adland guru Ted Horton joins the line-up for Mumbrella’s MSIX Speaking at [Mumbrella’s MSIX]( in just two weeks on November 9, Ted Horton is arguably one of Australia’s most effective advertisers. In this power packed session Ted will take us through some of the most effective techniques neuro-science has taught him over his 20 year career. Leading brands are already booked, [so grab a ticket now to join them.]( News [Geoffrey Rush quizzed over 'panting' emoji as actor rejects 'pervert' allegations]( The Daily Telegraph’s legal team has probed Geoffrey Rush over a text he sent to actress Eryn Jean Norvill in which he said he thought of her “more than is socially appropriate”, accompanied by an emoji with a tongue hanging out. Cross examining the actor, Tom Blackburn SC, suggested Rush was “testing the water” with the message demonstrating he was “attracted” to Norvill. The text was sent in June 2016, six months after Norvill appeared alongside Rush in King Lear where he is alleged to have engaged in “inappropriate behaviour”. [READ MORE »]( News [WPP AUNZ shares slammed following earnings downgrade and CEO departure]( The share price of WPP AUNZ has collapsed 28% following news of an earnings downgrade and the departure of the company’s CEO, Mike Connaghan. Shortly after Connaghan’s departure was announced to the ASX, the company revealed it expected earnings per share for the financial year to be down between 12% and 15%, while net sales would fall between 1% and 2%. [READ MORE »]( News [Sky News could return to Melbourne railway stations following review of guidelines]( The doors could once again open for Sky News to broadcast within Melbourne railway stations, following a review undertaken by Transport for Victoria. Late last week, Transport for Victoria revealed it would extend its community standards guidelines across both paid advertising and paid content, after a series of complaints were made relating to content on the City Loop screens. [READ MORE »]( News [Big Red’s Ted Horton to speak at Mumbrella MSIX]( Ted Horton, one of Australia’s most respected advertising executives, has been confirmed to speak at Mumbrella MSIX. Horton, who leads Big Red with its client list that includes Coles, Renault and BHP among many others, will discuss some of the most effective techniques neuroscience has taught him over his 20 years in neuro-testing advertising. [READ MORE »]( Sponsored Post Want a Boring Christmas Party? Read No Further. [Channel Nine launched their “The Voice” campaign using Live Band Karaoke](, and LBK are doing their 15th Christmas season with good midweek pricing available. Don’t just hire the band. Be in the band. Previous repeat clients include 2UE, Macquarie, CC Amatil and Raine and Horne. LBK have played Fiji, NZ, WA, FNQ and Sydney. [Click here to find out more.]( News [NZME and Fairfax Media's Stuff will not appeal rejected merger decision]( The attempt to merge Fairfax Media’s New Zealand arm Stuff with NZME Limited has come to an end, the company has announced. In a notice on the ASX this morning, Fairfax Media said it would not appeal the latest rejection of the proposed merger, marking the end of almost two years of court appeals. [READ MORE »]( News [Damlier awards global media account to Omnicom Media Group]( Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has awarded its global media account to the Omnicom Media Group (OMG). The win sees Omnicom Media Group take responsibility for more than 40 markets worldwide covering Mercedes-Benz and Daimler brands from January 1. In Australia, OMG is the incumbent agency. [READ MORE »]( News [KWP wins Tourism NT's creative account after losing SA Tourism six months ago]( Independent Adelaide-based creative agency KWP has picked up the creative account for Tourism NT after sparking controversy when it lost SA Tourism’s creative account to TBWA in April. KWP, which has offices in both Darwin and Adelaide, has won the two-year contract following a pitch process which took place last month. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [What might Nick Clegg bring to Facebook?]( Vijay Solanki attempts to process the news that ex-UK deputy prime minister Nick Clegg is to be Facebook’s new global comms lead. With the state of the world today, it’s easy to think there is no news you can wake up to which surprises you. But the announcement on Sunday that former UK deputy prime minister Nick Clegg is set to lead Facebook’s communications globally made me stop and say ‘huh?’ [READ MORE »]( News [Nine's director of commercial partnerships and affiliates Ian Paterson to exit business]( Nine’s director of commercial partnerships and affiliates and the brains behind Your Money, Ian Paterson, will depart after 20 years. Paterson, who was Melbourne’s managing director for six years, had been instrumental in the expansion of regional news and the launch of Australian News Channel and Nine joint venture, Your Money. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Don't believe the promises of dodgy digital agencies]( ‘Pay X amount and we promise you’ll rank #1 on Google’. Sound familiar? Haimat’s Ben Kassel explains why if a digital agency’s promises sound too good to be true, they almost certainly are. In the digital age, businesses need to adapt their marketing models to, you guessed it, digital platforms. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Brand America will take a major hit if US does not act on Saudi ‘bone saws’ and dead journalists]( The US needs to suspend all arms sales, freeze assets and impose sanctions against Saudi Arabia over the death of Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi – or risk devaluing the ‘strongest brand in the world’ – argues Scott Galloway. Evidence that a Washington Post journalist entered a consulate – often thought of as a safe haven – in Turkey and was then abducted, tortured, murdered and dismembered has the neurons firing. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Aussie publishers have a choice: Work together or die alone]( Simon Larcey looks outside of Australia for clear examples of what could be achieved if struggling publishers looked outside their organisations – and to their competitors – for help. There’s an ancient proverb that Australia’s established – and, let’s be honest, somewhat struggling – media players should remind themselves of in the face of a global onslaught from the goliath overseas players. