Best of the Week: The misadventures of ADMA (and Foxtel)

[View web version]( BEST OF THE WEEK And another thing... September 21, 2019 Welcome to Best of the Week, mostly written in the office in Sydney on a dusty Friday after the Publish Awards. Today’s writing soundtrack: Radio Soulwax, Essential Mix, 2005. Great what you can stumble upon on YouTube, innit? Foxtel’s latest screeching handbrake turn on streaming, another bizarre week in ADMA’s decline, and takeouts from the Publish conference are on the table this week. The rise and fall of ADMA Let’s start with ADMA, and its acquisition by the Australian Computer Society. I listened back to [the Mumbrellacast]( on the bus to work yesterday morning. (Does it count as audio onanism to listen to your own podcast?) Until I heard it, I hadn’t realised that I had quite such an obvious tremble in my voice as I read out the introduction to our discussion about ADMA. I’d failed to stifle my laughter at the latest twist involving what was for a time one of the strongest industry bodies. Not that ADMA is any stranger to absurd moments. One of the first industry awards nights I went to in Australia was the 2008 ADMA Awards at Luna Park in Sydney. It was a truly weird - and long - night. So weird, that last night I called a colleague who was with me at the event to check I remember it correctly. Turns out, I wasn’t imagining it. Back then, the initials still stood for the Australian Direct Marketing Association. I realised something was amiss when we walked into the foyer of Luna Park’s Big Top to be greeted by the usual awards lineup of waiters with drinks trays. But instead of the typical champagne and beer, they were offering only glasses of water. It transpired that at the previous year’s event, the crowd had become overly raucous. Table centre pieces had been vandalised. So the ADMA team had decided that the solution for the following year was to ban all drinking until the ceremony was over. It set a tone for the evening. People who’d paid a lot of money for their tickets felt somewhat short changed. Things got odder. ADMA’s CEO came on stage to make his welcome speech wearing a boy scout uniform. Imagine how that bombed with a room full of stone cold sober, angry guests. It was inspired by the theme of the call for entries, which was “earn your merit badge”. And while I find myself increasingly aware of the problematic relationship this industry has with alcohol (and other drugs), it’s also true to say that a long awards night is easier to get through with a drink. It seemed to go on forever. Feeling terribly rude, but also terribly bored, my colleague and I snuck out to look for a drink. At the other end of Luna Park, we discovered The Deck bar where staff were having a far busier night than they’d anticipated. We weren’t the only ones who’d snuck out. Periodically we’d pop back into the awards, only to discover that the ceremony was still going and head back to the increasingly crowded bar for another. The booze ban was an experiment that was not repeated. A couple of years later, former ADMA staffer Jodie Sangster returned to the organisation, as the new CEO. She was charismatic, and driven, and gave it a new lease of life. ADMA became a formidable force, building out its training offering, expanding its events and pulling in big sponsorship dollars. On a few occasions I bumped up against Jodie. She had sharp elbows. (It takes one to know one - so did I.) Their events got bigger, and more fun. One year Naked’s Adam Ferrier adjusted the stage set mid-ceremony, manhandling the giant letters spelling out the organisation’s name on the stage and rearranging them to spell ADAM. And ADMA changed its name to reflect its CEO’s bigger ambitions. A dull direct marketing association no longer, it became the Association for Data-Driven Marketing & Advertising. In other words the association for absolutely everybody in the industry. It began to put its rival body The Communications Council - created from the 2010 merger of the Advertising Federation of Australia (AFA), the Account Planning Group (APG) and Australasian Writers and Art Directors Association (AWARD) - into the shade. The Comms Council lost even more ground with the mysterious departure of its first CEO Daniel Leesong. ADMA began to swallow other struggling associations, and perhaps over stretched. When AIMIA - the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association- got into financial trouble in 2016, ADMA took it over. One of the attractions, I suspect, was the AIMIA Awards, or AMYs as they called themselves. Awards can be profitable - they attract entry fees, sponsorship and table sales. As one colleague used to say of the industry bodies: They’re not for profit, but they’re not for loss either. And without shareholders demanding dividends, the ability to reinvest puts well run