Lauren D.

ANZ marketing leaders are at a crossroads. Budgets are tightening, expectations are climbing, and the demand to prove ROI has never been greater. At the same time, fragmented tools and siloed ownership are making it harder to measure impact and connect the customer journey. Factor’s latest report reveals how CMOs are moving away from hype-driven martech adoption and focusing instead on outcome-first investments that drive measurable growth. From automation and lead generation to ROI analytics and AI optimisation, execution is taking priority over experimentation. Yet challenges remain, with data gaps and skills shortages holding back the full potential of AI. The message is clear: to turn marketing into a true growth engine, leaders must unify data, strengthen measurement, and align martech with business outcomes. See what’s next for ANZ CMOs. Download the full report today: https://lnkd.in/gH5WzDEi #Factor #MarketingLeadership #ROI #CMOInsights #FactorResearch

8

Aussies are clear: they want ads that align with the content they’re enjoying—not their personal data. 🔑 Key insights from GumGum’s latest research: 62% prefer contextually relevant ads. 70% trust them more than targeted ads. 82% value data privacy when seeing online ads. Brands take note: context matters more than ever. Prioritizing trust and creativity is the way forward. Let’s make advertising better (and less creepy 😉). Download the full report: https://bit.ly/4jNqUrT #contextual #advertising #privacy #first #gumgum

24

We're increasingly hearing from our Australian customers that they care deeply about data protection and want their data stored locally too. We’re delighted to announce local data residency for Figma in Australia and excited to have National Australia Bank (NAB) as one of the first customers to be a part of this initiative. In relation, we’re rolling out new governance features for our enterprise customers. If security in product design and development is important to you too, check out our blog for more information. Special thanks to Lance Thornswood. https://lnkd.in/enePHUjR

91

6 Comments

🌏 We’re proud to be part of the movement toward a more sustainable advertising industry with Ad Net Zero Aotearoa. The recently launched “Advertiser’s Guide to Carbon Efficiency” provides 10 actionable, low-barrier initiatives to help Kiwi advertisers and agency partners cut carbon emissions, improve campaign efficiency, and strengthen supplier relationships. 💚   Detailed in the case study on page 8, we set out to measure and actively reduce the environmental impact of producing our latest advertising campaign, Finding Jade (part 2). As Brand Manager Kamran Kazalbash explained, “We believe that by measuring our emissions, we not only reduced our environmental impact but also lowered costs – simply by setting clear intentions early and staying conscious throughout the process.”   At One NZ, our commitment to kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and responsible innovation is central to our mahi, and our Sustainability Kaupapa prioritises operating sustainably. By embedding sustainable marketing as standard practice, we’re confident the industry can drive meaningful change, without trading off performance or results.   We aspire to maintain best practices as outlined in the Ad Net Zero guide into our campaigns and to collaborate with industry peers to create a greener, better-connected Aotearoa. 🌿 Download the full guide here: https://lnkd.in/g6kPYYMF   Jennifer Gunn Simon Lendrum Commercial Communications Council Lindsay Mouat Georgia Mahaffie Nicky Preston   #Sustainability #AdNetZero #Kaitiakitanga #OneNZ #GreenerAotearoa #CorporateResponsibility

22

3 Comments

91% of Australian social media users rely on platforms to stay updated with trends and cultural moments. The 2025 Sprout Social Index reveals how Australian brands can leverage social media to connect authentically and drive meaningful engagement. Explore the full insights here: https://bit.ly/2SzxZ7P

6

Why we don’t hire generalist VAs, especially in marketing & eCommerce Some roles you can learn on the job. But in fast-moving industries like marketing and eCommerce, experience isn’t just nice to have, it’s the difference between a helper and a contributor. At Team Up Now Pty Ltd we only match clients with VAs who already understand their world. That means: — They’ve run Klaviyo flows, not just watched tutorials. — They’ve built product calendars and launched drops on Shopify. — They’ve lived the pressure of Q4 sales cycles or last-minute influencer swaps. This kind of context changes everything. It means less training. Fewer dropped balls. More actual support. When a VA already speaks your language, you don’t have to slow down to bring them up to speed, they’re already thinking a few steps ahead. Not just “here’s your blog post,” but “I updated meta, checked internal links, and scheduled it for peak traffic.” Not just “uploaded the campaign,” but “noticed open rates dipped, should we test a new subject line?” That kind of judgment comes from experience. And that’s what we hire for. Because our clients aren’t looking for people to just get tasks done. They’re looking for people who help them grow. — If you’re scaling in marketing or eComm, and tired of re-explaining everything — we should talk.