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” [READ MORE »]( Take this 15 minute survey and you could win $1000 Focused on the Australian media and marketing industry’s challenges and future, [Mumbrella’s State of the IndustryÂ](survey takes no longer than 15 minutes to complete, and could win you $1000. The aim of the survey is to provide a look ahead at industry expectations, collaboration, and issues like transparency and technology development. [Take the survey here.]( News [The Studio's Matt Dickson: Worry less about details of a radio campaign and more about frequency]( Agencies and clients need to turn their focus to the quality of audio and frequency an a radio ad plays, not the details of what it is telling the consumer. Southern Cross Austereo’s national head of creativity, The Studio, Matt Dickson, told agencies and brands at the Radio Alive Conference last week frequency was a key reason why some audio campaigns don’t ‘work’. [READ MORE »]( News [Ambulance Australia tops Tuesday night's entertainment TV as Take Me Out struggles]( The absence of Nine’s The Block last night saw Ten’s Ambulance Australia take the mantle of the nation’s most watched non-news show in OzTam preliminary ratings. Drawing 684,000 metro viewers, up from the 582,000 that tuned in for its premiere last week, the show beat Seven’s Take Me Out which attracted 489,000 in the same time slot. Nine’s Young Sheldon saw 611,000 and 550,000 viewers tune in against the two shows. [READ MORE »]( Features [Is content marketing dying? | Mumbrella360 video]( In this video from June’s Mumbrella360 conference, a panel of creatives and marketers from Air New Zealand, Edge, the Invictus Games and MLC Life Insurance figure out if content marketing is dying, or if it’s simply going through an image problem. Adland loves claiming things are dead. But after King Content closed its doors, and the 2017 Gartner Hype Cycle placed content marketing well and truly in the trough of disillusionment, it was difficult to deny that content marketing didn’t at least have a bad case of the flu. But is it serious? [READ MORE »]( News [Wicked Campers 'sexually explicit' and 'inappropriate' van criticised by ad watchdog]( Controversial rental van company has had one of its ads banned for the third time this month and 12th time this year, this time for using “sexually explicit” language. The van, which says “life is like a bowl of soup, you only get blown when you’re hot…get it up ya”, has been deemed inappropriate to a wide audience which would include children. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Do you know how you want your customers to feel? It's harder than you think]( Richard Woof argues that when it comes to understanding our customer’s emotional response to a product, it’s essential to consult your gut. It’s a common question on most agency brief templates: “What do we want our audience to think, feel and do?” Eleven fairly harmless words. A sentence rooted in marketing common sense that, no doubt, all would agree on being essential to a good brief. Yet it’s a difficult question to answer. [READ MORE »]( News [Merkle creates managing director role and promotes Ted Stites]( Technology and performance marketing agency Merkle has promoted Ted Stites to the newly created role of AUNZ managing director. Stites joins the Australian agency from the US where he has been the executive VP of customer experience and marketing technology solutions. [READ MORE »]( News [Paola Norambuena relocates to Interbrand Australia as chief strategy officer]( Paola Norambuena has relocated from Interbrand New York to become the company’s chief strategy officer for Australia. Norambuena has worked with Interbrand for the past 12 years, most recently as its global chief communications officer. [READ MORE »]( News [Experiential tourism group Journey Beyond launches magazine]( Adelaide-based experiential tourism group Journey Beyond has launched a new magazine for travellers looking to visit the Whitsundays, Rottnest Island and regional Australia. The new title, entitled ‘Journey Beyond’, will be developed in-house by the group, while design has been done by South Australian agency Frame. [READ MORE »]( News ['Find your happy healthy' says Queensland government in fitness campaign from Publicis]( Queensland Health has asked people to find their ‘happy healthy’ in its latest public health campaign, created by Publicis Worldwide. The campaign, running on TV, social and digital is the first since Publicis won the pitch in April as part of a campaign to address the state’s obesity rates. [READ MORE »]( News [Streem launches campaign to highlight its media intelligence credentials]( Media monitoring startup Streem has launched a campaign publicising its wins to mark its position in the marketplace against incumbents Isentia and Meltwater. The internally developed campaign, running across print, TV, radio and social media is the first advertising push by the company. [READ MORE »]( Sponsored Post You have less than 24 hours to save on Luxury Marketing Summit tickets Snap up your ticket now for [Mumbrella’s Luxury Marketing SummitÂ](for just $395. Don’t miss out on your chance to hear from leading brands as they share real insights, tackle some of the biggest questions in luxury marketing right now, and take a look at where Australia’s industry is headed. Book before midnight tonight to take advantage of earlybird savings. [Book now.]( F.Y.I • [Rainer Rhedey named new Seven chief technology and information officer]( • [Convenience Advertising launches national digital network]( • [National Geographic’s Meanwhile In Australia with Nick ‘Honey Badger’ Cummins to return]( • [iappANZ announces 2018 privacy summit]( • [Facebook launches simplified Messenger]( • [ARN launches new division in partnership with Sixième Son]( • [QMS launches billboard over Yarra River]( Jobs [17 new jobs]( MOST DISCUSSED [Ten's Eleven and One channels to become 'Ten Boss' and '10 Peach' in network rebrand]( [Tourism Australia invites travellers to see the Dundee movie 'set']( [WPP AUNZ's CEO Mike Connaghan resigns after 12 years]( ['Every time you masturbate God kills a kitten' Wicked Campers van deemed inappropriate by ad watchdog]( 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.](