Advertising, Media & Marketing

ACCC calls for feedback on News Corp' proposed acquisition of APN's Australian Regional Media division

THE 

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has released a Statement of Issues on the proposed acquisition of Australian Regional Media (ARM) from APN News and Media (ASX: APN) by News Corporation (ASX:NWS).

The proposed acquisition would combine the two main newspaper publishers in Queensland, adding ARM’s community and regional publications in Queensland and northern New South Wales to News’ extensive portfolio of community, regional, state, and national publications. The ACCC is investigating the effect that this would have on competition for both readers and advertisers. 

“One area of focus is the loss of competition between ARM’s paid regional newspapers and News’The Courier Mail. If the proposed acquisition proceeds, News will own both The Courier Mail and the local paid newspaper in nearly every city or town in Queensland. This may result in a reduction of quality and diversity of content available to readers. Reinforcing that concern is that both News and ARM have a strong presence in online news through their websites associated with the Queensland newspapers,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said.

“The ACCC is seeking to understand whether the competitive tension between News and ARM is an important factor in maintaining quality and range of content, or whether the threat of readers shifting to alternatives, particularly alternative online news sites, will competitively constrain News after the acquisition.”

ARM publishes paid daily regional papers in Mackay, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Gympie, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Ipswich and Warwick. The ACCC will be looking closely at these areas.

“In particular the ACCC will test how important diversity of content and opinion is to readers when assessing the extent of competition between papers,” Mr Sims said.

ARM and News both also publish overlapping community papers in Caboolture/Bribie Island, south west Brisbane, Brisbane northern bayside, Logan, and Tweed Heads/southern Gold Coast. These are mostly free papers with a strong local focus. The ACCC is seeking to assess the effect on readers and local advertisers in those areas, and to assess whether the reduction in competition is significant. 

“The ACCC will be assessing the importance of diversity of local content in these competing community publications.  The ACCC is also seeking to understand whether advertising opportunities on other media platforms, such as local radio, pamphlets, and online, will constrain prices for advertising in the ARM and News community newspapers,” Mr Sims said.

The ACCC invites further submissions from industry participants in response to the Statement of Issues by 27 October 2016. The ACCC expects to announce its final decision on 1 December 2016.

Further information and the ACCC’s Statement of Issues is available on the public register:

News Corporation - proposed acquisition of APN News & Media Limited's Australian Regional Media division - ARM

Background by the ACCC:

News is a global media company with subscription television, magazines, newspapers and publishing operations and interests. In Australia, News publishes a number of state, regional and community newspapers as well as its national publication The Australian. It also publishes websites associated with many of its newspapers as well as news.com.au.

APN is an ASX-listed Australian company with media, radio, publishing and digital assets in Australia, and outdoor advertising assets in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. The ARM division of APN, which is proposed to be sold to News, includes a large number of mostly regional publications in Queensland and northern NSW, including 12 paid daily, 14 paid non-daily and 32 free non-daily community newspapers.

APN's radio and outdoor assets are not part of the proposed acquisition and will be retained by APN.

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Hash gets $1m funding, launches personalised daily news video

THE Australian conceptualised and built catch-up news aggregation platform, Hash, has used its most recent $1 million in seed funding to boost functionality and introduce personalised daily news video.

Hash took in a new round of $1 million in seed funding from private Australian investors earlier this year and put it to good use to develop fresh functionality what it describes as “a stunningly simple new look and feel”.

“Our goal with Hash is to allow our users to consume the most important stories, from all angles, in as little time as possible,” Josephmark CEO Jessica Huddart said. “The simple, yet highly visual design we’ve incorporated is beautifully distilled, allowing the user to quickly decide what to explore further and what to skim past. 

“We hope Hash 2.0 will build on the success of Hash’s initial launch and we intend to use the funding to refine the product, test and add functionality, grow the team and scale the business.”

Available on iOS, Android and web, Hash aggregates tweets about the day’s most topical headlines in a simple, visual way. Founded and created by Australian digital ventures studio Josephmark, Hash 2.0’s standout feature is a personalised daily news video.

