News from across
the Groupe

Toyota Australia and Saatchi & Saatchi Australia have launched ‘Mud Dance’, the latest instalment of the enduring ‘Don’t Send a Ute to Do a HiLux Job’ platform. The new campaign transforms a familiar demonstration of off-road capability into an unexpected piece of entertainment, as a convoy of utes slips, slides and twirls its way down a muddy hillside. Directed by Nick Kelly from MOFA and set to Mary Schneider’s unmistakable yodelling rendition of ‘The Blue Danube’, the he

Gumtree and Digitas Australia have unveiled the brand's first campaign since 2020, introducing a new platform, 'Good Stuff', designed to reconnect the marketplace with a new generation of Australians. Whether it’s a couch finding a second life in a share house, or a set of weights kickstarting a new fitness kick, you can find ‘Good Stuff’ on Gumtree. But beyond that, it’s about everything that makes buying and selling on Gumtree feel good: finding exactly what you were afte

With every episode of Bluey becoming available in Australian Sign Language (Auslan), ABC Kids has partnered with Leo Australia to launch ‘Bluey's Auslan Sign & Seek’. The interactive viewing experience will follow the National Week of Deaf People 2026. The campaign was created in collaboration with ABC Creative, Ludo Studio, Deaf Connect, and narrated by the voice of Jack's Dad, beloved comedian Hamish Blake. Approximately 20,000 Australians use Auslan as their first languag

Toyota New Zealand, Saatchi & Saatchi NZ, Spark Foundry NZ and Digitas NZ have brought back the award-winning Department of Recreations, Activities, Visits & Stuff (D-RAVS), this time giving the characters a new role: car reviewers. Created to introduce the New-Gen RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid, D-RAVS RAViews sees the fictional recreation enthusiasts producing entertaining and useful reviews that appear alongside established automotive content across YouTube and social platforms. The

In a recent conversation with B&T, Publicis Groupe ANZ's practice leads Imogen Hewitt, Dave Bowman, Maurice Riley and Neil Duncan share how the Groupe's connected model continues to evolve to meet changing client demands, powered by a decade of building the culture, trust and muscle memory needed to truly work as one team. (L-R) Neil Duncan; Imogen Hewitt; Maurice Riley and Dave Bowman In a rapidly evolving market, the challenges clients face are more connected, more comple

Publicis Groupe NZ announced the appointment of Jayde Hill as General Manager, People & Culture for Publicis Groupe New Zealand, recognising her significant contribution to the business over the past eight years. Since joining Publicis Groupe in 2018, Hill has held a number of leadership positions, most recently as Head of People & Culture NZ. In her new role, Hill will lead the Groupe's People & Culture approach across New Zealand into its next phase of growth, overseeing

In her latest article, Hilary Badger examines how the creator economy has evolved from an emerging marketing channel into a powerful creative force shaping modern brand building. As investment in creators continues to accelerate, she argues that the industry is moving beyond conversations about reach, follower counts and engagement towards a more sophisticated understanding of creativity, trust and long-term effectiveness. Badger explores how creators have developed their own

Daffodil Day is in its 40th year in 2026, raising funds for Cancer Council’s life-saving cancer research. This year, Cancer Council is aiming to raise over $5.5million across Australia. When Daffodil Day first took roots in 1986, 5-year cancer survival was approximately 46%. Today, thanks to the support of the community, 5-year cancer survival is now 72%. As part of Publicis Groupe’s national strategic partnership with Cancer Council for the Working With Cancer initiativ

Influential Australia and Tik Tok's 'Enter the Group Chat' event addressed how creators and social-first thinking are shaping how brands show up, as challenger brands are putting more money into digital performance than ever before. Speaking on a panel, hosted by Influential Australia Creative Director Jenni Smith, Nariné Salmasi, General Manager of Marketing (ANZ) at Omoda Jaecoo said that social and influencers can help build trust for an unknown brand in a saturated market

In a recent conversation with AdNews Australia, Publicis Groupe ANZ leaders Michael Rebelo, Imogen Hewitt, Jason Tonelli, Patrick Rowe and Skye Lambley shared their perspectives on how long-term leadership unlocks meaningful transformation for clients, people and agency businesses. Across the discussion, one theme consistently stood out: trust. The leaders reflected on how trust, built over time, enables better decision-making, creates the confidence to navigate complexity an

