According to the 2024 Global Peace Index (GPI), global peacefulness declined by 0.56 per cent, marking the 12th deterioration in the past 16 years. This decline is attributed to an increase in conflicts, with 56 active disputes (the highest since the Second World War) and 97 countries experiencing reduced peacefulness. Whatever that means?
Technological advancements surged, particularly in artificial intelligence and clean energy. Nations’ intensified climate commitments, though extreme weather events, including historic floods in Asia and wildfires in North America, underscored the urgency of global action.
Politically, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faced mounting challenges, including housing affordability and climate policy debates. His government’s decision to implement large-scale renewable energy projects was met with both praise and protests from various sectors.
Economically, Australia grappled with inflationary pressures and a volatile housing market. The Reserve Bank of Australia’s interest rate hikes strained household budgets, sparking national conversations about wage growth and living costs. Meanwhile, the mining and tech sectors continued to drive export revenues.
Socially, Indigenous recognition remained at the forefront following the Voice to Parliament referendum. Despite the referendum’s rejection, national discussions about reconciliation and Indigenous rights intensified, shaping future policy agendas.
However, in B&T’s little corner of the world there was as usual never a dull moment. And so in our Christmas tradition, it’s our great pleasure to give you our handy A-Z of the year that was to contemplate while you warm up the Christmas barbie, jostle for a spot under the shade at the beach and dream big as you arrive at your 2025 New Year Resolutions. Part two (L-Z) can be found here.
A – Alan Jones
Unbelievably, it’s been four-and-a-half years since Alan Jones hung up his mic at 2GB bringing to an end his 35 years as the king of the Australian airwaves. Few, if any, have had as much power as Jones wielded while on air, holding Prime Ministers to account and having a horse race advertised on the sails of the Sydney Opera House.
Fear was his currency and despite multiple attempts to profile him negatively, no-one was ever willing to go on the record in case they bear his wrath, such was his reputation. That all came crashing down on 18 November, 2024, when he was arrested at his residence in Circular Quay, Sydney.
Following a nine-month investigation by the New South Wales Police’s Child Abuse Squad, known as Strike Force Bonnefin, into alleged indecent assaults and sexual touching incidents occurring between 2001 and 2019, Jones, aged 83, was charged with multiple offences, including aggravated indecent assault and sexually touching another person without consent, involving nine alleged victims. He was granted conditional bail and is scheduled to appear before the Downing Centre Local Court on 18 December 2024. That’s right folks, that’s tomorrow! Stay tuned.
B – Baxter, Mat
One of Australia’s most celebrated adlanders, and certainly a marvellous export Mat Baxter, was in the headlines quite a bit on 2024. Baxter returned to Australia in August 2023 after spending approximately nine years in New York.
Upon his return, he continued his role as global CEO of IPG creative consultancy Huge, operating from Sydney. (As a side note, IPG flogged Huge to a private equity firm this December). However, in January 2024, Baxter announced his departure from Huge, citing family reasons for his relocation back to Australia. Subsequently, in May 2024, he joined Mutinex as APAC CEO. Mutinex is, of course, the founded marketing investment analytics company co-founded by Henry Innis and is famous for making the term market mix modelling a near household term among Australian marketers.
However, in September 2024, Baxter transitioned to a board advisor role at Mutinex, stepping down from his executive position, telling B&T at the time that there wasn’t room for him and Innis at the business. We imagine Baxter is spending time polishing his extensive car collection while he contemplates his next move.
C – Cultural Review for Nine (and sort of Seven)
Two thousand and twenty-four was a year Australia’s two biggest TV channels will be glad to see the back of.
Both the Seven Network and Nine Entertainment faced significant scrutiny over their workplace cultures, marked by allegations of bullying, discrimination and harassment. An independent review of Nine Entertainment revealed systemic issues, including abuse of power and authority, with more than half of the employees in the broadcast division reporting experiences of such behaviours. The report highlighted a lack of leadership accountability and significant distrust in leaders at all levels. In response, Nine’s leadership acknowledged the findings and committed to implementing all 22 recommendations from the review to address these cultural challenges.
