Vogue vs Dogue: Why the Fashion Bible Is Suing a Doggy Magazine
Condé Nast, publisher of Vogue, filed a federal lawsuit in December 2025 alleging that the Los Angeles‑based dog fashion magazine Dogue infringes Vogue’s trademark. Dogue, which began as an Instagram parody in 2019 and launched a print edition in 2021, sells roughly 100 copies per issue at a Beverly Hills newsstand. The magazine’s founder, Olga Portnaya, argues the case is about protecting independent creators and fair‑use parody. Dogue secured its own USPTO trademark in 2025, intensifying the legal clash between a media giant and a niche publisher.
IMAA Spotlight: Kyle Czech on Building Czech Group and the Indie Edge
Mediaweek’s IMAA Spotlight features Kyle Czech, managing director of Czech Group, an independent strategic media planning and buying agency. Czech emphasizes a full‑cycle approach that blends strategy, buying, and activation under a single senior operator, eliminating siloed handoffs. The agency...
News Holds Attention: Why Journalism Beats the Infinite Social Scroll
In an era of endless social feeds, journalism is emerging as the rare medium that captures genuine attention. Research shows 75% of Australians enter a focused state when consuming news, and advertising alongside reputable journalism delivers 6.4 times higher brand...
Havas Media Adds Molly Blacker as National Head of Strategy
Havas Media has created a National Head of Strategy role and appointed Molly Blacker to lead its strategy team. Blacker, who spent eight years at Slingshot and five at UM Australia, will work within Havas’ integrated “Village” model to drive...
EXCLUSIVE: Karl Stefanovic Takes His Podcast to the Streets with ‘Ridiculous’ Billboard Push
Karl Stefanovic’s eponymous podcast, The Karl Stefanovic Show, launched in January and is now backed by a bold out‑of‑home campaign across Queensland. Partnering with outdoor agency Bishopp, the show’s team installed a series of irreverent billboards that mirror the program’s...
Mardi Gras Drives Audience Surge Across QMS Sydney Network
QMS reported a 9% rise in audience across its City of Sydney digital street‑furniture network during the 2026 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, with interstate viewership up 16%. The Oxford Street precinct saw a 23% overall increase and a...
TV Still Pays Best but PR Now Runs the Newsroom
Television journalists remain the highest‑paid segment in Australia, with 51% earning over AUD 100,000 (≈ USD 66,000) in 2025, up from 44% a year earlier. Podcast reporters are close behind, at 48% crossing the same threshold. Salary gaps persist, favoring metropolitan and government‑funded...
LinkedIn and INVNT Launch AI Skills Sprint Sydney for Recruiters
LinkedIn partnered with experiential agency INVNT to host a four‑day AI Skills Sprint in Sydney, drawing over 270 talent‑acquisition leaders. The immersive event showcased LinkedIn’s AI‑powered Hiring Assistant through live demos, prompt‑engineering challenges, and AI myth‑busting exercises. Participants reported an...
Ex-ARN Boss Lauren Joyce Heads Back to Audio
Abe’s Audio has hired former ARN chief strategy officer Lauren Joyce on a project basis, branding her role as a “Gun For Hire.” The partnership aims to accelerate new client partnerships and steer the company’s next growth phase through high‑impact...
Tubi Rolls Out New Ad Takeover Formats in Australia with Samsung Galaxy S26
Tubi has introduced two premium advertising products in Australia – Thematic Takeovers and Title Takeovers – with Samsung Electronics Australia debuting the formats for its Galaxy S26 launch. Thematic Takeovers grant advertisers 100% share of voice across a chosen genre,...
‘Audience There for the Taking’: Matthew O’Reilly on SCA’s Sydney Push
Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) attributes its strong Survey 1 2026 ratings to a steady programming lineup and a laser focus on the 25‑54 demographic. Minimal changes from 2025 to 2026 allowed the network to double‑down on local breakfast shows and locally‑led...
Smooth Surges to Record Highs as Nova Builds Momentum
smoothfm recorded a historic 13.5% share in Sydney, cementing its position as the city’s top FM station. Nova Entertainment saw audience lifts in both Sydney and Melbourne, with Nova 96.9 adding 141,000 listeners and its breakfast slot rising to 8.4%...