Becoming a parent. Navigating a health diagnosis. Caring for a loved one.The moments that shape us most often arrive unexpectedly. That's why supporting our people goes beyond policies and programs. It's about showing up when it matters most, with practical help that enables people to navigate life's challenges with greater care and confidence. In this piece for NZ Marketing Magazine, we share how initiatives like Working with Cancer, Empowered Parents, Cub Care Days and incl

MBM recently worked with Trade Me to help it reclaim its #1 search position after it lost ground to global competitors in 2024 – building the media model around AI-led actioning, improved data quality, and insights built on 25 years of local behavioural data. The results were impressive: · Regained #1 search position · +10% paid search revenue YoY · 50M sessions (+25% vs target) · 299% ROAS · All achieved without matching global spend MBM Chief Digital Officer Emily Isle, alo

AI is creating new opportunities across the media and marketing industry, but unlocking its potential starts with building confidence among teams. Speaking with B&T, Pauly Grant, Chief Talent Officer Publicis Groupe ANZ & APAC, shares how Publicis Groupe ANZ is helping its people experiment, adopt and apply AI in meaningful ways. By combining training, practical application and responsible guardrails through PL.AI Ground, an ANZ hands-on, peer-led learning program, the Groupe

A proud night for Publicis Groupe ANZ at the 2026 Mumbrella Awards, taking home the inaugural Holding Company of the Year award. The award recognised the holding company with the strongest showing of shortlists and wins across the night. Congratulations also to Zenith Australia on being named Media Agency of the Year for the second time in three years, and to all the winners and shortlisted finalists across the Groupe. Michael Rebelo, CEO Publicis Groupe ANZ, said these achi

Lexus New Zealand, together with Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand, launched the all-new Lexus RZ at this year's ASB Classic - the country’s first production car featuring yoke steering with steer‑by‑wire technology. This innovation allows for greater driving precision and sharper responsiveness. At the centre of the campaign was the ‘Lexus Rally of the Day’, which transformed Lexus’ tennis sponsorship into an interactive display of cutting-edge innovation - turning the tournamen

In his latest article for AdNews Australia, Publicis Groupe ANZ Chief Data Officer Maurice Riley explores why customer lifetime value among LBGTQ+ communities isn't won in Pride Month alone, and what brands stand to gain when inclusion moves beyond a once-a-year moment and becomes part of the everyday experience. Looking at signals in Publicis Groupe’s pseudonymised identity graph, analysing the aggregated and de-identified behaviour of more than 18 million Australians, Maur

Leo Australia and Suncorp have won the prestigious Titanium Grand Prix, the highest honour in global creativity, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for ‘Haven’. The agency was also named Regional Network of the Year for the Pacific (ANZ). Haven is an innovative digital tool designed to help Australian homeowners understand their properties’ vulnerability to extreme weather and how to protect it. Utilising Suncorp’s proprietary data, Haven draws from 12

Known for more than 50 years for their 'Nothing is Impossible' philosophy, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia is targeting 'unseen growth,' helping clients to identify and unlock opportunities they didn't know existed. While most organisations are focused on the efficiency gains AI can bring, Saatchi & Saatchi have deliberately focused on the opportunity that the combination of data, tech, creativity and AI can bring to accelerate growth. Patrick Rowe, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Austr

Mars United℠ Commerce ANZ, has released the latest ANZ Retail Media Report Card - an independent benchmark designed to help brands navigate a fast‑evolving retail media landscape. This sixth edition assesses 17 networks, adds five new entrants, and expands the framework with four new capabilities as the market shifts from rapid build to delivering real commercial outcomes. It also spotlights creator‑led commerce and explores how AI is reshaping planning, optimisation and crea

In a brand first, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia and NESCAFÉ have launched a Masterbrand campaign, ‘Make your world’, celebrating the small, shared coffee moments that bring people together. The campaign’s hero film centres on a grandfather who keeps calling his grandson over to fix things that don’t seem especially broken and between the quick repairs and the cups of coffee that follow, a deeper pattern emerges: these small requests are really invitations to connect. Avish Gord