Nine’s Big Idea Store Announces Action Packed Line-Up

The Big Ideas Store, Powered by Nine, will return for its fourth year on Tuesday 11th May – and this year, they’re taking attendees sky high!

Taking over the panoramic 22nd floor of Nine’s brand new HQ at 1 Denison St North Sydney, The Big Ideas Store will offer two weeks of big thinkers, big ideas, and dig deep into the big issues challenging marketers right now.

More than 8,000 people tuned into last year’s virtual Big Ideas Store, and Director of Powered, Liana Dubois anticipates an even bigger turnout this year as the activation evolves into a hybrid event, offering attendees both in-person and virtual access.

“The Big Ideas Store has firmly cemented itself as an annual event for our agency partners and clients to get under the hood on how Powered, Nine’s marketing solutions division, thinks and works within the realm of marketing and creativity. The two-week activation will showcase our state-of-the-art new HQ, and bring guests closer to Nine’s ecosystem of brands in an engaging and interactive manner,” said Dubois.

“We’re now in our fourth year of bringing The Big Ideas Store to life, and clients tell us it’s one of the events they most look forward to each year.

“It’s our opportunity to bring the creativity of Powered and Nine’s brands to life on a mass scale. The Powered team are the glue that brings our unique assets together and give Powered the ability to create ‘water cooler moments’ on our marketing platforms across TV, digital, print and radio. Powered truly is the home of big ideas that make advertising famous.”

The Big Ideas Store will run from 11-21 May. The event will incorporate a pop-up retail space designed to help attendees think, see and feel Nine’s brands through a fresh perspective and inspire them with new ways to market to their audiences.

The pop-up will be grouped across four challenged and evolving categories in marketing right now: Youth, Lifestyle, Christmas and Sport.

A series of client and content events will run simultaneously across the two weeks, sharing insights from some of Australia’s biggest thinkers, boldest leaders and best creative minds.

Brand new research will also be released as part of The Big Ideas Store sessions:

Nine has partnered with FiftyFive5 to explore the phenomenon of “living local” as we have travelled closer to home, and our inclination to support brands and businesses that align to community values has increased significantly.

The second research piece, in partnership with The Lab, looks ahead to the trends in retail, food and culture which will influence our purchasing decisions during the 2021 festive season.

“Powered is all about big ideas, big thinking and tapping the creativity, insight and inspiration that lives at the core of marketing,” said Dubois. “I am so excited for this year’s Big Ideas Store and the conversation and industry debate it will drive.”

Background on The Big Ideas Store Sessions:

BRANDED CONTENT STRATEGY: THE ALLURE OF LONGFORM – Tuesday 11 May, 3:30pm 

Long-form storytelling is once again emerging as a key element in many brands’ content strategy. But who is best-placed to bring that content to life – the marketers who live and breathe their brand and its message, or the media owners who create content with the audience front-of-mind?

Advertisers, agencies and content creators come together with Powered by Nine to discuss the impact of long-form content and how it can best deliver for brands and audiences.

EFFECTIVENESS: THE LANGUAGE OF THE BOARDROOM – Wednesday 12 May, 3:30pm 

How do senior marketers build internal trust to pursue brand growth whilst delivering against short-term goals? What is the best approach for bringing together audience data, sales results and measurement when looking back at past campaigns and planning for the future?

Join Powered’s Director of Effectiveness, Jon Fox, and Director of Powered Enterprise, Nicki Kenyon, with a panel of Australia’s leading marketers to discuss their Effectiveness journey.

THE NEW COMMERCIAL IMPERATIVE: DOING WELL + DOING GOOD – Thursday 13 May, 11:00am 

The pandemic has given many companies the opportunity to reset and rebuild aspects of their businesses on stronger foundations for the future. Those taking the lead are defining and measuring their sustainability and societal impact. Beyond doing no harm, they are actively setting out to do good. Is there a rise in conscious consumption and are we holding companies and brands to account?

Director of Powered Enterprise, Michele O’Neill will lead an international panel of leading marketers to discuss why doing the right thing matters for all stakeholders; investors, employees, consumers and communities – and why it has become a commercial imperative.
SURROUND SOUND: THE AUDIO EVOLUTION – Thursday 13 May, 3:30pm 

In 2020, Australian audiences doubled the amount of time they spent listening to podcasts. Talk radio continues to win ratings battles, and the emergence of new social channels like Clubhouse signal that we are entering a new era in the evolution of audio.

What is it about audio that connects so deeply with audiences in the 21st century, and how can the platform continue to innovate? A panel of audio evangelists will debate the latest developments in the space, as well as exploring why audio formats are such powerful vehicles for brands to reach consumers and drive real results.

CULTURE SHOCK: CANNABUSINESS – Friday 14 May, 11:00am (virtual only)

In partnership with Initiative, this session explores the rising cultural (re)acceptance of cannabis and how brands are leveraging this wave to power business growth.

For the last century, the communications around cannabis have been centred on its destructive effects. With a largely negative reputation, cannabis has been attributed to unemployment, violence, and a gateway to the consumption of more illicit and harmful substances. In a way, it’s a lesson in marketing 101: apply a consistent message for a long period of time and in turn you will build up the desired memory structures. However, there is an undercurrent of change that’s closer to our shores than you may think.

