Vale Harold Mitchell: A ‘Powerhouse’, ‘Visionary’ & ‘Fierce Competitor’ Who Shaped Adland
Industry leaders hail the impact of Harold Mitchell – the “father of media buying” – who has died, 81, due to complications from knee surgery.
Arguably Australia’s most revered (and sometimes feared) media buyer Harold Mitchell has died, sparking a flood of tributes for advertising trailblazer.
Media executives, agency chiefs, senior marketers described him as “passionate”, a “powerhouse”, “visionary” and “fierce competitor” who took on the multinationals by leading Australia’s largest and independent media shop for more than three decades.
Mitchell founded Mitchell Communications (which became Mitchell & Partners) on a shoestring budget in 1976.
He has been widely credited as a pioneer of media buying, one of the first to take media buying and planning outside of the full-service advertising agency model that had been prevalent at the time.
In the 80s, 90s and 2000s Mitchell grew into the most influential advertising executive in Australia, regularly holding court with powerful media barons of the era including Kerry Packer, Kerry Stokes and Rupert Murdoch. He has been inducted in several industry Hall of Fames.
Stokes said Mitchell will not only be remembered for his leadership of the industry, but also as a philanthropist and supporter of the arts and sports. “Harold was a doyen of the industry and a great friend over the 40 years we had known each other,” Stokes said. “He had a wonderful sense of humour and was a groundbreaker in the way media was monetised. I enjoyed his company, and he will be missed by us all.”
Cheryl Hayman, who worked with Mitchell as a marketer for Unilever and Yum Restaurants, described him as “strong, powerful, passionate and street smart”.
“In those ‘golden olden days’, Harold was everywhere,” Hayman said. “He loved being with us clients, doing the deals with the TV stations and other outlets. He existed in the days when relationships were the cornerstone of every deal done, and boy, did he have those in spades.”
At its mid-2000s peak, Mitchell & Partners booked about $700m of advertising (7 per cent of all ad spend in Australia) for blue chip clients including Woolworths, Optus, ANZ Bank, Flight Centre and Virgin Blue.
No Australian independent media agency since has come close to controlling such a large chunk of the industry’s advertising money.
In 2010, Mitchell sold his business to London-based Aegis Media (now Dentsu) in a deal worth $370m.
An Advertising Titan
Barry O’Brien, the founder and chair of Atomic 212°, said Mitchell paved the way for Australia’s vibrant independent agency sector.
“I had the privilege of working with him for several years and I saw, first hand, his philosophy that everyone at the table had to win: the client, the media and his business. As such, he was a true wealth creator,” O’Brien recalled. “He knew that the global agencies knew he had the largest media independent agency world wide and as such they were going to pay accordingly for the privilege to own it.”
Omnicom Media Group ANZ CEO and Media Federation of Australia chair Peter Horgan also acknowledged Mitchell’s role as a trailblazer.
“He built a market leading agency and was a presence who could engage at any level across corporate Australia,” Horgan said. “He was a ruthless competitor, but had a wicked sense of humour. He changed our industry and will be missed.”
Another advertising luminary and MFA Hall of Famer, Anne Parsons, described Mitchell as a “great bloke” and a “tough, unrelenting competitor [who] then a committed and loyal mate”.
She added: “[He was a] complex man who worked relentlessly but for whom work was never the most serious thing – it was a whole lot of other stuff like using his knowledge and experience to propel others.”
Mitchell’s ruthlessness as a competitor, noted by several of his contemporaries, is counterbalanced by a “generosity” he showed colleagues, including some of adland’s current crop of leaders.
In a post on LinkedIn, GroupM ANZ CEO Aimee Buchanan said Mitchell had a “monumental impact on my career”.
“My first twelve years in the industry were spent working at Mitchell’s/MPG. Four weeks into my first job in 2000, Harold gave all of his staff four tickets to the Olympics, as he wanted everyone to experience that here in Sydney. As a grad fresh out of Uni, it will be a memory I remember for a long time. That and the time I sat in his chair in a meeting with a client. He walked into the meeting and asked me why I was sitting in his seat.”
Danny Bass, the CEO of media at Dentsu arrived in Australia during the 90s, recalling an industry defined by three media tycoons: “Murdoch, Packer and Mitchell”.