Stitching together a number of short audio and visual clips from news publishers around the world, Hash’s daily round-up video gives users a quick and easy way to see what stories people are talking about in under a minute.

Aggregating Twitter, Google News, Wikipedia and YouTube, Hash aims to offer users a simple, agenda-free feed that surfaces running commentary as well as multiple, global perspectives. 

Unlike Facebook, Hash does not favour viewpoints. Using a unique algorithm that pulls in trending stories people are currently talking about as well as human curation to maintain a high level of quality, Hash aims to establish itself as “the most visually compelling, agenda-free way to consume the world’s top stories”

New Hash 2.0 features include the personalised video round-up of the world’s biggest stories every morning, greeting users wherever they are in the world, before showing the most important stories of the day. Users can also follow stories and be notified when there is a new development on an event they care about.

A new feature is the ‘Weekend chat text message’. Hash sends users an SMS every Friday afternoon, which lists a handful of timely talking points – giving users interesting things to discuss at that Saturday night dinner party.

www.thehash.today

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Industry leaders take note: here is what journalists want

A SURVEY across the Australian journalism spectrum by reputation and public relations company BBS Communications is becoming something of a sentinel for business leaders seeking to understand how they might communicate better, utilising their industry expertise.

BBS Communications director Matthew Hart said as CEOs and company executives strive to be seen as industry leaders, Australian journalists say they are seeking knowledgeable, qualified, and articulate experts for their stories.

The annual BBS Media Survey found journalists used expert sources in about 54 percent of their stories on average, however for some the figure was much higher, with 46 percent of journalists using expert commentary in 70 percent or more of their stories.

Mr Hart said when asked what types of stories they were most likely to need expert commentary for, journalists’ top picks were health (64.4%), business and finance (60%) and science (53.3%).

More than 84 percent of journalists said they often used their own contacts to find an expert source – including their colleagues, industry and PR contacts, or experts they had worked with in the past. Journalists said they also used university directories, Google searches and organisation websites to find suitable experts, but rarely social media.

The two factors that had the highest impact on journalists’ perception of an individual as an expert were their academic qualifications and having conducted research in the field. Holding a CEO or senior manager position, and having worked in the field for more than a decade also held sway.

When asked for the number one reason they used experts in their stories, almost 45 percent of journalists said it was to add established facts and figures, particularly in a matter that made them digestible for their audience. Significantly, another 35 percent said their primary motive was to add a third-party perspective to their stories.

“It’s important to understand that journalists, more than ever, are time poor,” Mr Hart said. “Newsrooms have been restructured and many journalists are now required to produce content for numerous channels. They need experts who are not only responsive and available, but who can also translate complex matters into simple grabs.”

Mr Hart said for industry professionals wanting to be seen as leaders, the message was clear: act quickly and speak simply.

“Once you’ve proven yourself to be an expert source to one journalist, you’re likely to be called upon by others,” Mr Hart said. “More than two-thirds of journalists said they were more likely to use an expert they had seen other media use.”

The 2016 BBS Media Survey collated the responses from more than 50 journalists from across Australia working across print, online, radio and television media.

www.bbscommunications.com.au

 

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Credit record group joins with pollster in ad analytics

EXTRA >>

A COLLABORATION between credit record group Veda and polling company Nielsen could bring a new paradigm to advertising effectiveness measurement.

The organisations are set to combine their research capabilities in Australia to extend the measurement of advertising impact and total spend beyond the ‘target’ market and into the entire market.

“In this new digital age, advertisers are demanding more specific targeting and going down to a postcode level isn’t good enough anymore,” Nielsen Media Industry Group leader Monique Perry said.  

“Advertisers want to know what media the household consumes and what message to present. This relationship is a crucial advancement in building profitable consumer relationships.” 

Ms Perry said the alliance would assist clients’ strategies by integrating insights derived from their customer data.

“Meaning they are able to communicate specifically to the right segment, with the right message on the most effective media,” she said.

“For example, if an auto company wants to reach Australians that have a low-risk loan capacity and no defaults, Nielsen and Veda together allow a marketer to segment those people and then identify what media they consume – using actual data from Veda’s finance currency information alongside media currency information within Nielsen Consumer and Media View.