BBC Expected to Name Matt Brittin as Director General This Week
Matt Brittin, former head of Google’s Europe, Middle East and Africa operations, is expected to be named the BBC’s next director general this week, succeeding Tim Davie. Brittin, a Guardian Media Group non‑executive and former Olympic rower, has long expressed...
Legend Jason Bennett on His ABC Move, Seven & a Rookie Ricciardo
Veteran Australian sports commentator Jason Bennett has been ousted from Seven Network after a corporate rights reshuffle and is now leading the ABC’s new VFL broadcast. Bennett’s career spans two decades, three continents, and stints at Fox Footy, ESPN, and...
Jacinda Ardern to Headline 40th Melbourne Writers Festival
The Melbourne Writers Festival celebrates its 40th anniversary with a four‑day program from 7‑10 May 2026, featuring more than 150 artists across the city. The festival’s theme, Visions & Revisions, invites writers and thinkers to explore imagined futures, personal narratives,...
Vodafone Swaps Product Demo for Moshpit in Samsung Launch
Vodafone unveiled its new experiential platform, “First Night Only,” in partnership with Howatson+Company, turning the Samsung Galaxy S26 launch into an underground live show featuring Genesis Owusu in Sydney. The event highlighted the phone’s 200MP camera with bespoke lighting and...
Casting Guild of Australia and Showcast Reveal First Nations Acting Finalists
The Casting Guild of Australia and Showcast have announced the 20 finalists for their inaugural First Nations Acting Initiative, a program designed to elevate Indigenous performers across Australia. The finalists, ranging from 15 to 80 years old, will each receive...
Amazon Ads and Spotify Expand Partnership in Australia
Amazon Ads and Spotify have integrated Spotify’s premium audio and video inventory into Amazon’s demand‑side platform in Australia. The partnership lets Australian marketers buy across connected TV, display, audio and video through a single programmatic workflow, leveraging Amazon’s shopping and...
Mamamia Out Loud Holds February Podcast Top Spot
The Australian Podcast Ranker, now powered by CRA and Triton Digital, shows Mamamia Out Loud retaining the February top spot with 982,235 listeners. New Demos+ tools expand audience metrics beyond age and gender to include spending habits, travel frequency and...
Australian Podcast on Leadership and Workplace Culture Joins iHeartRadio
Culture Capital, an Australian podcast exploring leadership, accountability and workplace culture, has joined the iHeartRadio network. Co‑hosted by human‑rights lawyer Prabha Nandagopal and BlackCard CEO Mundanara Bayles, the series blends legal, executive and First Nations perspectives to expose the gap...
Oprah Podcast Reveals Twist to Coldplay Kiss-Cam Saga
Former Astronomer chief people officer Kristin Cabot revealed new details about the July 2025 Coldplay kiss‑cam incident in an on‑camera interview with Oprah Winfrey. Cabot disclosed that both she and former CEO Andy Byron were separated from their spouses, and...
CMO Spotlight: Netflix ANZ’s Tony Broderick on Creative Risks
Netflix ANZ’s director of marketing Tony Broderick champions "uncomfortably exciting" creative risks, exemplified by the large‑scale Wednesday Island event that turned Cockatoo Island into a fan festival. He emphasizes a title‑led strategy where bold cultural moments drive broader business metrics,...
‘Dad Was and Is My Hero’: Robert Irwin Opens up to Anderson Cooper
Robert Irwin sat down with Anderson Cooper on the *All There Is* podcast to discuss his late father, Steve Irwin, and the emotional legacy he left behind. The 22‑year‑old conservationist described how he still feels his dad’s presence, especially after...
Scape Student Living Turns Bondi Rooftop Into Live Brand Moment with Noisy
Scape Student Living teamed with the creative agency noisy to stage a surprise rooftop activation at the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club. The pop‑up sunset party, featuring live music by Ben Gerrans, sold tickets at three times the venue’s...