“I worked with him both on the media side and as a competitor and once he retired, he was very generous with his time with me on a number of occasions. Harold Mitchell was a titan that defined Australia’s media landscape for many decades and must be remembered in the pantheon of Australian media legends,” Bass said, adding that Mitchell helped raise the domestic industry as a competitive force on the global stage.
Mark Coad, a fellow Victorian and the CEO of IPG Mediabrands Australia, led OMD at the time Mitchell’s agency reigned supreme.
“He could be charming, he could be humorous – or he could make you feel he’s about to run over the top of you,” Coad said. “I still get a laugh about the times I’d bump into him back in the days I ran OMD. He would say, ‘Hello Mark – where are you working these days?’ and I would respond, ‘I’m working for OMD, Harold”. He’d pause, look at me almost quizzically and say, “Hmmm. I think I’ve heard of them” as he strolled off.
“OMD were his biggest competitor at the time, and he knew exactly who worked there, but he couldn’t help but administer a decent dose of sarcasm, wit and condescension in equal measure. All the while, I was simply grateful he took the time to say hello.”
Philanthropy & renaissance man
Outside of advertising, Mitchell was heavily involved in the arts, health and sport, holding board positions at the National Gallery of Australia, Opera Australia, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and Tennis Australia, among others.
In 2000, he set up the Harold Mitchell Foundation, which donated money to causes in the arts and community health. He received a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia for his philanthropy in 2010.
Former Labor leader and Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said Mitchell was a close friend and “an avuncular renaissance man who was energetically interested in everything and everyone”.
Known for living large, it has not always been smooth sailing. Mitchell has previously spoken about his past battles with alcoholism and obesity. In 2020, a Federal Court of Australia dismissed the majority of charges laid against him by the corporate regulator ASIC, which alleged he had breached his duties as Tennis Australia director by providing confidential information to Seven Network for TV rights to the Australian Open in 2013.
Survived by his children Stuart and Amanda, Mitchell will be remembered for helping raise and shape the Australian media landscape, and a generation of industry leaders with it.
Latest News
Cairns Crocodiles The Work: Healthcare Sponsored By Alternaleaf
There is just under a month to go until the inaugural Cairns Crocodiles Awards presented by Pinterest! Today, as our judges deliberate over a year’s worth of hard work, we celebrate some of the incredible entries in the Healthcare category sponsored by Alternaleaf. The Cairns Crocodiles Awards celebrate the best examples of creativity in marketing […]
ThinkNewsBrands To Play A Major Role At CMO ANZ Summit
I think we can all agree that being front and centre is a better place to be than back and off centre.
TV Ratings (09/05/2024): Carlton Beats Melbourne In Nail-biting Win
We venture a bet that viewers had no nails left by the end of this game!
Woolies And Suncorp Marketers On Why Brands Are Investing BIG In Netball
Brands finally understanding the potential of netball in Australia. And that's despite the Matildas' ongoing efforts.
Apple Apologises For ‘Tone Deaf’ Culture Crushing iPad Ad
AI may be the route to a smarter & efficient humankind, but for most of us it means "Shit, I'm going to lose my job!"
TEG Group Nabs Belinda Shaw From Boral
Belinda Shaw certainly not shy of challenge as she shifts from a cement firm over to a ticketing one.
NBL Slam Dunks New Network Ten Broadcast Deal
Do you think shooting hoops would be a better use of your spare time than drinking heavily? Discover the truth here.
Qatar Airways Becomes Partner and Official Cargo Airline Partner of MotoGP
B&T can't recommend Qatar Airlines enough. Qatar itself would give Hell's fires a run for their money such is the heat.
Rebel Bondi Junction Pulls Kangaroos Jerseys From The Shelf
Despite some adverse press, this is probably the correct thing to do by the sports retailer.
Dineamic Rebrands To serve Up Honest Food, Via Bullfrog.
Are ready-meals the new status symbol of the super busy? Much like hands-free phones & wanky personalised number plates?
TikTok Joins Adobe-founded Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) To Help Combat Misinformation
With all this talk of the Chinese government spying on us, B&T embarrassed we haven't got that much to be spied about.
Cannes In Cairns Delegates Called Upon For AI Reef Challenge
Just by attending Cannes In Cairns you can help save the Reef! Which may offset the damage you do not saving your liver.
Man Of Many Launches Sydney Whisky Month – A Luxe Whisky Fair
Sydney's getting its own whisky month. Topics of conversation to avoid include the Middle East & Peter Dutton's head.