industry bodies into a position to potentially grow ever bigger. But in the handover from AIMIA the wheel fell off a bit with the AMYs. ADMA quietly cancelled the 2016 event, but kept the entry fees, much to the annoyance of those who’d entered. It eventually announced the winners at a low key ceremony later in the year. There were other behind the scenes goings-on which didn’t draw much attention at the time. Without much fanfare, or explanation of the rationale, the organisation renamed itself AADL - the Australian Alliance for Data Leadership.This became the umbrella owner of the organisation’s growing collection of industry associations. The ADMA brand then became just one subset under the AADL umbrella. The ADMA name was still front and centre and most didn’t even notice the manoeuvre. That year ADMA reported growing its revenues of $8.4m and a modest profit. Almost certainly that would be more than any other industry body in the sector. Then Sangster - the driving force of the organisation - moved on, for a big job at IBM. And much like WPP’s wobbles after the departure of its force-of-nature founder Sir Martin Sorrell, ADMA soon struggled without Sangster keeping it together. Last year former AdRoll boss Ben Sharp joined as MD of ADMA. He didn’t like what he saw, and walked out two weeks later. He’s always declined to talk about what happened. Then in June 2018 the, erm, colourful Stephen Porges was appointed CEO of parent body AADL. It emerged that when he took the job he was already embroiled in a messy legal case. A few weeks later the Supreme Court ordered him to pay nearly a million dollars in damages after ruling that his actions in selling shares in a tech startup were“misleading and deceptive”. It was unrelated to ADMA and AADL but it said something about the diligence of the recruitment process that led to his hiring. But he still lasted a few more months in the job. (According to the AADL website, Porges is still a director now though, one of just three remaining. There were 16 mentioned in the organisation’s 2017 annual report.) Meanwhile, in what was becoming a habit, ADMA cancelled its 2018 awards with a terse, last minute announcement. But then things seemed to be calming down. The well regarded Jurlique marketer Andrea Martens came on board, initially as MD of ADMA and then into Porges’ vacated role. This year’s ADMA Awards, which now also include the AMYs merged into the same (presumably even longer) night, are due to take place next month. But the AADL project is now dead. This week came the weird announcement that [the Australian Computer Society has “acquired” ADMA](, and also AADL’s other brands IAPA (the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia), D+TC (Digital + Technology Collective) and DGA (Data Governance Australia). But the announcement carried no mention of AADL at all. And that is where my understanding of the situation ends. Members weren’t offered a choice. Instead, a press release containing the sort of jargon that is ironic for anyone in the communications industry: “‘By adding ADMA, IAPA, D+TC and DGA into the ACS fold, we will be able to heighten awareness of data governance, privacy and cyber resilience across the broader Australian economy, while providing end-to-end data-driven solutions for ACS members and those of ADMA, IAPA, D+TC and DGA,’ said Yohan Ramasundara, ACS President. “On the announcement, Andrea Martens, ADMA CEO, said the move would enable ADMA, IAPA, D+TC and DGA to expand their positions in the industry. ‘In guiding the custodians of the data and technology systems that feed the data value chain, ACS is like a turbo charger for our associations that support the capture, storage, access, analysis, insights and action of data. “‘A close affiliation with ACS further strengthens our ability to support the data engineers, analysts, scientists and data managers that drive greater speed to market on AI-led innovation,’ said Martens. Sounds great, if a little incomprehensible, doesn’t it? More cynically, I found myself looking up the definition of the business term phoenixing, where a brand is sold on but the liabilities remain with the original organisation. I’m not suggesting that’s the case here - in the illegal version of phoenixing the original organisation is left with unpaid debts and employment liabilities. But it’s also hard to tell what’s been going on internally. ADMA, or AADL as it is now, hasn’t put a financial report on its website in more than two years. Perhaps ADMA’s new robot overlords at ACS will provide a stable new home. But I have a hunch that there’s more to come. Foxtel woe The misadventures of ADMA mean that [Foxtel’s press release about Foxtel Go]( was only the second least credible announcement in the industry this week. Since the 2016 failure of its joint venture with Seven, Presto, Foxtel’s streaming