During a recent high-level pitch to the CEO of a leading but unnamed global consumer packaged goods firm hunting 25 per cent growth in a mature category, “the eyes lit up” at the combined code, creative and culture components being proposed by the “cold, hard analytical” consulting firm Deloitte Digital, as Global CEO Sam Roddick recounts. The pitch involved a top Deloitte Digital team unveiling the blueprint for a new direct-to-consumer (DTC) business unit to deliver on the CEO’s ambitious growth remit. Roddick hopes it’s a benchmark project in-the-making as his firm accelerates to “mimic” Apple-like design and creative capabilities with engineering and systems prowess. The new ‘X’ factor for Deloitte Digital though is the nod to creativity and the business contribution it makes as a “value multiplier” for its industrial-grade customers. Part of Roddick’s global plan to help institutionalise creative thinking in the $16bn firm involves a former BBDO ad agency network CEO in Australia and New Zealand, Nick Garrett. But can the “cold, hard, analytical” firm really pull this one off?    

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During a recent high-level pitch to the CEO of a leading but unnamed global consumer packaged goods firm hunting 25 per cent growth in a mature category, “the eyes lit up” at the combined code, creative and culture components being proposed by the “cold, hard analytical” consulting firm Deloitte Digital, as Global CEO Sam Roddick recounts. The pitch involved a top Deloitte Digital team unveiling the blueprint for a new direct-to-consumer (DTC) business unit to deliver on the CEO’s ambitious growth remit. Roddick hopes it’s a benchmark project in-the-making as his firm accelerates to “mimic” Apple-like design and creative capabilities with engineering and systems prowess. The new ‘X’ factor for Deloitte Digital though is the nod to creativity and the business contribution it makes as a “value multiplier” for its industrial-grade customers. Part of Roddick’s global plan to help institutionalise creative thinking in the $16bn firm involves a former BBDO ad agency network CEO in Australia and New Zealand, Nick Garrett. But can the “cold, hard, analytical” firm really pull this one off?    See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

A weekly wrap of the “must-know” developments in Marketing, Media, Agency and Technology for leaders and emerging leaders in the industry. Veteran industry journalist and Mi3 Executive Editor Paul McIntyre talks each week with guest marketers who are in the know on what matters at the nexus of marketing, agencies, media and technology. Powered mostly by Human Intelligence (HI).

A weekly wrap of the “must-know” developments in Marketing, Media, Agency and Technology for leaders and emerging leaders in the industry. Veteran industry journalist and Mi3 Executive Editor Paul McIntyre talks each week...

Mi3 Audio Edition

‘I’ve never made a client cry’: Deloitte Digital Global CEO Sam Roddick’s mission with ex-ad agency boss Nick Garrett to copy Apple’s creativity, design and engineering for digital restructuring programs – and why the ‘majority’ still fail

When Jo Boundy greenlighted the second series of CommBank's financial wellbeing series The Brighter Side on Paramount 10, she expected good things but maybe not as good as the audience engagement levels turned out. The bank’s The Brighter Side  TV series garnered 2 million viewers. Tailored social content, which was  “double stacked” in production with the TV series, reached another 8 million in social media and Boundy says 80 per cent of people who watched the show “took an action to improve their finances … so we're seeing when the content is relevant, when it's utility, when it connects with people, it's really making a difference.”

And Boundy is tantalisingly close to tagging her brand content program as a full funnel silver bullet. “It is such a critical piece in the full funnel tool kit,” she says. “It’s a really cluttered market so we have used our content to help build that consideration and then it ultimately goes through to conversion with customers.”

It’s the latter point around creating compelling, relevant brand-originated content across rapidly changing formats and distribution channels that Nick Smith, Managing Director of content agency Medium Rare, says has spawned a “nuanced shift” from in-house “content ecosystems”, often led by corporate affairs teams or viewed through the lense of performance marketing. "That’s a company-centric approach,” says Smith on how corporate content ecosystems are typically run. “We’ve got to get particular messages out on our own channels and it’s lined up with the calendar of business objectives and all the things we want to tell the customer.”

“Brand worlds” flip the content model to start with what “a consumer is doing in the real world,” says Smith. “It’s a different content approach than just talking about products.” Boundy says it’s a welcome shift – content starts with designing first for a customer problem or need.

All of this new thinking and brand content trends has been captured in News Australia’s recent 2026 Future of Brand Content report – among the headline statistics is that brand content consumption is up 11 per cent. Trust and the relevance of brand-originated content among consumers increased by double digits.