“Brands and marketers need more predictable, high quality outcomes from media investment and we believe this solution provides better predictability and measurability than any other solution,” Ms Perry said.

“Veda brings hard financial and household data and Nielsen’s Consumer and Media View solution provides the colour and definition to provide a vivid image of consumers; knowing what makes them tick, what they like and loathe, and how to reach them. When you integrate this with a brand’s customer data, the solution is incredibly powerful.”

 

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In the past, advertisers could only identify and track marketing strategies against their own targets and not the market. These metrics didn’t take into account the real size of spend and were hard to customise.

This new alliance aims to provide a step-change for advertisers. For the first time, marketers may be able to understand and segment Australian households based on validated actual financial characteristics, overlaid with consumer behaviours and attitudes alongside actual media consumption.

The Veda-Nielsen relationship utilises Veda’s rich demographic, behavioural and lifestyle profiles drawn from 16 million Australian consumers. The information has been specifically developed for business to consumer marketing and analytics. It comprises over 40 descriptive and predictive attributes, such as propensity to be in the market for home loans, credit cards or personal loans.

This financial information has been combined with existing consumer attitudes and real media currency data, potentially providing big benefits for advertisers. The combined data sets are integrated straight away,  meaning it iss fast and actionable.

Veda’s customers usually utilise data intelligence provided by Veda to make decisions on credit risk, verify identity and employee background, reduce identity theft and fraud, and undertake digital marketing strategies.

The goal of the alliance is for a advertisers to be able to plan and act with speed; identify what motivates consumers and how they interact with different brands and media. It shows which websites target consumers are visiting, the television programs they are watching and what they are reading or listening to. Early studies have also shown that the solution has immense predictive capabilities - a holy grail for sales and marketing executives.

In parallel to planning, advertisers can develop and activate segmentation; connecting with customers and prospects through Veda’s consumer data assets. This allows them to better reach consumers through digital and direct marketing channels, aligning with internal customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities. 

Veda chief data officer Lionel Lopez said, “The combined data mapping that the partnership between Nielsen and Veda creates will unleash new discoveries to improve customer experience.

“In the short term the relationship will enhance campaign management selection and create more rounded client segmentation. The next wave will offer enhanced measurement of RoI and personalised channel performance through Veda’s marketing services.

“Finally, Nielsen and Veda will provide a data source that can be used in collaboration with our customers and partners to deliver innovative solutions,” Mr Lopez said.

 

ABOUT NIELSEN CONSUMER & MEDIA VIEW

Nielsen’s Consumer & Media View claims to offer ‘a treasure chest of insights about consumers and what makes them tick’. Its comprehensive coverage offers a 360 degree view of the consumer across all areas of daily life. This information can be used to address business issues to help understand what motivates consumers or how they interact with different media.

It can tell users exactly which websites target consumers are visiting, the television programs they are watching, what they are reading or listening to, and this can be built into communications strategies and plans.

Nielsen N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of ‘what consumers watch and buy’. Nielsen’s Watch segment provides media and advertising clients with total audience measurement services across all devices where content — video, audio and text — is consumed.

The Buy segment offers consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers the industry’s only global view of retail performance measurement. By integrating information from its Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen provides its clients with both world-class measurement as well as analytics that help improve performance.

Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries that cover more than 90 percent of the world’s population.

ABOUT VEDA

Veda (ASX:VED) is a data analytics company and a leading provider of credit information and analysis in Australia and New Zealand. From its core credit bureau business established in 1967, Veda, formerly Veda Advantage, has expanded to deliver a suite of credit and other analytical products targeted to consumers and specific industry segments.

Veda is built on the largest, most comprehensive and current data source in Australia and New Zealand with information on around 20 million credit active people and 5.7 million commercial entities. The breadth and depth of Veda’s data, and the knowledge it delivers, can help customers take a proactive and informed approach in making decisions.

www.nielsen.com

www.veda.com.au

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Business online marketing use falls short

A STUDY by digital marketing agency SponsoredLinX has revealed the surprising statistic that only 22.6 percent of Australian businesses are utilising online marketing channels.