Purely coincidentally, both CEO Mike Sneesby and chairman Peter Costello elected to quit the business in 2025.
Costello resigned 9 June, following an incident at Canberra Airport involving a journalist. Footage showed Costello allegedly knocking over a reporter from The Australian who was questioning him about harassment allegations at Nine.
Sneesby resigned in September acknowledging the difficulties faced during his tenure and expressed his decision to pursue new opportunities in 2025. Matt Stanton, Nine’s chief finance and strategy officer, was appointed as acting CEO effective October 1, 2024, while the company initiated a search for a permanent replacement. The search continues!
Similarly, the Seven Network was the subject of an investigative report by ABC‘s Four Corners, which uncovered a toxic workplace environment characterised by sexism, exploitation and severe bullying. The investigation included testimonies from current and former employees who described the network as “one of the most soul-crushing places you can work,” with allegations of sexual discrimination and breaches of workplace laws. Seven West Media responded by expressing concern over the allegations and stated that several individuals displaying inappropriate behaviour had been removed from the organisation.
D – Donald Trump’s Election Triumph
And if you thought 2025 and beyond might see the world become a little saner, Donald Trump’s re-election ought to see you shelved those aspirations. In the words of Zombieland: buckle up people it’s going to be a rough ride!
E – Experience
As we all groaned under the weight of the cost of living, many Australians shifted their focus from the attainment of goods to the accumulation of experiences. Housing affordability, or the lack thereof, was a huge stimulus for many Australians to abandon the quest for their own pile of land in exchange for seeing the world.
The Experience Economy focuses on creating memorable and engaging experiences for consumers, moving beyond selling goods or services. Coined by B Joseph Pine II and James H Gilmore, it highlights how emotional engagement and personalisation drive customer loyalty. Companies including Disney, Airbnb and Starbucks thrive by offering unique, immersive experiences.
Technology and social media amplify this trend, enabling personalised interactions and experience-sharing online. Businesses across sectors invest in crafting meaningful customer journeys through customisation, storytelling, and sensory engagement. In the Experience Economy, value is derived not from the product itself, but from how it makes consumers feel, fostering deeper brand loyalty.
F – Fein, Melissa (and Chris Colter and Sam Geer)
It was one of the most audacious moves of all of 2024. Then-Accenture Song CEO Mark Green managed to convince the entire management team of Initiative to move across to Accenture Song /The Monkeys despite the fact that the latter didn’t have a media agency offering.
Initiative, which had been on something of tear under the management of Melissa Fein, Chris Colter and Sam Geer was left reeling as it faced the prospect of forging ahead without its fab three.
IPG Australia boss, veteran media man Mark Coad stepped into the breach until a replacement could be found. After a fair old search, IPG found the answer to its prayers had been right under its nose all along. The fabulous Jo McAlister was appointed as the CEO of Initiative Australia on 28 November.
Prior to this role, McAlister served as the managing director of Initiative Sydney since 2019 and has been with IPG Mediabrands for more than five years.
Her appointment marks a new era of leadership for the agency, with plans to announce an expanded leadership team shortly.
G – Google
Google came under fire from all directions in 2024 right when its seemingly vice-like grip on the search market was looking like it might finally be starting to loosen—not that you would know it from the tech giant’s financials.
In August 2024, Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act by maintaining its search monopoly via exclusionary contracts. Remedies under consideration include the potential divestiture of assets like the Chrome browser and the Android operating system to restore competitive conditions.
Meanwhile, the trial of the DOJ suit (filed in 2023) contending that Google monopolises key digital ad markets, disadvantaging competitors and harming publishers and advertisers, commenced in September 2024, with closing arguments delivered in November 2024. Potential remedies include requiring Google to divest parts of its ad technology business to foster competition.
In response, Google has gone on a frenzy of algorithm changes deprioritising news publishers and prioritising traffic to less reliable sources such as Reddit. There will be much more written about this in 2025. B&T will absolutely be following closely.
