2024 is already shaping up to be the year of the PR crisis. From social media missteps to unexpected executive scandals, it’s a minefield out there. In business and public life, chaos loves to crash the party, usually when we’re least expecting it. Even the most well-established companies can have their foundation swept from under them and their reputation ruined if they fumble their crisis response. Going beyond fighting fires, the savviest strategies involve both a keen eye for upcoming issues and meticulous planning to soften any blows. Whether you’re sprucing up an existing crisis strategy ..read more

Google has delayed the end of third-party cookies in its Chrome browser for the third time, pushing the timeline back to beyond 2025. The tech giant gave the update on “the plan for third-party cookie deprecation on Chrome” ahead of its first-quarter financials, due on Friday. “We recognise that there are ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators and developers, and will continue to engage closely with the entire ecosystem,” a company spokesperson wrote, adding “we envision proceeding with third-party cookie deprecation starting early next year ..read more

Elle Bullen was a true leader in Australia’s advertising industry at the helm of independent creative agency SICKDOGWOLFMAN, when in 2019, a doctor’s appointment and ultrasound changed the course of her life. When pregnant with her second child, a casual mention to her midwife of a pain in her breast turned into a serious cancer diagnosis. Under the surface, there laid a 14cm tumour. After giving birth, a year of “every treatment under the sun” kicked off – chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery – all while raising the newborn, a toddler, and working at a recently launched independent agency ..read more

One of the world’s leading sexual wellness brands, Lovehoney, has a vision to help consumers pursue sexual happiness. By advertising the typically taboo topic and selling products in mainstream retailers, the brand is on a mission to destigmatise conversations around sex. Lovehoney’s Charlie Ganzen, head director of ANZ, tells Mumbrella the brand is confident enough in itself and its capabilities to position itself in market as an educator and channel for sexual happiness, rather than a market leader, unlike may other market-leading brands. Charlie Ganzen The brand has existed for over 20 ye ..read more

It’s been over a week since Seven West Media announced the immediate departure of CEO James Warburton and new head, Jeff Howard, is still yet to talk publicly. On a new episode of the Mumbrellacast, editor Neil Griffiths and publisher Adam Lang shared their thoughts on the move by the network, given the string of controversies it has endured in recent times, including a former Spotlight producer claiming Seven paid for drugs, sex workers and more to secure an interview with Bruce Lehrmann, and the TV giant facing a lawsuit after incorrectly reporting the identity of the Westfield Bondi mass mu ..read more

The US Senate has passed legislation that will see TikTok’s parent company ByteDance forced to either sell off the social media platform to an American-owned company, or face a bill in the States. Per SMH, the bill passed 79-18, and will now go to President Joe Biden, who has already indicated he will sign it as soon as it lands on his desk. ByteDance now has just nine months to sell TikTok to an American company, with a three-month extension in play should a deal be pending. This forced sale acts to prevent the possibility of the Chinese government strongarming ByteDance into giving up sensit ..read more

Three Australian films have been chosen to have their world premieres at the 77th Festival de Cannes in France. The announcement: Three Australian titles have been selected for the 77th Festival de Cannes in France, which runs from 14 – 25 May 2024. Making their respective world premieres are Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, The Surfer and Withered Blossoms. Screen Australia’s CEO Deirdre Brennan said, “We are thrilled by the selection of such a diverse range of films for Cannes 2024. From the highly-anticipated feature Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga by George Miller — one of Australia’s most successful fi ..read more

Google has delayed the end of third-party cookies in its Chrome browser for the third time, pushing the timeline back to beyond 2025. Google gave the update on “the plan for third-party cookie deprecation on Chrome” ahead of its first-quarter financials, due on Friday. “We recognise that there are ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators and developers, and will continue to engage closely with the entire ecosystem,” a company spokesperson wrote. “It’s also critical that the CMA has sufficient time to review all evidence including results ..read more

More than 45 Melbourne-based marketing and strategy professionals gathered for ‘Neighbourhood Strat Chats’ – an initiative aimed at building and strengthening relationships between strategists. The announcement: Over 45 of Melbourne’s strategy and marketing community, gathered this morning for the first ever ‘Neighbourhood Strat Chats’ event in South Yarra. Neighbourhood Strat Chats, a free and open community of individuals with a strategy background, is an initiative from Neighbourhood Strategy’s founder and CSO Jacqueline Witts. “Strategy can sometimes be a bit of a lonely pursuit, and I w ..read more

Intuit Inc., the fintech platform behind Mailchimp, has launched its debut Australian brand campaign for the aforementioned email marketing platform, playing on the familiar to raise awareness. Developed by in-house creative agency, Wink Creative, and communications agency, MG OMD, the ‘To: Australia From: Mailchimp” campaign leverages the familiar elements of email (in this case, a recipeient and navigation bar) to capture the seasoned eyes of Australian marketers. Each visual element supports copy that is related to the specific location of the placement. The campaign plays across “66 stati ..read more