SponsoredLinX developed an algorithm to analyse the online marketing activity of 10,000 businesses across Australia and the results, according to CEO Ben Bradshaw, were “a missed opportunity for thousands of businesses across Australia”. 

The SponsoredLinX survey showed wide variations of digital marketing usage across the country. New South Wales led with 26 percent of businesses using platforms such as Facebook advertising and Google AdWords. In South Australia, just 18 percent of businesses were utilising these advertising channels.

“Over the last decade the marketing landscape for small businesses has changed drastically,” Mr Bradshaw said.

“The local newspaper or phonebook is no longer the go-to place for people when they are looking for a product or service.

“Google has become the modern day battlefield for businesses and it’s highly competitive. Most people searching for businesses online won’t look past the first few ads and search results listed on Google. 

“Without a clear digital marketing strategy in place, businesses are at risk of missing out on great growth opportunities both here and overseas.”

Mr Bradshaw said complacency was a leading factor behind the slow adoption of online marketing.

“When we speak to businesses who are reluctant to implement an online strategy, one of the most common reasons they cite is that the majority of their clients are acquired through word of mouth,” he said.

“However we have seen this dynamic change in a number of industries. For example, only a few years ago, most home sellers chose a real estate agent based off their profile in the local area and face-to-face meetings at home inspections. 

“Today, agent comparison websites have given sellers access to a suite of statistics and sales data which has shaken up the industry.

“Companies who don’t recognise these trends can quickly find themselves playing catch up.” 

Google’s AdWord revenue has been on a steady growth trajectory for the last 15 years and totalled $67billion in 2015.

Mr Bradshaw said use of a digital marketing agency could heavily assist small businesses.

“Online marketing can be a very cost effective medium, but budgets can easily be wasted with the wrong strategy,” he said.

“Our research shows that on average, our clients increase their conversion rates by 204 percent after we have been working with them for three months. This figure jumps to 481 percent after a six month period.”

www.sponsoredlinx.com.au

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Major newsrooms compete to hack data-driven journalism in Australia’s first Editors Lab

THE Walkley Foundation and the Global Editors Network (GEN), with major support from Google, are presenting a two-day hackathon on Thursday, March 3, and Friday, March 4.

Teams from across Australia will compete to develop prototypes that dig up or tell data-driven stories.

There are 14 three-person teams — each with a journalist, a developer and a designer — converging on Macleay College in Surry Hills for the event, part of GEN’s global Editors Lab hackathon series. 

“Everyone wants to talk about innovation. We’re really encouraging it,” said Kate McClymont, Sydney Morning Herald investigative reporter and Walkley Advisory Board chair. 

“Our hackathon is designed to get journalists to work with technologists, and to get them out of the news cycle so they can think bigger and more creatively for a couple of days. We hope their efforts will inspire other journalists to play with code and innovate.

"And who knows, some of these prototypes may go on to have a life of their own and become full-fledged apps that solve journalistic problems.”

The winners will be flown to GEN’s international final competition in Vienna, Austria, at the GEN Summit in June 2016.

The hackathon is part of the Walkleys’ program on innovation in journalism, also sponsored by Google. Innovation Grants for unique projects that further Australian journalism are open now. Applications are due March 18. 

The teams will present their prototypes at 5pm on Friday, March 4, to a jury consisting of Jonathan Richards, Google Creative Lab team lead; Evangeline de Bourgoing, Global Editors Network program director; Kate Golden, The Walkley Foundation multimedia director; and Henare Degan, of the OpenAustralia Foundation.

The not-for-profit Walkley Foundation, based in Sydney, celebrates and encourages great Australian journalism, telling the stories of our nation and strengthening our democracy.

The Global Editors Network, based in Paris, is a cross-platform community empowering newsrooms through programmes designed to inspire, connect and share.

A full list of teams and more information is available at walkleys.com/editorslab.

Learn more at walkleys.com/innovation.

 

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Making a Killing wins 2015 Walkley Gold

A FOUR CORNERS team has again taken Australia’s top award in journalism in 2015.