Challenger Signs Three Year Partnership With Sydney Film Festival
B&T loves the Sydney Film Festival & not just because it enables us to wear black turtlenecks & say noir over & over.
Truths & Tensions Of The Modern World: Nature Study Reveals Only 50% Of Aussies Feel Optimistic About The Future
Worrying study finds half of Aussies pessimistic about the future. An overwhelming majority detest the McPlant burger.
Bernard Salt AM On Why The Best Is Yet To Come For The Aussie Ad Industry
The demographer & futurist predicts a rosy future for Australia's ad industry. Alas, no tips for Randwick this Saturday.
Coles’ FightMND Fundraiser Takes Off For Big Freeze 10
As much as B&T applauds Coles on this charity initiative, we do ask for less 'Locomotion' through the in-store stereo.
IAB Australia Calls For Submissions To MeasureUp 2024
The IAB's calling for speaker submissions for its MeasureUp conference. Also looking to loan an overhead projector.
Drive TV & Kia Puts EV9 To The Ultimate Test In New TV Special
Have trepidations about purchasing an EV? This eight-part TV show's for you. Simply can't afford one? Watch on, anyway.
WPC Group & NextGen Jobs Recruit InsideOut For PR Account
As much as you love adland, do you often think you'd be better off had you become a plumber? Prove mum was right here.
“She’s A National Treasure For Australia And A Human Treasure For The Planet” – Warner Bros’ Josh Goldstine on Margot Robbie, Barbie And Marketing
Barbie was undoubtedly the marketing success story of 2023. B&T still leading the 'Margot for PM' calls into 2024.
M&C Saatchi Group Invite Emerging Artists To Create Visions Of A Better Future
Does the bowl of fruit on your kitchen bench need immortalising? Top news as M&C Saatchi's art initiative returns.
Thorpie & Matildas Superstars Join The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition.
Thought to yourself "that Ian Thorpe fellow's been quiet of late"? 10's celeb edition of Amazing Race is where it's at.
Greenpeace Launches Heartbreaking Call To End Deforestation Via Dropbear
As much as B&T applauds Greenpeace, its ads leave you feeling like you got the gas, water & phone bill on the same day.
Smith’s Unveil New ‘Joy is a Simple Recipe’ Brand Platform Via Goodby Silverstein & Partners
The only thing better than a round of beers arriving is the sight of a bag of Smith's between the drink carrier's teeth.
ABC Launches Two New Channels Combining Kids, Family & General Titles
Among the many joys of having young children is that they will seriously watch any old shit on TV.
Wests Tigers Lose One Million Dollar Sponsorship Deal In Hagipantelis Fallout
The question has to be asked - do Tigers play on an ancient Indian burial ground given their ongoing spate of bad luck?
Ads That Entertain And Surprise Consumers Perform Best In Asia-Pacific – WARC report
New study reveals humorous ads "entertain and surprise consumers". Here's hoping Julia Morris doesn't get any ideas.
Aussie Employees Want AI At Work And Won’t Wait For Companies To Catch Up, Study Finds
Someone has clearly told Aussie workers AI wont steal their jobs, but might help them get to the pub more quickly.
Introducing Sam, Mamamia’s New AI-Powered Programmatic Audio Offering For Brands
Mamamia one of the first indie publishers to be really playing in the AI space. Well, the only one really.
OMA Appoints Motio’s Adam Cadwallader & JCDecaux David Watkins To Board Of Directors
New appointments to the OMA board of directors today. Monthly meetings' finger sandwiches to remain strictly egg or ham.
Bastion’s Harry Roth Selected For Cannes Lions Creative Academy
Bastion's Harry Roth off to this year's Cannes creative academy. May wear his Wallabies jersey to ruffle feathers.
TV Ratings (08/05/2024): Seven Has A Huge Night As News & Quiz Shows Dominate
News & quiz shows dominate last night's TV viewing. Further proof of our interest in the Middle East & steak knives.
Network 10 Wants Government Help To Save Regional Broadcast TV
Could Farmer Wants A Wife help Network Ten out of this mess?
Royalties Generated By Aussie Artists On Spotify Reached Nearly $275M In 2023
Royalties generated by Aussie artists on Spotify in 2023 hit $275 million. Shannon Noll's contribution reached $4.45.
eBay Study: Aussies’ Growing Love For Pre-loved Fashion Soaring To New Heights
New study reveals Aussies' love of second-hand fashion. Meaning it's now very cool to smell of moth balls.