The former adman and CEO of WPP ANZ, Mike Connaghan, jumped from advertising to content when he was appointed to run News Australia’s commercial content division, which includes Medium Rare, Storyation, Suddenly and Visual Domain. Connaghan says the likes of CommBank, Qantas, Chemist Warehouse, Coles and Bunnings are all firing with their brand content programs. He agrees with Boundy that they drive results through the funnel to purchase, rather than just mid.

“They’re creating mini publishing businesses for themselves,” says Connaghan. “We also work with Chemist Warehouse on the House of Wellness. It’s a media conglomerate. They have a huge print presence, they advertise very heavily through News Corp newspapers, they've got their own radio, they've got their own podcasts, they've got their own TV shows, all of which we are helping them with. It's a really powerful platform for them. So the sector is in high demand and high interest. Having people like Jo and Commonwealth Bank step into the breach in financial services has only really stirred more interest.”

When Jo Boundy greenlighted the second series of CommBank's financial wellbeing series The Brighter Side on Paramount 10, she expected good things but maybe not as good as the audience engagement levels turned out. The bank&rsquo;s The Brighter Side&nbsp; TV series garnered 2 million viewers. Tailored social content, which was&nbsp; &ldquo;double stacked&rdquo; in production with the TV series, reached another 8 million in social media and Boundy says 80 per cent of people who watched the show &ldquo;took an action to improve their finances &hellip; so we're seeing when the content is relevant, when it's utility, when it connects with people, it's really making a difference.&rdquo;
And Boundy is tantalisingly close to tagging her brand content program as a full funnel silver bullet. &ldquo;It is such a critical piece in the full funnel tool kit,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a really cluttered market so we have used our content to help build that consideration and then it ultimately goes through to conversion with customers.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s the latter point around creating compelling, relevant brand-originated content across rapidly changing formats and distribution channels that Nick Smith, Managing Director of content agency Medium Rare, says has spawned a &ldquo;nuanced shift&rdquo; from in-house &ldquo;content ecosystems&rdquo;, often led by corporate affairs teams or viewed through the lense of performance marketing. "That&rsquo;s a company-centric approach,&rdquo; says Smith on how corporate content ecosystems are typically run. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to get particular messages out on our own channels and it&rsquo;s lined up with the calendar of business objectives and all the things we want to tell the customer.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Brand worlds&rdquo; flip the content model to start with what &ldquo;a consumer is doing in the real world,&rdquo; says Smith. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a different content approach than just talking about products.&rdquo; Boundy says it&rsquo;s a welcome shift &ndash; content starts with designing first for a customer problem or need.
All of this new thinking and brand content trends has been captured in News Australia&rsquo;s recent 2026 Future of Brand Content report &ndash; among the headline statistics is that brand content consumption is up 11 per cent. Trust and the relevance of brand-originated content among consumers increased by double digits.
The former adman and CEO of WPP ANZ, Mike Connaghan, jumped from advertising to content when he was appointed to run News Australia&rsquo;s commercial content division, which includes Medium Rare, Storyation, Suddenly and Visual Domain. Connaghan says the likes of CommBank, Qantas, Chemist Warehouse, Coles and Bunnings are all firing with their brand content programs. He agrees with Boundy that they drive results through the funnel to purchase, rather than just mid.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re creating mini publishing businesses for themselves,&rdquo; says Connaghan. &ldquo;We also work with Chemist Warehouse on the House of Wellness. It&rsquo;s a media conglomerate. They have a huge print presence, they advertise very heavily through News Corp newspapers, they've got their own radio, they've got their own podcasts, they've got their own TV shows, all of which we are helping them with. It's a really powerful platform for them. So the sector is in high demand and high interest. Having people like Jo and Commonwealth Bank step into the breach in financial services has only really stirred more interest.&rdquo;

Why CommBank CMO Jo Boundy thinks brand content is a full funnel ‘silver bullet’ as consumption jumps 11%; News Australia report says ‘content ecosystems’ morphing to ‘brand worlds’

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/22a8fb9f-d9b6-4493-a247-b3ef0058fa93/transcript

Host: Paul McIntyre, Editor-At-Large

Gary ‘Vee’ Vaynerchuk says his pithy pro-social media views to circa 50 million followers are far more nuanced than the vast volumes of “Jersey boy competitive” social media sound bites let on. 