15

12 Comments

Kiwi marketers: Here's why your "small market" experience is your biggest superpower overseas: Marketers from NZ often hesitate to apply for roles in big markets like the US for reasons like: “𝗠𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘂𝗽." “𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹-𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀." “𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀.” The truth? Being a New Zealand marketer is a masterclass in resourcefulness that many overseas marketing teams can learn from. Why? 𝗡𝗼 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀. We have to find creative, ingenious ways to punch above our weight and get recognized. 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀. We're super hands-on at every level, from coordinator to CMO. No one throws their hands up and says they’re above getting their hands dirty. It’s this scrappy, hands-on mentality that Kiwis are known for—and it makes us super valuable. It’s also the reason why so many Kiwis thrive in the startup space. Startups are a culture shock if you’re used to delegating and throwing money at problems. But Kiwi marketers are used to working on a shoestring; it’s our natural habitat. My advice? Play the Kiwi card. In a climate where businesses are still adjusting to doing more with less, it will help you stand out more than you think. (Thank you to fellow Kiwi Steven Male for inspiring this post with a lovely DM!)

23

3 Comments

One of my fav sessions from the Generate - The B2B Marketing Community in ANZ Conference this year was *The PR One* unironically, as, since I over-index in this line of work w/ clients, always interested to see if there's further tricks I can add to my little 'dark-arts-of-communications-toolbelt.' (explainer: I tell the founder "don't do that, do this at *this* time, definitely not *that*, you still owe me that list you promised me, I need to line up a coffee with <FNAME> now" etc etc) Being a static photo, what you don't see here is hundreds of Aus' leading B2B marketers from Aus' leading technology companies FURIOUSLY scribbling notes (and I do mean furiously) as David Swan, Bronwen Clune, Velvet-Belle Templeman and Harrison Polites deftly explained simply, and bluntly: "this is what gets printed and this is how." Search is in the bin, PR is more important than ever, we don't have a high volume of news outlets in Aus, and the furious scribbling of notes at the conference does not mean that marketers don't understand PR, no sir. The Marketing Job™ gets harder with each waking hour, and every leaders insistence that their baby's new product features constitute a news headline, don't stack up. An unbelievably compelling hook is needed for coverage, over and above a raise announcement, so there is always work to be done far in advance, and these stories don't just happen out of the blue. They're often the result of a long long period of relationship building too. Have been throwing a few tips and tricks out there to some early-stage founders working to proactively build their narrative well in advance, happy to offer a few further tips in this thread if you have an open question too: 1. Have a very serious think about a newsletter strategy: Such as with beehiiv or wherever you own your own niche audience (linkedin newsletters can get in the bin) and write about that niche, a lot. If you own your niche audience, then you'll attract journos that are interested in that niche (like Bryony Cole does with her The Future of Sex newsletter) -Reminder: your monthly wrap-up of your news to share ain't it. Own the narrative. 2. Have a serious think about a Reddit strategy. There is a mountain of collateral out there already talking about this, but there is a definite strategy to apply here so the odds are ever in your favour (and that narrative gets seen eventually by customers, investors, adn potential acquirers) 3. Build proper relationships with journos. Of course its going to feel unnatural to do so when starting. All journo emails are able to be found online, and persistence in having a minute in their ear with a compelling story angle can be done. Just think to yourself "what would a journalist appreciate if I approached them" and then be a normal human being and do that. 4. Start taking this seriously, now. Not later on. Thanks again Kayla Medica, axel sukianto and team for Generate, it was excellent. IRL Activations for the win 👏