Australia is now the fastest growing medicinal cannabis market in the world and decriminalisation is building momentum. With the regulatory landscape moving at pace and multi-billion-dollar acquisitions taking place across the world, cannabis is one of the fastest growing industries globally…and it’s a matter of time before it comes down under.

So, the real question is, for a commodity that has a lifetime of preconceptions, misconceptions, and demonisation, how do you set up or study up to ensure you’re either leading the charge or leveraging this cultural movement?

THE CHANGING AUSTRALIAN DREAM – Monday 17 May, 11:00am

In 2018, Powered by Nine launched “The Australian Dream Reimagined”, a study exploring what “home” means for Australians – homeowners and renters alike. Three years on, for many of us our homes have become even more central to our lives:  our workplace, school, and place of safety. What does that mean for how and where we choose to live? How do different generations feel about investing in property? And is it time to accept that for some, home ownership is a dream that will never come true?

Join Nine’s panel of experts as we explore the trends driving property in 2021 and look ahead to what they mean for the next ten years.

COOKIES CRUMBLED: DATA AND ADVERTISING BEYOND 3RD PARTY COOKIES – Monday 17 May, 3:30pm 

With major changes to data and privacy regulations on the horizon, advertisers are facing targeting and measurement headwinds which they have never had to navigate before. Join Powered by Nine as we uncover what the new world will look like without third party cookies, the impact for brands and explore data-led advertising solutions that will be available when third party cookies cease being supported.

Hosted by Mi-3’s Paul McIntyre, this session will bring together Nine’s Director of Advertising and Data Products, Ben Campbell, with a panel of experts from across Australia’s leading data and technology providers.

CULTURE CLUB: CREATING A CULTURE OF CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION IN THE HYBRID WORKPLACE – Tuesday 18 May, 10:30am

Marketing & advertising businesses have always thrived on a creative culture and passionate workforce. Collaboration and big ideas came off the back of brainstorms, impromptu or planned, and careers were built from networks made in those formative years. Then along came COVID and the impromptu kitchen table workforce: one defined by Zoom calls, sweatpants and flexible work. As a new normal descends, there is a reluctance to return to the “before” in order to not lose the “new wins”. But will it cost in the creativity, careers and office culture stakes?

In this session, Nine’s experts, along with CEO of Culture Garden Karl Treacher, discuss how to navigate a hybrid workforce and incorporate the learnings of COVID while continuing to innovate, create and move forward.

Our panel discuss these questions and more as we explore what the future of work could look like.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH: IS LOCAL THE NEW GLOBAL? – Tuesday 18 May, 11:00am

From the noisy clash of State of Origin to fiery debates over whose local café serves the best flat white, the ties between community and Australian identity run deep. For some time now, unifying moments of disruption – such as the 2019 bushfires and 2020’s pandemic – have accelerated the hold that local identity has on our culture. More than ever before, we have adapted to “living local”, we have travelled closer to home, and our inclination to support brands and businesses that align to community values has increased significantly.

In partnership with Fiftyfive5, Powered by Nine has explored this phenomenon and what it means for brands. In this session we will share our latest research and explore its implications for advertisers – both homegrown brands taking ownership of their role within the community and international brands seeking to harness some Aussie magic to connect with audiences.
PLACING BIG CREATIVE BETS – Wednesday 19 May, 3:30pm 

For brands trying to navigate testing times and a disruptive environment, it can be tempting to play it safe. Just how tempting became apparent in early 2020 when, faced with the uncertainty of the pandemic and production restrictions, numerous advertisers went to market with similar messaging, musical cues and imagery – much of which did little to help them communicate their distinct objectives and values.

There is, however, evidence to suggest that those brands who were prepared to take risks and innovate have emerged from the COVID era in a stronger position. As Nine prepares to celebrate creativity with the launch of State of Originality – Australia’s richest creative prize, worth $1 million – our panel will look back on the brands and campaigns that delivered, and explore the power of placing creative bets.

UNBOXING CHRISTMAS 2021 – Thursday 20 May, 11:30am (followed by lunch)

Last year, in partnership with The Lab, Powered by Nine launched “Unboxing a Christmas like no other” – our research looking back at Christmas 2019 and forward to an unpredictable Christmas 2020. This study helped brands and agencies to navigate the unchartered waters of a COVID Christmas and the broader impact on the Australian summer.

Building on this foundation, Unboxing Christmas 2021 will look ahead to the trends in retail, food and culture which will influence our purchasing decisions during the festive season. Powered will also reflect on the dominant marketing messages of last year, revealing the advertising approaches which delivered the most effective results for brands.

THE GREAT DEBATE DOES ADVERTISING LEAD CULTURE, OR IS ADVERTISING LED BY CULTURE? – Thursday 20 May, 4:30pm 

Great advertising can open our eyes to new products, new categories and new ways of living. Catchphrases and taglines become so embedded in everyday conversations that we sometimes forget where they came from. But does advertising really hold sway over our culture, or is it cynically raiding the zeitgeist and exploiting the human experience for commercial ends?

In 2021, The Big Ideas Store’s Great Debate returns – this year bigger than ever! Join us as industry heavyweights battle it out to determine once and for all whether the dog wags the tail, or the tail wags the dog.