Nine Digital Leader Alexander Needs to Depart After 24 Years
Senior media executive Alexander Needs announced he will leave Nine Entertainment after a 24‑year tenure. His career at Nine evolved from ACP magazine publishing to live‑TV roles on A Current Affair and Today, culminating in leading the network’s digital video and social...
Australians Taking Longer to Buy Cars as AI Becomes Major Influence
Australia’s Car Buyer Report 2026 shows the vehicle purchase journey is stretching, with 63% of shoppers backtracking and 34% pausing their search. Cost‑of‑living pressures are shifting priorities toward value, making “good value for money” the top driver across generations. For...
Houston Group Delivers Inclusive Makeover for Plan Partners
Houston Group completed a full brand repositioning for disability services provider Plan Partners, unveiling the empathetic positioning “For you and your care team”. The refresh responds to recent NDIS policy shifts and replaces a corporate image with a human‑centred, accessible...
QMS Adds 24 Digital Sites Through New AOM Outdoor Media Deal
QMS has signed a new agreement with AOM that adds 24 digital out‑of‑home assets and three premium static sites to its national network, effective 1 May. The rollout spans New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, with additional Sydney static...
Has the Ad Industry Stopped Speaking Up? Innocean Launches Cost of Quiet Audit
Innocean Australia has introduced the Cost of Quiet Audit, a research initiative aimed at measuring whether progress on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is stalling in the advertising sector. Partnering with activist group FckTheCupcakes, the pilot launches in March to...
‘Silly Stories for Kids’ Podcast Is Winning over Children Globally
Australian‑made children’s podcast “Silly Stories for Kids” has amassed 2.47 million listens and 1.37 million downloads in the past 30 days, generating over 21.8 million listening minutes. The audience is now dominated by North America, which accounts for 52 % of listeners, while downloads...
Netflix Passes on NRL Broadcast Rights as ARLC Seeks $4b Deal
Netflix confirmed it will not bid for the National Rugby League broadcast rights as the Australian Rugby League Commission pursues a package valued at over $4 billion. The league aims to finalize a deal within three months, targeting both traditional broadcasters...
Medium Rare Expands Into Live Events with Flybuys
Medium Rare has launched its first experiential offering, "The Remarkable Show," a live event for Flybuys that gathered 150 of the program’s most active members alongside creators and brand partners. The activation produced more than 200 pieces of content across...
ABC Launches ‘Most Trusted News’ Campaign via Leo – Just Don’t Mention the War
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has launched the "Keep Asking" campaign with Leo Australia, branding itself as the nation’s most trusted news source. The rollout follows a swift correction of an analysis piece that mistakenly claimed the United States bombed...
news.com.au Ignites National Menopause Debate with ‘Fire Up’ Campaign
Australian news site news.com.au has launched the four‑week “Fire Up” campaign to spark a national conversation on menopause, partnering with Priceline Pharmacy. The initiative, informed by a survey of over 2,000 Australians, highlights that 37% of respondents know little about...
Australians to Be Restricted From Four Major Pornography Websites
Australia is set to enforce new age‑verification laws for online pornography on 9 March, requiring users to prove they are over 18 through facial scans, digital wallets or photo ID. In protest, Aylo, the Canadian owner of Pornhub, RedTube, YouPorn and...
Jacinda Ardern Calls for Stronger Social Media Accountability in Preventing Online Harm
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged treating social media platforms as publishers rather than neutral hosts, citing their role in amplifying harmful content. She highlighted the Christchurch mosque shooting livestream as a stark example of platform-facilitated harm and...
Inside ‘AutoBait’: DoubleVerify Exposes AI Slop Factory Sucking Ad Budgets
DoubleVerify’s Fraud Lab has uncovered AutoBait, a coordinated network of more than 200 AI‑generated lifestyle sites that churn out clickbait articles and hyper‑realistic images to harvest advertising revenue. The operation delivers tens of millions of ad impressions each month, with...
JCDecaux Launches Nurture for Country to Support First Nations Businesses
JCDecaux has introduced Nurture for Country, a new Reconciliation Action Plan initiative that gives First Nations‑owned businesses access to its national Out‑of‑Home network with matched media spend and strategic support. The program builds on a 2025 pilot with the KARI...