25

2 Comments

Canva is making a serious play for the enterprise marketing stack with its acquisition of Australian AI creative startup MagicBrief. The move brings real-time ad performance insights directly into the content creation process, helping marketers move faster, brief better and optimise on the fly. Big news out of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and a sign of where content and creative tech is headed. Full story: https://lnkd.in/g2pmKEG9 #Canva #MagicBrief #CannesLions #Martech #AI

69

1 Comment

Ad accounts do not always need better creatives or bids. They need better context. Let me explain… Some time ago, I consulted an Australian brand that came in with a сommon challenge: “We’re spending money on Google Ads, but barely getting any results.” That happens often, so instead of jumping to ads optimization, I suggested starting with deep behavioral analysis first. We reviewed average session duration on product pages, add-to-cart metrics, and compared user journeys across locations, age groups, and channels. This gave us a clear view of what people were actually interested in to buy. Then identified high-potential products. But not just based on short-term spikes. We validated whether these items were consistently purchased over 6–12 months. ➤ Were they one-time hits or sustainable bestsellers? ➤ Were they bought by new users or loyal customers? ➤ And most importantly – did they trigger repeat purchases? Turns out, the bestsellers weren’t limited to one category. It was a mixed portfolio, with different value propositions. That gave us flexibility for audience segmentation. The client and I then rebuilt the entire setup: 1.  First, we improved brand search campaigns to match what users were actually looking for – so we reached the right people with the right intent. 2. Then, we split our Performance Max campaigns by the top-converting products. That helped the algorithm work smarter and deliver better results. 3. We ran two types of PMax campaigns: one focused only on the product feed, with a clear ROAS target. The other was more creative, with real product photos, bold banners, and custom headlines designed to boost conversions. 4. Built a remarketing strategy using detailed first-party data and all relevant audience segments (past purchases, high-intent visitors, time-decayed engagers) The results? ➤ ROAS more than doubled ➤ A stable 500–750% over the next 3 months ➤ Most importantly – a clear strategy that gave the client a piece of mind Because great performance comes from understanding user behavior and building a strategy around that. Work on this from the start, and you won’t need to “fix” your campaigns later. If you have doubts about your ad strategy, let’s talk. Always happy to help.

49

2 Comments

The Australian Centre for AI in Marketing (ACAM) first national GenAI Benchmarking Report for Australian marketers is now public. After months of research and insights from across the country, the ACAM.ai report findings are revealing: - 70% of Aussie marketers are still at the early stages of AI maturity - Soaring ambition but readiness, strategy, and governance are lagging - Leadership confidence, ethics frameworks, and cross-team collaboration remain critical gaps - Trust, transparency, and intent must be built in not just an afterthought after selecting a favourite AI application As The Lucky Country turns 60, this report is a timely wake-up call: Will we lead the AI era with vision or once again let luck do the heavy lifting? 💬 Christine Fung (CMO, Goodman Fielder) said it best: “Let’s be intentional about how we lead our teams on the journey.” 📥 Download the full report: https://www.acam.ai 🙏 To the ACAM co-founders Doug Nicols, Louise Cummins, Jodie Sangster, and Rochelle Tognetti thank you for your vision, energy, and belief in building something with real national impact! 🙌 And a huge thank you to Doug Nicol for his role in bringing the vision of this report to life. Doug ensured we didn’t just pitch a bunch of stats but delivered immediately actionable insights for all marketing teams whether CMOs or early career practitioners. Your clarity turned data into direction for Australian marketing in 2025 and beyond until at least the next version of the report in 2026. 📣 Featured in: 🔹 Mediaweek 🔹 B&T 🔹 Marketing Interactive 🔹 AdNews 🔹 Mumbrella 🔹 AdNews – Launch story 📌 Marketers, CMOs, strategists, this is your moment to lead with purpose, not just platforms. #AIinMarketing #GenAI #Leadership #CMO #MarketingStrategy #ACAM #Australia #AIReadiness #MarketingInnovation #LuckyCountryNoMore

14

2 Comments