Is two seconds of social media attention enough to work for a brand? No - he agrees with Amplified Intelligence founder Karen Nelson-Field, with a couple of caveats, of course. “Every brand listening right now can waste $10m on social media in five seconds,” he says on this week’s particularly fast-paced Mi3 Audio Edition. “I would buy unlimited television ads in Australia tomorrow, not the Super Bowl. You know what my problem is? I want to pay 20 cents in the dollar that the market is charging because I think that’s the actual value of the actual reach I’m getting, not the potential reach…”

The founder of New York-based VaynerX and CEO of VaynerMedia, Vaynerchuk has more than 2000 staff plotted across the globe and a monstrous social media following built on sharp takedowns on everything and anything linked to legacy media and classic marketing theory and practice. 

Equally, Vaynerchuk says there’s a fair chance he’ll be using the same mincer on social media in possibly five years. “When the attention veers away from social networks on mobile devices, which it will at some point, I will be the first person to make fun of people overspending on social media, including myself if I’m still doing it,” he says. “I'm aware that I love the Super Bowl ad, which is a classic ad. And I'm aware that in your setup that I that I do struggle with a programmatic ad, classic television spots, things of that nature. Let me break this down because it's a very smart audience that listens to your show.”

As much as 45 minutes will allow, Vaynerchuk darts rapidly across themes but gets some way into the weeds on industry debate around:
media and advertising’s long and short impacts for building brands
attention and attribution metrics
how blockchains will emerge as authenticity ledgers in the age of AI deep fakes
why blue-chip companies have to be spending 20 per cent of their entire marketing budget on organic social production now - not media budgets to underwrite largely ineffective creative campaigns that don’t resonate with the public

Take a listen to Gary Vee riffing at marketing’s deep end.

Host: Paul McIntyre, Editor-At-Large Gary &lsquo;Vee&rsquo; Vaynerchuk says his pithy pro-social media views to circa 50 million followers are far more nuanced than the vast volumes of &ldquo;Jersey boy competitive&rdquo; social media sound bites let on.&nbsp;
Is two seconds of social media attention enough to work for a brand? No - he agrees with Amplified Intelligence founder Karen Nelson-Field, with a couple of caveats, of course. &ldquo;Every brand listening right now can waste $10m on social media in five seconds,&rdquo; he says on this week&rsquo;s particularly fast-paced Mi3 Audio Edition. &ldquo;I would buy unlimited television ads in Australia tomorrow, not the Super Bowl. You know what my problem is? I want to pay 20 cents in the dollar that the market is charging because I think that&rsquo;s the actual value of the actual reach I&rsquo;m getting, not the potential reach&hellip;&rdquo;
The founder of New York-based VaynerX and CEO of VaynerMedia, Vaynerchuk has more than 2000 staff plotted across the globe and a monstrous social media following built on sharp takedowns on everything and anything linked to legacy media and classic marketing theory and practice.&nbsp;
Equally, Vaynerchuk says there&rsquo;s a fair chance he&rsquo;ll be using the same mincer on social media in possibly five years. &ldquo;When the attention veers away from social networks on mobile devices, which it will at some point, I will be the first person to make fun of people overspending on social media, including myself if I&rsquo;m still doing it,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I'm aware that I love the Super Bowl ad, which is a classic ad. And I'm aware that in your setup that I that I do struggle with a programmatic ad, classic television spots, things of that nature. Let me break this down because it's a very smart audience that listens to your show.&rdquo;
As much as 45 minutes will allow, Vaynerchuk darts rapidly across themes but gets some way into the weeds on industry debate around:
<ul>
<li>media and advertising&rsquo;s long and short impacts for building brands</li>
<li>attention and attribution metrics</li>
<li>how blockchains will emerge as authenticity ledgers in the age of AI deep fakes</li>
<li>why blue-chip companies have to be spending 20 per cent of their entire marketing budget on organic social production now - not media budgets to underwrite largely ineffective creative campaigns that don&rsquo;t resonate with the public</li>
</ul>
Take a listen to Gary Vee riffing at marketing&rsquo;s deep end.

Gary Vee is doing Superbowl ads for Kellogg’s next week – here’s why he won’t buy more TV, what he thinks of the Brits, Ritson, classic marketing and attention metrics … and when social media’s time is up

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/0658cd17-7ee7-4c22-8dc4-b3e5005521c7/transcript

Redundancy is rife across the marketing and agency ecosystem right now. And whether you have an inkling your job could be on the line, as Liana Dubois did when management consultants entered the Nine building, or it's a complete shock – such as Josh Slighting experienced when he left a growing REA Group, or Katie Dally felt after surviving a first round of cuts at Endeavour Group only to be hit in the second set – it often triggers a professional and personal crisis of confidence and identity. Even experienced marketer Amy De Groot, who’s been made redundant twice, nearly 20 years apart, still felt the shock, upset and grief of this occupational hazard.