H – Horgan, Peter
In another seismic shift within the media agency landscape, Omnicom Media Group (OMG) veteran Peter Horgan announced his departure in October.
Horgan had been with OMG for 21 years, including 15 years as CEO. He initially led OMD Australia before being appointed to lead OMG Australia and New Zealand in 2016.
Horgan will remain in position until mid-2025 to ensure a smooth transition. After his successor is appointed, he will move to the role of chair to support successful onboarding.
Deliciously intriguingly, Horgan has set industry tongues wagging as he’s made it clear he’s not done yet and there’s more adland industry adventures are on his horizon. While rumours are rife, what Horgs has up his sleeve will be a story for next year.
I – IPG and Omnicom Merger
And just when you thought changes in agency land couldn’t get any more bonkers, along came the news only last week that Omnicom and IPG would merge! B&T’s Arvind Hickman wrote that the merger, resulting in the world’s largest media agency group, poses a significant challenge to the numerous independent agencies that have emerged in recent years.
Hickman also discussed industry reactions, with experts describing the merger as a “scary supergroup” and expressing concerns about potential consolidation and redundancies. The move is seen as a strategy by major holding companies to achieve scale and efficiency amid various business and economic challenges.
J – Jaguar’s Bonkers Rebrand
Jaguar’s recent rebranding, unveiled at Miami Art Week, has sparked significant debate within the marketing and automotive sectors. The British luxury (and sometimes not very luxury at all) carmaker introduced the electric Type 00 concept car, featuring bold design elements like laser-etched brass ingots and a wraparound front inspired by racing helmets. This move signified Jaguar’s shift towards an all-electric lineup by 2026.
The accompanying marketing campaign, emphasising diversity and originality under the tagline “copy nothing,” has been polarising, to say the least. Critics argue that the focus on abstract concepts and the absence of actual vehicles in advertisements may alienate long-standing customers.
When the rebrand broke cover, B&T tapped the expertise of the aforementioned Mat Baxter and Aussie PR legend Robyn Sefiani for their take on the situtation.
“I absolutely hate it,” said Baxter. “I actually would be less likely to buy a Jaguar having seen those ads”.
“Jaguar is a revered automotive brand that appeals to the enthusiasm of car people. You buy a Jaguar because you have a passion for cars. That’s what they’re interested in, the car. A whole bunch of people running around in flowing gowns, coming in and out of lifts with these meaningless expressions, do nothing to get them excited about the vehicle and the promise of the brand”.
Sefiani added that “It was so far away from Jaguar’s traditional heritage brand look and feel that my immediate thought was: Jaguar’s sales must be diving, and they have to do something dramatic to reverse that trend to survive”.
“It sparked controversy, lighting up social and mainstream media – no doubt another Jaguar rebranding goal. Misinformation abounded with claims Jaguar’s share price (it’s not publicly traded so has no share price) had plummeted. Not true, and neither did its parent company’s share price reach allegedly new lows”.
“From my perspective, there’s no brand or reputation damage – just lots of controversy and curiosity. Sure, the futuristic ad may alienate some traditional male Jaguar die-hards, but as the company’s managing director has said, Jaguar needs to appeal to a new audience,” Sefiani said.
K – Kurt Burnette (and also Mel Hopkins)
And finally, for part one of our A-Z, a true gentleman of the industry Kurt Burnette, Seven West Media’s chief revenue officer, called time on his stellar career at Seven in June.
Burnette left amid a significant company restructure aimed at cost reduction, which also saw the shock departure of Seven chief marketing and audience officer Melissa Hopkins. Burnette’s tenure at Seven spanned over three decades, during which he played a pivotal role in transforming the network into a multimedia powerhouse.
The restructuring led by CEO Jeff Howard resulted in approximately 150 job cuts, with the company reorganising into three divisions: Television, Digital, and Western Australia. Burnette’s exit marked the end of a notable era for Seven, as he was instrumental in securing major sports rights and driving revenue growth. His departure reflects broader industry trends of consolidation and adaptation in response to evolving media consumption patterns and economic pressures.
Join us for part two of B&T’s 2024 A-Z tomorrow!
