VMLY&R wins defence account | JC Decaux withdraws from Sydney tender | New Today Show lags behind | Ultra Tune releases Charlie Sheen ad | How to juggle fatherhood and adland | 38 new jobs

[View Newsletter Online]( [Mumbrella Newsletter][Mumbrella Newsletter]( Just hours left to save on Mumbrella SAGE tickets, get them locked in now If business growth is on the agenda this year for your independent agency, be sure to book now and save on [Mumbrella SAGE]( tickets before midnight tonight. With three international speakers, two streams of content, a live gameshow and new hands-on workshops confirmed, you won’t want to miss this. So put February 21 in your diary and [book now from just $330.]( News [VMLY&R wins Defence Force creative account]( The Department of Defence has appointed the recently merged VMLY&R to handle its creative and digital account. The eight agencies who made the shortlist, and paid a pitch fee of $13,000, were Host/Havas, VMLY&R, TBWA Melbourne, M&C Saatchi, BWM Dentsu, JWT, Clemenger BBDO and BMF. [READ MORE »]( News [JC Decaux withdraws from City of Sydney outdoor tender]( International outdoor giant JC Decaux has refuted claims it is in pole position to secure the City of Sydney outdoor contract, issuing a statement saying it is not pursuing the contract under the current terms. JC Decaux has held the contract since 1998, ahead of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, but the City of Sydney said the out-of-home industry, and the expectations of consumers and residents, had rapidly evolved since then. [READ MORE »]( News [Ford, Lamborghini and a Bathurst 1000 winner to speak at the Mumbrella Automotive Marketing Summit in Melbourne]( Ford Australia’s general manager of marketing Dani Winter, Lamborghini APAC CEO Matteo Ortenzi, and 2016 Bathurst 1000 champion and founder of Tekno Group Jonathon Webb will all speak at the Mumbrella Automotive Marketing Summit at the Sofitel in Melbourne on March 19. Set to take place two days after the Australian Grand Prix, Ford’s Winter will speak on the back of the second race for the new Ford Mustang Supercar at the Melbourne 400. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [The twin challenges of fatherhood and work]( Jake Rusznyak is a creative at The Monkeys and a multi-tasking father of twins. He’s come to appreciate that while work/life balance is impossible, you can learn to thrive in the chaos. This article first appeared on Gabberish. The last time I was asked to contribute to Gabberish, I was sending a video message to my kids who were almost asleep, reading the email in the back of a cab at some ungodly hour on the way back from a shoot. My immediate response: “Yadda, yadda, yadda, regretfully, too busy”. Probably with a few harried typos. Also, I’m an art director, not a writer. Why ask me to write something? [READ MORE »]( News [New Today Show line-up premieres with 197,000 viewers]( Nine’s revamped breakfast television program, Today, premiered this morning with 197,000 metro viewers, significantly behind rival Sunrise, which pulled 266,000. Back in January last year, when Georgie Gardner came on board to replace Lisa Wilkinson as co-host, 256,000 metro viewers tuned in, and the day after Nine revealed Karl Stefanovic would not be returning, 239,000 metro viewers tuned in to see the remaining hosts’ reactions. [READ MORE »]( News [Charlie Sheen saves the day as Ultra Tune's 'Rubber Girls' plunge into ocean in summer campaign]( Charlie Sheen is on hand to save the day in the latest iteration of Ultra Tune’s Unexpected Situations campaign when the brand’s ‘Rubber Girls’ plunge into the water with their vehicle. The brand frequently finds itself the subject of complaints to the ad watchdog, topping the list of most-complained about ads in both 2016 and 2017. In 2018, the brand was beaten to the top spot by Iselect. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Is our fetishisation of insights misled?]