Agencies question Victoria’s urgent brief panel
Ben Willee, executive director of media and data at Spinach, was more blunt in his assessment. “Sounds like government has just discovered the ‘urgent brief’. Welcome to Tuesday in retail land,” Willee told AdNews. Willee warned that unless the value of the work matches the chaos it creates, good clients and teams will suffer. “Not […]
Letting AI handle customer service: Good idea or total disaster?
Customer service stands at a technological crossroads. AI-powered chatbots can now understand natural language, resolve common issues, and operate around the clock without breaks. For businesses, the appeal is obvious: reduced costs, faster response times, and scalability that human teams simply can’t match. Yet customer frustration with automated systems remains high, and the risk of […]
The seven phases of Christmas: Are you ready for the holiday shopping season?
A comprehensive new report, Holiday Shopping Unwrapped, from Intuit Mailchimp has dismantled the traditional view of a single, monolithic Christmas rush. Instead, it presents a nuanced roadmap defined by unique emotional drivers, shopping behaviours and spending patterns for each period. Critically, the research challenges the notion that holiday shopping is purely a price-driven exercise. While […]
Jimmy Kimmel has returned to US television screens, but has his suspension changed the landscape for talk show hosts forever?
Ben Willee, Executive Director of Media and Data at Spinach Advertising, talks to Brooke Corte on 2GB Radio’s Money News about the changing face of talk back shows and more. Listen to Ben speak here: Check out the podcast here: Ben Willee, Executive Director of Media & Data for Spinach Advertising Or read the transcript: […]
Nine Entertainment has a pot of cash to play with after its sale of online property platform Domain, but will they make a move?
Ben Willee, Executive Director of Media and Data at Spinach Advertising, talks to Evan Lucus on 2GB Radio’s Money News about Nine Entertainment’s potential investment and acquisition plans. Listen to Ben speak here: Check out the podcast here: Ben Willee, Executive Director of Media & Data for Spinach Advertising Or read the transcript: Evan Lucas […]
iiNet cyber breach exposes Australia’s ongoing security flaws
The recent data breach at iiNet, one of Australia’s largest internet service providers, has reignited concerns about persistent security weaknesses across the country’s digital infrastructure. The incident, resulting in the exposure of personal information belonging to over 280,000 customers, has underscored the growing challenge of protecting consumer data in a landscape where cyber threats are […]
YouTube banned for under 16’s, Google fights back
Ben Willee, Executive Director – Media and Data at Spinach Advertising, talks to Tim Burrows and Viv Kelly on ABC Radio National’s Medialand about YouTube’s reaction to the impending under 16’s ban. Listen to Ben speak here: Check out the podcast here: MediaLand: YouTube banned, Google fights back and is Bondi Rescue shelved?
From brand promise to shop floor: Empowering frontline staff to drive success
Operational excellence is a consistent rallying cry across retail organisations, with businesses focused on empowering front-line workers to deliver on the brand promise. But success comes only when an inside-out approach to strategy translates into every employee being equipped with the right tools, and coached and trusted to deliver the brand intent in meaningful actions […]
Google breach exposes major risks in Salesforce cloud security
Google has confirmed that the threat group ShinyHunters managed to access customer data stored in one of its Salesforce databases, highlighting ongoing vulnerabilities in popular cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions. The incident is the latest in a series of high-profile breaches targeting companies reliant on platforms such as Salesforce, with similar attacks having previously impacted Cisco, […]
Advertising market still cautious but consumers starting to feel better
Ben Willee, executive director of media and data at Spinach, pointed to the ANZ Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence index, up 3.9 points to a thoroughly mediocre 90.6. “In economic terms, this is basically the equivalent of someone saying, ‘Well, things aren’t quite on fire anymore’. “Apparently, we’re all feeling a bit chirpier thanks to lower […]