Advertising campaigns that cut through the noise
The 2026 Australian Retail Outlook is out now. This must-read resource is packed with exclusive insights from Inside Retail’s survey of retailers about their performance, plans and predictions for the year ahead. To give you a glimpse of what you can expect from this year’s report, we are sharing selected articles over the coming weeks. […]
What makes a great agency partner?
Retailers everywhere choose their marketing, strategy and comms partners in a few tried-and-true ways. All of this gets you to the long-list stage. Maybe to the short list. Then the contact and conversations begin. Every suitor will bring out the credentials and bend over backwards to demonstrate they understand your business and its best interests. […]
What does the age of agency mean for retail?
The dust has barely settled on the unravelling of traditional retail peaks. In December, I suggested we were witnessing the last traditional Christmas. This was a warning shot that the era of human-only shopping was coming to an end. The transition is no longer a forecast; it is an operational reality. We have moved from […]
Kyle and Jackie O show cancelled
Ben Willee, Executive Director of Media and Data at Spinach Advertising, talks to Deborah Knight on 9News Afternoon. Read the transcript here: Deborah Knight (Host) A spat that’s now ended Sydney’s top rating FM radio show. After almost thirty years in the business, Kyle and Jackie O will no longer be working together over a […]
‘Sobering’ ad spend brings back rock and rolling
Ben Willee, Executive Director – Media and Data at Spinach, said the headline numbers are sobering. “January feels like a market that has checked its bank balance and decided to sit very still,” he said. “With spend down and confidence fragile, brands are retreating into caution just when share of voice is getting cheaper. “We […]
‘Bringing back jingles wouldn’t hurt’: Which classic Aussie ads would be cancelled in 2026?
Megna looks back fondly on the Wally Walpamur paint campaign from the 1980s, featuring chimpanzees in human clothes with badly dubbed Aussie voices. “They were hilarious,” Megna says. “But apart from the fact they rightly wouldn’t get made today for animal safety reasons, the loose, Aussie, schlocky humour is something you don’t see anymore.” He believes humour itself has […]
Turns out even 200 million dollars cannot buy eternal harmony, it can only rent it for a while
Our Executive Director Media and Data Ben Willee talks to Tim Burrows on the Mumbrellacast about the latest news on Kyle and Jackie O. Listen to Ben speak here: Check out the podcast here: Mumbrellacast emergency edition – Tim Burrowes and Ben Willee on the end of The Kyle & Jackie O Show Or read […]
What ChatGPT ads mean for Australian retailers
For the past two years, the retail industry has looked at Generative AI as a productivity tool or a content engine. We’ve used it to write product descriptions, summarise meetings, and perhaps build a customer service bot. But with OpenAI’s latest announcement, the other shoe has finally dropped. ChatGPT is no longer just a tool; […]
Why a merger could be the death of Myer and David Jones
In recent years, the original value proposition of the department store – everything under one roof – has been rendered obsolete by the infinite roof of the internet. The true disruptor in this space isn’t a competitor; it’s the shift in consumer behaviour. According to Australia Post, one in five households now shop online weekly. […]
‘Grim, ugly and sluggish’ ad spend
The latest numbers from aggregated media agency bookings are ugly, according to Ben Willee, executive director at Spinach. “But they are not the apocalypse either,” he said. Australia’s advertising market ended 2025 softer, with December ad spend down 9.2%. The Guideline SMI data shows full year ad spend down 2% overall, with the 1.6% market growth […]