( Agencies worship their human insights like deities. Freelance creative strategist Zac Martin considers if they are as critical as we once believed. Occasionally I read something which completely challenges a long held belief. Most recently it was BBH planner Mel Arrow’s piece Forget Human Truth, Brands Should Be Talking Human Fiction. She suggests we spend too long obsessing over insights, when humans are just as attracted to fiction and narrative. It’s a good argument – Homo sapiens lasted by sharing stories. [READ MORE »]( News [Hotwire hires Catherine Arnott as associate director]( Enero Group’s PR agency Hotwire has appointed Catherine Arnott as an associate director. Arnott was previously an account director at Espresso Communications for a-year-and-a-half. [READ MORE »]( News [Amazon Web Services' PR manager Peter Witts departs]( Peter Witts, the PR manager for Amazon Web Services in Australia and New Zealand, has departed the company. Witts joined Amazon as manager of public relations for its web services in 2015, from his previous role as Sydney Water’s media and external communications manager. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [New Year's PR resolutions: to lose weight, quit smoking and save money]( The new year is here, and PR could do with some serious resolution-setting, writes business comms expert Seán Galvin. Making promises one can’t keep is traditional at this time of year. And while more than half of us don’t make new year resolutions at all, the media is annually awash with analysis of why so many fail to succeed. [READ MORE »]( News [Naomi Beames joins Telstra as principal of corporate affairs and sustainability]( Naomi Beames has joined telecommunications company Telstra as its principal of corporate affairs and sustainability. Beames is joining Telstra from her previous role as a director of communication and stakeholder engagement at the Department of Planning and Environment. [READ MORE »]( News [History Will Be Kind wins Webjet's PR account]( Online travel comparison site Webjet has appointed History Will Be Kind to its consumer public relations account in New Zealand. As part of its appointment, History Will Be Kind will be responsible for driving Webjet’s communications strategy, brand building and increasing awareness of the brand among travellers. [READ MORE »]( Opinion [Influencers and social media metrics are ‘fashionable nonsense’]( Just because influencers and social media metrics are fashionable, it does not stop them from being nonsense, argues Dave Trott. In 1996, Alan Sokal published a paper in the scientific journal of Duke University. It was called Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity. [READ MORE »]( News [Travel agency APT releases first major campaign in five years]( Travel agency APT has released its first major brand campaign in five years, with an an integrated campaign by Melbourne-based creative agency Town Square. Backed to Major Lazer’s Get Free, the campaign is based around APT’s brand evolution, ‘Live Fully’, and aims to target younger baby boomers. [READ MORE »]( News [Tourism NT's domestic PR and media manager Jodi Clark to depart]( Tourism NT’s domestic PR and media manager Jodi Clark is set to depart the government body. Posting to LinkedIn Clark said: “Are you ready boots? My time in the Territory is almost done and red-dusted and the Tourism NT team are on the hunt to find that special someone to follow in my well-worn size nines.” [READ MORE »]( News [Lucy Powell joins University of Melbourne as media manager]( The University of Melbourne has appointed Lucy Powell as its media manager. Powell has joined the company from Porter Novelli where she was a senior consultant. [READ MORE »]( Audio is booming. Learn how to make it part of your future strategy Delve deep into the new exciting world of audio and its vast opportunities at the first [Mumbrella Audioland]( conference. From rapidly emerging smart technology to podcasts and changing listener habits, come and hear from renowned industry experts leading the conversations. Group M, VICE, Eardrum, ABC and SCA’s PodcastOne are already confirmed. [Find out more online now.]( A new year is upon us and so comes fresh challenges and opportunities. So if you spent 2018 cold calling to gain industry contacts, say hello to [Mumbrella The Source.]( This subscription-only industry data bank taps into our unrivalled industry knowledge to deliver essential information. If you’re looking for a fresh approach in 2019, [Start your FREE seven-day trial now.]( Jobs [38 new jobs]( MOST DISCUSSED [Tim Gilbert confirms departure from Today Show]( [Host/Havas makes redundancies after losing Defence recruiting account]( [Roxy Jacenko and husband Oliver Curtis launch new PR business venture targeting China]( [Big Red CEO Bridget Cleary departs]( 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.](