It’s hard to get a precise handle on the exact volume of redundancies, but cuts can be found in every pocket of the industry. A clue is in the Advertising Council of Australia’s 2025 Salary Survey, which revealed a redundancy rate of 11%, compared to the usual range of 5–7%, in the 12 months to 31 March 2025.

More overtly, Omnicom’s global CEO last week said 4000 jobs are likely to be shed by end of the year as the merged Omnicom-IPG structure is bolted into place. Up to 120 people are also being made redundant as Menulog shuts up shop in Australia. Endeavour Group is another that made marketing, experience, digital and CX redundancies this year. Dentsu flagged 8% global headcount reduction in Q2. Nine, Seven, News Corp have made hundreds of cuts. TheAustralian HR Institute quarterly outlook for September 25 shows redundancies are on the rise, with 27 per cent of employers planning cuts, up 3 percentage points since the June 2025 quarter.

Those are the numbers and an attempt at hard facts. But the reality is there are a bunch of marketing and advertising industry colleagues having the cope with the fallout and impact of being made redundant.

In Mi3’s latest podcast, we’re focusing on exploring the impact of the redundancy crisis through the lens of four senior marketers who have been there: Former Nine group CMO, Liana Dubois; former REA Group media lead, Josh Slighting, former Endeavour Group GM of brand, creative and operations, Katie Dally, and former Cars24 head of brand marketing, Amy de Groot.

In this very personal conversation, we humanise the experience of being made redundant to help others out there that have, or are experiencing, the repercussions of redundancy directly and indirectly. We also explore the lateral career paths that have opened up for our guests, as we share learnings and advice on how we can all make more progressive career choices.

Redundancy is rife across the marketing and agency ecosystem right now. And whether you have an inkling your job could be on the line, as Liana Dubois did when management consultants entered the Nine building, or it's a complete shock &ndash; such as Josh Slighting experienced when he left a growing REA Group, or Katie Dally felt after surviving a first round of cuts at Endeavour Group only to be hit in the second set &ndash; it often triggers a professional and personal crisis of confidence and identity. Even experienced marketer Amy De Groot, who&rsquo;s been made redundant twice, nearly 20 years apart, still felt the shock, upset and grief of this occupational hazard.
It&rsquo;s hard to get a precise handle on the exact volume of redundancies, but cuts can be found in every pocket of the industry. A clue is in the Advertising Council of Australia&rsquo;s 2025 Salary Survey, which revealed a redundancy rate of 11%, compared to the usual range of 5&ndash;7%, in the 12 months to 31 March 2025.
More overtly, Omnicom&rsquo;s global CEO last week said 4000 jobs are likely to be shed by end of the year as the merged Omnicom-IPG structure is bolted into place. Up to 120 people are also being made redundant as Menulog shuts up shop in Australia. Endeavour Group is another that made marketing, experience, digital and CX redundancies this year. Dentsu flagged 8% global headcount reduction in Q2. Nine, Seven, News Corp have made hundreds of cuts. The Australian HR Institute quarterly outlook for September 25 shows redundancies are on the rise, with 27 per cent of employers planning cuts, up 3 percentage points since the June 2025 quarter.
Those are the numbers and an attempt at hard facts. But the reality is there are a bunch of marketing and advertising industry colleagues having the cope with the fallout and impact of being made redundant.
In Mi3&rsquo;s latest podcast, we&rsquo;re focusing on exploring the impact of the redundancy crisis through the lens of four senior marketers who have been there: Former Nine group CMO, Liana Dubois; former REA Group media lead, Josh Slighting, former Endeavour Group GM of brand, creative and operations, Katie Dally, and former Cars24 head of brand marketing, Amy de Groot.
In this very personal conversation, we humanise the experience of being made redundant to help others out there that have, or are experiencing, the repercussions of redundancy directly and indirectly. We also explore the lateral career paths that have opened up for our guests, as we share learnings and advice on how we can all make more progressive career choices.

Redundancy repercussions: How marketing and media execs Liana Dubois, Katie Dally, Josh Slighting and Amy de Groot navigated the five stages of grief after job loss – then tapped lateral, imaginative thinking to make their next career choices 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/bbe4eee0-a6d5-4571-8e49-b3ac01856e31/transcript

‘I’ve never made a client cry’: Deloitte Digital Global CEO Sam Roddick’s mission with ex-ad agency boss Nick Garrett to copy Apple’s creativity, design and engineering for digital restructuring programs – and why the ‘majority’ still fail

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