Global ad spend will fall by almost 12 per cent this year (excluding US political advertising), but this will be followed by growth of 8.2 per cent on a comparable basis next year, according to GroupM’s twice yearly This Year, Next Year report.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen local news outlets reach a new high of 18.2 million readers, the highest figure recorded since the introduction of Enhanced Media Metrics Australia (emma) in 2013, with consumption of digital news sites the key driver.

Jobs advertised across Australia’s marketing and communications industry fell by nearly 61 per cent between April and May, according to new figures from Seek.

Out-of-home advertising (OOH) hit its lowest point in early April, but is picking up again ahead of formal easing of COVID-19-related restrictions, according to data compiled by QMS.

Information, connection, comfort and escapism are dominating the behaviour of Australian consumers as they strive to get through the COVID-19 crisis.

Increasing your brand’s share of voice in news media and taking advantage of positive attributes these environments provide not only makes your advertising more effective, it’s likely to weaken your competitor’s position too.

Former Infotrack marketing leader and CMO50 honorary, Roni Millard, has taken the step up to executive leadership as joined GDR as managing director to build out its agency offering.

The current COVID-19 pandemic that’s gripping the world is forcing the type of strict isolation and distancing on people most have never experienced before. Yet, with so many connected platforms and services, we’ve never been more together while being apart.

Eight in 10 consumers believes brands have an important role to play through the COVID-19 crisis according to a new survey undertaken by Havas Agency. And the survey is proving one of many indicators highlighting the need for brands to focus on their usefulness and value to consumers in their everyday lives during this time.

Some 86 per cent of brands have changed their digital ad spend over the last month, with more than half reporting they are reviewing advertising plans on a daily basis, according to the COVID-19 Digital Ad Impact survey conducted by IAB Australia.

Radio network operators, Southern Cross Austereo and Australia Radio Network, have become the latest media operators to confirm staff pay cuts and reduction of hours across teams as they battle again declining advertising spend in the COVID-19 crisis.

Most campaigns are designed to be noticed, but every now and again a campaign attracts attention for all the wrong reasons.

Two Australian media associations will join forces later this year on a new alliance aimed at promoting the country’s premium content media across channels.

A digital-first approach to consumer journeys is being tapped by Miele in what the company describes as its largest brand campaign in Australia in 120 years.

The Outdoor Media Association (OMA) is hoping to impact Australia’s obesity crisis by limiting the advertising of discretionary food and drink products near schools.

The ACCC’s case against Trivago for making misleading claims to consumers, coupled with tougher penalties for brands found breaching Australian Consumer Law, should be stern reminders of the importance of auditing advertising through the consumer’s eyes.

Four new appointments to the Ad Standards Community Panel aims to further strengthen the ability of Australia’s independent system of ​advertising ​complaints adjudication to reflect community standards.

The latest GroupM global media and advertising forecasts show continued deceleration in advertising growth in 2020 off the back of slowdown this year.

Advertisers will increase global ad expenditure by 4.3 per cent in 2020, but audiences of traditional mass media such as print and TV will shrink by 1.6 per cent, pre-empting another sluggish year for advertising in those channels, Zenith’s 2020 advertising expenditure forecasts suggest.

Traditional media from across the TV, outdoor, print, premium digital and radio industries have joined forces on what they’re claiming is the biggest combined campaign in this country’s history to encourage c-level executives to put their dollars behind advertising.

​TEG Insights has launched its own data and insights platform, known as Doppler, to offer its huge data set of more than 16 million Australians and its consumer panel of more than 1 million people to advertisers.