The  Four Corners team of Caro Meldrum-Hanna, Sam Clark and Max Murch have won the Gold Walkley Award for their determined and far-reaching expose on the dark side of Australia’s greyhound racing industry, Making a Killing. 

The Four Corners team forensically analysed hundreds of hours of covertly-recorded vision on the behaviour and practices of greyhound trainers, to piece together a picture of the extent of their involvement in the cruel and illegal practice of live baiting. The team obtained remarkable interviews, including candid admissions from racing industry insiders.

The Walkley judges said, “Making a Killing exposes greyhound racing’s ugly secret. It took bravery, tenacity and months of planning in three states to produce a jaw-dropping report that has shaken not just the greyhound code but the entire racing industry.”

A resounding Four Corners business report on the 7-Eleven franchisees’ payment anomalies and poor treatment of staff won the Walkley for Business Journalism. The team of Adele Ferguson, Sarah Danckert and Klaus Toft created the joint , Four Corners, ABC TV and Fairfax Media report – that is still having far-reaching impacts on the franchising industry in Australia – titled ‘7-Eleven: The Price of Convenience’.

The Walkley for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism, was awarded to Trevor Sykes, recognising his 50-year career as ‘an insightful and relentless investigative financial journalist’. 

The Nikon-Walkley Press Photographer of the Year Award went to News Corp. Australia’s Gary Ramagefor his renowned ability to cover the regular news beat as well as in-depth reporting. Mr Ramage also won the Nikon-Walkley Photo of the Year.

The Walkley Award for Journalism Leadership  went to Debi Marshall, citing her ongoing courage and determination ‘to get to the truth despite risks to her personal safety’. The judges said nowhere was this more evident than during her investigation into the Family Court Murders.

Commenting on the Walkley judging process, advisory board chair Kate McClymont said, “The judging process is what gives the Walkley Awards its credibility. The judges are senior journalists — people who know the skill, quick wit, depth of research and analysis, resourcefulness and even physical courage that it takes to create the best journalism.”

The 60th Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism were presented in 34 categories.

More than 700 journalists and media identities gathered at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium for the event, hosted by Sky News’ David Speers.

2015 WALKLEYS CATEGORY WINNERS

Print/Text News Report
Award partner Media Super
Michael Bachelard and Armando Cordoba, The Age, ‘The White Jihadist’.

Social Equity Journalism
Award partner Seven Network
Margaret Simons and Dave Tacon, The Monthly, ‘Fallen Angels: The children left behind by Australian sex tourists’.

Multimedia Storytelling
Award partner News Corp Australia
Huw Parkinson, Insiders, ABC TV, ‘Bronwyn Bishop’s Arrested Development’, ‘Star Wars: Fixed’ and ‘The Breakfast Clubbing Season’.

Nikon-Walkley Photo of the Year
Award partner Nikon
Gary Ramage, News Corp Australia, ‘Ice Nation’.

Headline Journalism
Sean Keeley, The Courier-Mail, ‘Jihad me at hello’, ‘Fillip for republicans’ and ‘Voyage of the crammed’.

Coverage of Indigenous Affairs
Award partner NITV
Stan Grant, Guardian Australia, ‘Stan Grant Columns’.

Coverage of Community and Regional Affairs
Award partner Australia Post
Emma Field, The Weekly Times, ‘Foreign worker exploitation exposed’.

Sports Journalism
Chris Garry, Sunday Mail and The Courier-Mail, ‘When a Game Becomes Life and Death’.

Sport Photography

Award partner Nikon
Phil Hillyard, The Daily Telegraph, ‘One Moment in Time’.

Radio/Audio News and Current Affairs Journalism
Award partner ABC
Mark Willacy and Mark Solomons, PM, ABC Radio, ‘Hopeland’.

Radio/Audio Documentary, Feature, Podcast or Special

Award partner QUT
Hagar Cohen, Background Briefing, ABC Radio National, ‘Left in Harm’s Way’.

Print/Text Feature Writing Long (over 4000 words)
David Kilcullen, Quarterly Essay No. 58, ‘Blood Year: Terror and the Islamic State’.

