There’s every chance that if you’re reading this, you like adverts. You think about them in your free time. When new ones emerge, you analyse them. When you see friends at the weekend, you ask them if they’ve seen such and such’s new advert. And they haven’t.
We’ll let you in on a secret: not everyone thinks about, watches or even sees adverts. And given how broadcast channels such as radio, TV, and perhaps to a lesser extent out of home, command smaller slices of media budget than ever, it isn’t certain that your friends, family or colleagues would ever see the same ads you do.
So where does that leave marketers? Put simply, they need to think beyond traditional advertising to make an impact. Don’t mistake this for a piece decrying the death of advertising. It’s just as important today as it has ever been. This is about marketers thinking outside the box to move the needle in other ways. And all of them are members of B&T’s 2026 CMO Power List, presented by atn.
Origin Energy’s Catherine Anderson shouts coffees
Often, advertising and non-traditional executions work in symbiosis, as Catherine Anderson, chief marketing officer of Origin Energy, who made her bow on the CMO Power List this year, explained.
“Performance dollars, in my view, will always work better when we’re treating customers well. We’re rewarding them for their loyalty with us, and they feel comfortable in the decisions that they’re making,” Anderson said.
“We have heavy performance effort and targets, but we try to do that in an ecosystem of love and support and kindness for our customers as well.”
Anderson’s entire approach to marketing and life is based on doing things that show people she (and by extension Origin) cares. And not in a kind of wishy-washy purpose-driven marketing way.
Over the past year, Origin repositioned to become a more “useful” company, a shift that Anderson described as “visceral” and “purposeful”. But there’s more at play.
“Over the past year, our focus has been on doubling down on our customers. How do we reward them better for loyalty? How do we guide them better through the energy transition, and what’s best for their home or business? We have this honour or responsibility to protect Australians through the energy transition,” she said.
“You may not see that or some of the decisions we’ve made with our marketing budget. For example, we made the call to use some of our budget to fund coffees for our customers with a partnership with 7-Eleven. That was a bit of a shift to take traditional marketing dollars and put them in a tangible thing. We don’t have a tangible storefront or product, but let’s change how we’re using our marketing dollars because customers are saying times are tough.”
Suncorp’s Mim Haysom can advise on your reno
Suncorp has been on a market-leading effort to embed preventative measures into its offerings for two reasons: reducing premiums and mitigating risks.
Over the past few years, the insurer has made several important steps in its efforts on this front, which form part of the ‘Resilience’ brand platform. However, the B&T Award-winning ‘Haven’ might be the most significant yet.
“All of our prevention work helps mitigate risk, which means in turn that our customers are better prepared and more resilient. That will help manage the cost of insurance and the cost of insuring their risk. We’ve really spearheaded a lot of the prevention work and have taken it to market with the [Suncorp] Haven utility that we launched in Queensland,” she said.
Suncorp’s Haven tracks 16 million addresses across the country and tells users what weather perils may befall their homes and how they can prevent them. It combines multiple huge datasets and cutting-edge technology in a new, unique way. In fact, it’s the first time ever that an insurer has used proprietary risk data to help people reduce the risk of their homes, rather than protect the insurer’s interests.
“We’re absolutely the leaders [in prevention]. We went to market with it first, and we’ve been talking about storm season preparation for many years,” said Haysom.
With Australia facing some of the most significant threats of any country due to climate change, Haysom’s efforts are not only delivering impressive results for Suncorp, but they’re also literally changing lives.
Arnott’s Jenni Dill is always baking up new ideas
Arnott’s Jenni Dill remains one of the country’s leading marketers. Her brands are as well-known and well-loved as any others in the country. But that doesn’t allow her and her teams to stand still.
One perfect example of this constant innovation might sound straightforward. But it’s often the most seemingly simple ideas that prove the most effective. And Arnott’s: The Cookbook, produced in collaboration with Are Media masthead The Australian Women’s Weekly, priced at $25 and available in all good bookstores, is very simple indeed.
It doesn’t need to tell people that Arnott’s products offer great value – something especially important given the way the price of everything is expected to keep climbing.
“Launching an Arnott’s cookbook was very strategic and tactical at the same time,” Dill said.
“It enabled people to fall in love with new products and remind them of how much they love some products, show them products they haven’t had before and also find new ways to enjoy and consume pretty much our entire product range… Finding new ways to deliver experiences to an existing brand, whether it’s been around for 60 or 160 years, is really important. As marketers and leaders, we’ve got to make sure that we’re continually looking for those new opportunities and looking at things with fresh eyes.”
@arnottsofficial ‼️IT’S FINALLY HERE!‼️ For 160 years, Arnott’s has been part of Aussie life – creating moments, sparking memories, and bringing people together. Now, for the first time, our cookbook is here! Packed with simple, joyful recipes that turn your favourite bikkies into slices, cakes, tarts and more, there’s something for every occasion. Whether it’s for family, friends or just for you, get ready to bake, share and enjoy! Available October 8th at all good bookstores ❤️ Pre-order via the link in our bio! #arnottsbiscuits #arnottscookbook #womensweekly #cookbook #booklaunch ♬ original sound – Arnott’s Biscuits
The cookbook is not alone. In recent years, Arnott’s has also released the ‘Bikkie Belt’ in collaboration with The Block and a Tim Tam and Jatz cracker mash-up.
“It’s finding ways to continue to deliver new experiences to an existing brand, whether it’s one that’s been around for 60 or 160 years. It’s really important as marketing leaders that we’re continually looking for those new opportunities and looking at things with fresh eyes,” Dill said.
And given her track record, it hardly seems like any of Arnott’s brands will be going stale with Dill at the helm.
Audible’s Polly Blenkinship creates outside experiences
Picture a bookworm. They’re likely sat alone, in silence, deep in a contemplative trance as they turn the page and absorb the words printed in front of them.
The audiobook listener is not an entirely different beast. For Audible, reaching these listeners in new and interesting ways is a priority, given the challenging market conditions everyone is operating in.
“We can’t simply keep doing what we’ve done for the past two or three years. I really want to push ourselves and our agencies to challenge the ideas that we’re getting back. I don’t want to run a standard media plan that has TV, press, radio and outdoor. I want to things that drive conversation and buzz,” Blenkinship told B&T.
“A great example of that is the work we did for our Harry Potter Full Cast series, where we partnered with News Australia to bring the [Hogwarts Express] steam train into the [Sydney] City Circle. We had an amazing event there, which generated a lot of buzz through social and PR. That kind of thing has an outsized impact in terms of our marketing investment.”
Audible also launched a partnership with workout app Strava and sponsored local run clubs, as well as the Hoka Half Marathon.
“For years, music has been the soundtrack to the fitness world, but we’ve really leant into running to ensure that audiobooks become the go-to companion,” added Blenkinship.
@unofficialrunclubThat’s a wrap on Friday’s run with @audible_au – and the vibes were high. Big thanks to everyone who showed up. From first-timers to front-runners, you brought the energy and Audible brought the stories. Couldn’t make it IRL? There’s still time to join the Audible Strava challenge and log your activity. Press play, get moving.♬ original sound – Unofficial Run Club
When consumers are harder to reach, thinking outside the box might just pay dividends, as these CMOs will attest.