Millbray Appoints Bullet and Wonderful for Brand Refresh and New Digital Platform
Integrated land‑lease developer Millbray has hired brand studio Bullet and digital product studio Wonderful to revamp its master brand and launch a new digital platform ahead of the Ashcroft over‑50s community debut in Queensland. Bullet delivered the brand strategy, naming,...
Asembl Drops Raw C X Violet Crumble Coconut Water Crossover
Asembl has launched a limited‑edition 325ml Raw C coconut water infused with Menz’s Violet Crumble honeycomb flavor, now sold in selected Coles stores across Australia. The drink combines Raw C’s hydration benefits with the nostalgic sweet crunch of the iconic...
Zitcha Adds Former Meta Leader Phil Bonanno to Drive APAC Growth
Retail media platform Zitcha has appointed former Meta client partner Phil Bonanno as its APAC commercial director, based in Melbourne. Bonanno brings more than 11 years of experience developing insight‑driven retail advertising strategies at Meta, where he worked closely with...
Woolworths Reins in AI Helper ‘Olive’ After Unhinged ‘Mother’ Chats
Woolworths’ AI chatbot Olive, marketed as a conversational shopping companion, began sharing fabricated family stories such as memories of its mother and uncle, prompting customer complaints and media attention. The retailer disclosed that the off‑brand scripting was removed after feedback,...
Involved Media Celebrates Five Years of Growth
Involved Media marked its five‑year anniversary under the current brand, celebrating a milestone of over $100 million in billings. The Melbourne gathering attracted more than 50 media partners and highlighted recent wins such as CareSuper, Fever‑Tree, R U OK? and Animals Australia. Managing...
Greg Segal Joins TEG in Senior Sponsorship Role
Ticketek Entertainment Group (TEG) has appointed Greg Segal as Managing Director of Sponsorship & Premium Experiences. Segal arrives with over 30 years in brand partnerships, most recently leading a 50‑person team at Live Nation Entertainment ANZ. He will build TEG’s...
Forget the Full Season: Why Gen Z Is Ghosting Traditional Sports Sponsorships for ‘Vibe-Check’ Marketing
Gen Z’s relationship with sport is shifting from season‑long sponsorships to moment‑driven, digital‑first engagement. A Pureprofile study of 1,004 Australian 18‑29‑year‑olds shows 83% interact with sport, yet only 42% attend live events, preferring high‑impact tentpole moments. Merchandise consumption focuses on...
WPP Media Promotes Elliott Eldridge and Laura Fell in Strategy Shake-Up
WPP Media has elevated Elliott Eldridge to Chief Strategy Officer and Laura Fell to Chief Planning Officer, effective immediately. The duo will oversee strategic and planning products across Mindshare’s national accounts, including Unilever, NAB, MG, Foxtel Group, the Australian Labor...
Move over Music: Audiobooks Power Australia’s Workouts
Audible Australia’s new research shows audiobooks are eclipsing music as the preferred soundtrack for morning routines and workouts. Thirty‑two percent of Australians consider audio essential for setting the day’s tone, while 34% specifically choose audiobooks over playlists during exercise. Among...
5D Launches Nexus to Turn Market Intelligence Into Foresight
Strategic research firm 5D has unveiled Nexus, an AI‑driven market intelligence hub that consolidates internal customer data with external competitive and industry signals. The platform operates as a network of "cells" that ingest NPS scores, brand research, pricing shifts and...
IKEA Returns to Australian Survivor: Redemption as Major Brand Sponsor
IKEA is returning as the principal sponsor for Australian Survivor: Redemption, extending its partnership with Network 10 and Paramount+. The renewed deal deepens in‑show integration, featuring IKEA‑branded food rewards, sleep solutions, and daily gift‑card competitions during pivotal moments. The brand cites...
Perth Bears Adds Atlas Building in Landmark WA Jersey Partnership
Perth Bears have secured Atlas Building as their bottom back‑of‑jersey sponsor in a landmark three‑year partnership. The construction firm joins a growing list of foundation partners, including Cash Converters, IBM and New Balance, as the club prepares for its 2027...