PHD Australia

Congratulations to Gilbert Lee, our Planning Director, who has been selected by AdNews Australia for the Emerging Leaders 2024 program shortlist. From a shortlist of finalists, twenty Emerging Leaders will be announced at the ceremony in August, and one professional will receive a Grand Prix in recognition of their exceptional industry achievement. This is a mega achievement! Good luck Gil 🤞🏽 #PHDIntelligenceConnected #EmergingLeaders #AdNews

Paula Malysevaite, the Head of Digital for Sydney, had the privilege of helping as a mentor at the Media Federation of Australia's leadership series "Thriving as a Modern Leader" last week. The topic of discussion focused on stress management in the media industry, with two motivational speakers—Dr. Kristy Goodwin and Leigh Anderson—sharing their insights and advice. Only 20% of employees are genuinely thriving at work, while 38% of workers are burned out. Unresolved stress is what leads to burnout, but many of us are unaware of its warning signs. Any physical symptoms, such as recurrent headaches and stomach problems, as well as mental or behavioral ones, such as social disengagement or detachment, can serve as triggers. Paula picked up the following advice and techniques from Leigh and Dr. Kristy: 4-Step Strategy: 1. Focus - Know your stress triggers. 2. Breathe - Take a deep breath before you enter a meeting; fill your brain with oxygen. 3. Talk to Yourself - The number one reason we don't achieve goals is because we talk negatively to ourselves. 4. See - Practice self-efficacy. Work in Digital Sprints (when you can): Apply a work-and-recover strategy—90-minute work peaks followed by 20 minutes of rest, recovery, or shallow work (admin tasks, etc.). This works because our brain only remembers the beginning and the end. Consider Extreme Measures: Try something like cold showers! Exposure to cold for 30 to 60 seconds increases dopamine and helps with focus. Disable Notifications When Needed: Constant bombardment of information makes the brain less focused on the task at hand and can lead to mental health issues like anxiety and depression. By developing one to three micro habits for yourself, you can set an example for your team and motivate them to follow suit. As Paula says, "rest is not a reward, it is a right!" #PHDIntelligenceConnected #MFA #wearethechangers

With a four-week duration, the annual Omnicom Media Group Internship Program is back for 2024. PHD has welcomed four interns to the Sydney and Melbourne offices to begin their education across multiple disciplines and to induct them into various workshops while they are with Omnicom. Our interns are in their second week and have already experienced site tours and behind-the-scenes visits to Google and NOVA Entertainment. We are also delighted to welcome Eduardo Iacomino, who is a participant in the OMG Discover program, from PHD Milan. PHD Australia is one of 12 agencies worldwide that have been chosen to take part in the program, which gives top talent a four-week taste of living and working abroad. Over the course of the program, Eduardo will immerse himself in this exchange where he will expand his global perspectives, foster collaborative skills and contribute to the collective growth and innovation of our global operations. #PHDIntelligenceConnected #OMGDiscover #InternshipProgram

Group Business Director Philippa MOIG breaks down the three key disconnects between brands and shoppers with some practical solutions agencies should be championing. Philippa says, "The retail environment in Australia is no longer limited to traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Blended retail experiences, where online and offline channels seamlessly integrate, have become the norm.... in this exciting and rapidly evolving future, agencies have the potential to play an instrumental role in driving sustained growth by being as customer-obsessed as their clients." Check out the article here https://lnkd.in/g8XC8Rgn to read Phil's take on navigating retail complexity through a customer obsessed approach. #PHDIntelligenceConnected

The Managing Director of PHD Melbourne, Simon Lawson GAICD, attended the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. For Simon, one of the highlights of the festival was seeing our Global CEO Guy Marks formally introduce PHD's most recent thought leadership work, Ascension: Rise with AI, a "generative" magazine. Ascension is intended to support marketers as they navigate the three phases of AI as they currently exist: AI Experimentation (2024-2026) AI Acceleration (2026-2028), & AI Elevation (2028-2030) Guy discussed the fact that AI is currently mired in a hype cycle, and there is a disconnect between marketers' aspirations to use AI and their actual implementation. In reality, there is a disconnect between the perception and actual knowledge of agency and marketers regarding generative AI, as demonstrated by our research conducted in collaboration with WARC. Guy encouraged agencies and marketers to participate fully in the initial phase of experimentation. Consider how you can increase the amount of AI in your work over the course of the next 30, 60, and 90 days. We believe Ascension can help pave the way for marketers and agencies to take these small steps toward building capability in this crucial area. #PHDIntelligenceConnected #CannesLions2024

In this two-part deep dive, PHD Strategy Director Zac Kelly does more than just bang the drum of gaming as a valuable channel. He explores the various, often misunderstood, opportunities within the space and explains why ignoring these could spell game over for brands.  Check out part two now!

Please pause everything you're doing to read our Planning Manager Ahmet Ilhan's enlightening article on Changing Perspectives: A journey of cultural adaptation and personal growth. Ahmet discusses his journey from Turkey to Australia, highlighting the obstacles he encountered as a result of cultural differences in all areas of his life. "The most challenging moments of my work life were not in front of a 300-degree oven, but in front of a laptop," says Ahmet. Ahmet attributes his increased comprehension of Australian media to the support he received from managers and coworkers, as well as the agency's internal PHD@PHD technical skills training and the Media Federation of Australia Foundation courses.  Ahmet says, "... The encouragement from those around me became crucial. Realising that I was not alone, thanks to my team’s backing and their patience, was a big turning point for me. So, my advice to others is this: The difficulties you face are not specific to you. Do not feel isolated. And, if you sense even a slight hint that someone is struggling, do not hesitate to ask how they’re doing." #PHDIntelligenceConnected

We are thrilled to announce the promotion of Ryan Ambrose to Melbourne Head of Investment. Returning to Melbourne after working as a group investment director in Sydney, Ryan assumes the new position of market investment lead. Ryan is responsible for delivering PHD's investment product. In addition, he will grow PHD Melbourne's client offering and investment community to optimize client outcomes with an emphasis on performance, rigor, and compliance. “I'm thrilled to be back at PHD Melbourne supported by a national best-in-class investment offering and look forward to continuing to drive growth, exceptional value and innovation for our clients," Ryan said. Congratulations Ryan! 👏 #PHDIntelligenceConnected

Last week, Annalect co-hosted the inaugural InfoSummit Lunch and Learn in collaboration with InfoSum. We discussed the advantages of data collaboration, best practices, the current state and future of privacy-safe data collaboration with a range of outstanding guest speakers, including industry experts from Annalect, PHD, Flybuys, IAB, InfoSum, Meta, Samsung Ads, and PepsiCo. Seeing these innovative directors discuss a new privacy-by-design approach was incredibly insightful. Thank you to each of our panelists and guest speakers Carl McLean, Chris Gartside, Konstantin Soloshenko, Lauren Dulhunty, Luke Fox, Maree Flynn, Paula Malysevaite, Richard Knott, Sarah Waladan, Schalk Van Der Sandt, and Trent Durfee. A big thank you as well to those who attended the session - your involvement and contribution were instrumental in enhancing the conversation. #IntelligenceConnected

Congratulations to David Bielenberg, our Head of Strategy and Planning, and Elyse Foley, our Head of Planning and Effectiveness, who have been named B&T's Best of the Best. Having led clients for over ten years, Elyse is the head of planning in the Sydney office and possesses a strong background in the field. With his background as a planning business director, David oversees our Melbourne office and is an avid advocate of improved measurements. Congratulations on this amazing achievement Elyse and David👏 #PHDIntelligenceConnected