Scoop of the Year
Award partner Nine Network
Annika Smethurst, Herald Sun, ‘Bronwyn Bishop’s Chopper Scandal’.

Cartoon
David Pope, The Canberra Times, ‘Charlie Hebdo’.

Artwork
Safdar Ahmed, GetUp! – The Shipping News, ‘Villawood: Notes from an Immigration Detention Centre’.

Coverage of a Major News Event or Issue

Seven News Team, Seven News, ‘Lindt Cafe Siege’.

Print/Tect Feature Writing Short (under 4000 words)

Award partner Fairfax
Trent Dalton, The Weekend Australian Magazine, ‘The Ghosts of Murray Street’.

Nikon-Walkley News Photography
Award partner Nikon
Rob Griffith, The Associated Press, ‘Sydney Lindt Cafe Siege’.

Business Journalism
Award partner ING Direct
Adele Ferguson, Sarah Danckert and Klaus Toft, Four Corners, ABC TV and Fairfax Media, ‘7-Eleven: The Price of Convenience’.

Nikon-Walkley Feature/Photographic Essay
Award partner Nikon
Ingetje Tadros, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Kennedy Hill’.

International Journalism
Award partner University of Queensland
Jewel Topsfield, Sarah Whyte, David Wroe, Amilia Rosa and Karuni Rompies, Fairfax Media, ‘People Smuggler Cash Payments’.

Camerawork
Award partner Australian Super
Louie Eroglu, ABC News and Four Corners, ABC TV, ‘The Killing Season’ and ‘The Great Cricket Coup’.

TV/AV News Reporting
Chris Reason, Seven News, Seven Network, ‘Lindt Cafe Siege’.

TV/AV Daily Current Affairs
Award partner SBS
Matt Brown, Suzanne Dredge and Mathew Marsic, 7.30, ABC TV, ‘Enslaved by Aussie Jihadis’.

TV/AV Weekly Current Affairs
Tara Brown and Rebecca Le Tourneau, 60 Minutes, Nine Network, ‘Catching a Monster’.

Investigative Journalism
Award partner Bayer
Caro Meldrum-Hanna, Sam Clark and Max Murch, Four Corners, ABC TV, ‘Making a Killing’.

Interview
David Speers, Sky News Australia, ‘The Fixer’.

Commentary, Analysis, Opinion and Critique
Peter Hartcher, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Come and get me’, ‘PM rolled by his own ministers’ and ‘Abbott’s gamble with no safety net’.

Walkley Documentary Award

Award partner Linc Energy
Michael Ware, Justine A. Rosenthal, Patrick McDonald, Bill Guttentag and Jane Moran, 
Only The Dead, Penance Films and Wolfhound Pictures.

Walkley Book Award
Chip Le Grand, The Straight Dope, Melbourne University Press.

Nikon-Walkley Press Photographer of rthe Year

Award partner Nikon

Gary Ramage, News Corp Australia.

Journalistic Leadership
Award partner Qantas
Debi Marshall.

Outstanding Contribution to Journalism
Award partner SKY News
Trevor Sykes

Gold Walkley

Award partner MEAA
Caro Meldrum-Hanna, Sam Clark and Max Murch, Four Corners, ABC TV, ‘Making a Killing’.

The 2015 Walkley Awards board judges were:

Kate McClymont, investigative reporter, Fairfax Media (chair); Angelos Frangopoulos, chief executive officer, Australian News Channel (deputy chair); Jill Baker, editor, Herald Sun (Weekend Edition); Anne Davies, investigative editor, The Sydney Morning Herald; Marina Go, general manager, Hearst Brands; Claire Harvey, deputy editor, The Sunday Telegraph (abstained from final round judging); Fran Kelly, presenter, ABC Radio National, Breakfast; Nick Moir, staff photographer, The Sydney Morning Herald; Jonathan Richards, creative lead, Google Creative Lab; John Stanley, weekend breakfast presenter, Radio 2UE; Sandra Sully, presenter, Network Ten; Hedley Thomas, national chief correspondent, The Australian; and Lisa Wilkinson, co-host, Today, Nine Network;

www.walkleys.com

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