Michael Miller, executive chairman News Corp Australia, has told the audience of Sydney’s iteration of its upfronts that News Corp is a risk-taking company.
Speaking at Come Together 2018 – News Futures in Sydney’s Hyatt Regency in front of an audience of media buyers and brand marketers, Miller said News Corps’ secret sauce was a combination of community connection, being for the people and the best and biggest team of journalists and story tellers in Australia.
With 16 new announcements showcasing News’ ability to reach and engage pretty much every Australian still breathing, and to be more than just a publisher thanks to its content, data, experiential and social services, the event was a recap of last week’s Melbourne announcements.
Miller also made special mention of the increase in the community’s trust in journalism over social media, noting Facebook made use of News Corp’s paper’s globally to apologise in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
He also said story tellers had always played an important role in human history.
“The ability to tell a great story, in an engaging way, has forever been regarded as a great skill. Throughout time, those who held the stories and retold them have had the greatest respect, influence and power in society. The druids, witch doctors, wizards and sorcerers – they engaged people with their institutional knowledge and unique cultural tales. They were the source of truth and like all great storytellers, they had the magic.
“In today’s world where everyone is a storyteller, it is those who tell the unique stories, in the most engaging ways, that lead the way. At News Corp we are proud to be Australia’s leading storytellers,” he added.
Miller said News Corp has a clear purpose. “To engage more Australians to connect more customers. Our storytelling provides the daily news, information and inspiration that Australians trust.
“And our storytelling delivers a connection with your brand in a trusted and desired environment. No-one else can engage more Australians than what we do. We engage people in the cities, in the bush and in the suburbs. Every hour, every day, we tell the stories that matter to Australia.”