strategy has swung back and forth as rapidly as its marketing leadership has changed. I think the two things might be related. Foxtel Go started life as an iPad app in 2012. Then it was renamed simply as the Foxtel app in 2017. Makes sense - the best number of brands is one, amiright? Meanwhile, those who wanted to stream from a Foxtel device who didn’t want to get an IQ box, could use the Foxtel Play puck. Until they got rid of Foxtel Play in 2017 and renamed it Foxtel Now. And then the Foxtel app was renamed back to Foxtel Go and relaunched in 2018. Now, mobile and tablet users will be steered away from Foxtel Now, and towards Foxtel Go. And Foxtel Now will be the app for streaming from devices such as smart TVs and game consoles. Which is baffling enough. Then our comment thread kicked in. Our commenters complained that [they now have to watch an unskippable ad]( before every episode of shows they stream. From the outside, I find Foxtel a puzzling organisation when it comes to marketing. Over the years, News Corp has been the media industry leader when it came to marketing. It was light years ahead of the old Fairfax. Yet Foxtel - majority owned by News Corp in partnership with Telstra - is a different creature altogether. Marketers arrive and leave at a speed which suggests cultural malaise, and the strategy changes each time. I’m a subscriber to Foxtel’s service, mainly though the IQ box. And for the five minutes I had to write the above paragraphs, I think I understood the streaming product. But now, it’s already beginning to leave my head again. And by this afternoon, I bet I won’t be able to remember whether I’m supposed to download Foxtel Go, Foxtel Now or Foxtel play. Or even understand what I get along with my box subscription. And I write about this stuff. Imagine how little the uninvested consumer will absorb of all that. As JP put it on our comment thread: “‘Foxtel Go first launched in 2012, initially as an iPad app, before being renamed in 2017 and ‘brought back’ in 2018. Foxtel Now began life as Foxtel Play, before being renamed in 2017 and then rebranded shortly after as part of its ‘official launch’. My head just exploded reading that…” Or, more succinctly, as Ex Foxtel put it: “What a clusterf#$K” Quite. Reasons to be cheerful As I mentioned, Thursday saw the Mumbrella Publish conference. I had a great day, admittedly spending more time chatting in the speaker lounge than I did in the conference room. We’ve been running Publish since the print media was in the depths of its existential crisis. It’s been good to watch publishers come out of the other side. Life’s still hard for publishers, but stuff is also beginning to work. Subscriptions are delivering new revenues, and philanthropists, small and large, are also filling some of the gap left by declining advertising revenues and circulation income. In one of the most entertaining sessions, [Antony Catalano shared his first public words since taking over Australian Community Media](. His plan is starting to emerge. Regulatory restrictions permitting, he aims to be a regional consolidator. He’s pragmatic. Stuff will close. But, he argues, local journalism can survive, even if it requires reduced competition for the last one standing to be viable. However, it’s not going to be how it once was. There’s almost no prospect of a return to the days where local journalists were the protectors of democracy with a reporter in every courtroom, or council meeting. The same goes for national publishers. But they’re through the grieving process for the business model that’s dead. And they’re finding new models. We’re not at the end of the story, but I think we are at the end of the publishing panic. thank u, next Do take a listen to [this week’s Mumbrellacast](, recorded backstage at Publish. As well as ADMA’s adventures, we discussed whether Sam Armytage attack on the tabloids is hypocritical and the non-banned Libra ad. Plus our editor Vivienne talked to Seven’s sales boss Kurt Burnette. It’s a good one. And if you have talented colleagues in the first ten years of their career, or indeed if that’s you, please do take a look at [our call for entries for the Mumbrella Next Awards](. There are only a few days left to enter. As ever I welcome your emails. (Admittedly I’m now up to 298,911 unopened. My thanks to those who emailed aiming to be the 300,000th, after I mentioned my inbox last week. And sorry I haven’t replied yet.) My colleague Brittney Rigby - brittney@mumbrella.com.au is on the newsdesk this weekend. Have a great weekend. Toodlepip... Tim Burrowes Content Director - Mumbrella Mumbrella | 46-48 Balfour Street Chippendale NSW 2008 Australia This email was sent to {EMAIL}. If you would rather not receive Mumbrella's Best of the Week email you can [unsubscribe]( or [manage subscriptions](. [Facebook]( [LinkedIn]( [Twitter](