Page 19 - Adnews Magazine November-December 2021

www.adnews.com.au | November-December2021 19
Perspectives
Lisa Squillace,
National Sales Director,
10 ViacomCBS:
Fatigue across the industry hit its peak in 2021. But it was really fantastic to see people from across the industry checking in with each other.
The 10 ViacomCBS national sales team has shown strength and agility. Our Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth teams really stepped up during the Sydney and Melbourne lockdowns. And our Sydney and Melbourne teams showed resilience and fortitude. I’m extremely proud of them.
I’ve been reminded to appreciate that everyone has their unique struggles, and this has reinforced my commitment to flexible working. Whether its school pick up and drop off, time for exercise, or allowing someone to work in the hours that they feel the most productive, I believe that flexibility leads to a more productive and happier team.
Television in 2021 kicked off with a bang, riding the momentum of 2020’s record audience results, and advertisers took full advantage.
It has been challenging to keep up with the unprecedented demand from advertisers — not as challenging as home schooling, but let’s hope we’ve seen the last of that.
With the unexpected turn of the pandemic, our sales team used the lessons from 2020 to accommodate flexible buying and the influx of bookings.
We saw the focus on our digital assets increase with the launch of 10 ViacomCBS’ subscription on demand service, Paramount+ and the growth of our 10 Play audience.
I’ve learnt how agile I can really be, standing up an SVOD service commercially.
10 ViacomCBS also announced our landmark football deal in 2021. We have the largest Socceroos and Matildas broadcast deal ever and also an agreement seeing the Emirates FA Cup matches broadcast live across Network 10 and Paramount+. Evolving how we leverage passionate sport audience at their highest engagement points has been exciting.
With VOZ hitting the market this year, networks could finally demon- strate how our content is being consumed by our audiences, beyond the overnight numbers — proving the power of our reach and scale.
In 2022, I’m looking forward to the growth of our online content platforms. I can’t wait to see advertisers harness the power of content with innovative integrations in our returning and fresh formats.
I’m particularly excited to have the first year of football under our belts. We can’t wait to grow the sport and fan engagement and of course show off our advertising creative.
I’m looking forward to being able to visit our client’s interstate and get more face-to-face time with the industry. The people in our industry value relation- ships, and to be able to see one another again will breathe fresh life into us all.
Sam Buchanan,
general manager, IMAA:
Of course, it’s a given that the rolling lockdowns and getting the nation vaccinated were the biggest challenges of 2021 for everyone. But for a newish industry association with big plans to grow its national footprint and without the ability to meet face to face with all our new members and hold events, has definitely been the biggest challenge for me and the IMAA.
But that’s the beauty of the independent media agency sector — we’re a resilient lot and not even a global pandemic could hold us back. We have achieved things this year that no other industry body has, includ- ing a world-first trade credit deal, better deals for research, data, training, and media planning tools, and providing a strong voice for the sector on the issues that matter.
Our multi-channel, multi-million-dollar, national IMAA campaign has seen the media industry and marketers sit up and take notice of the refresh- ing offer from independents and it has delivered results. There are, however, lessons that come out of a once in a lifetime pandemic, that I believe have made us a stronger and more unified association.
“The people in our industry value relationships, and to be able to see one another again will breathe fresh life into us all.”
Lisa Squillace 10 ViacomCBS
For too long, independents have not had a strong, united voice, despite our combined size accounting for $2.5 billion in media expenditure and employing more than 1000 Australians. The independent sector needed to stand up and promote the depth of talent and experience it offers, rather than allowing the global media agency holding companies to hog the mic. Independent voices are important to any debate or industry issue, and we have learnt that there are an incredible array of strong leaders willing to raise their heads above the parapet and actively contribute.
The post-lockdown talent crisis, with new employees jumping ship for more money and some leaving the industry altogether, means that we have learnt that education and training and the unique envi- ronment that indie agencies can offer is incredibly important to upskill our people and attract future generations to our industry. We aim to address this with the
Lisa Squillace. Photo by Tim Levy.