Kalila Welch

The race is on to crack AI search before brand and publisher rankings slide. The latest version of Google's AI Overviews has Resolution Digital's David Castle optimistic that the SEO wheel won't need to be completely be remade when it lands in Australia within the next six months, with Google already testing AI Overviews ads in the US – but Castle fears deciphering chat bots will prove more difficult. Hotwire CEO Heather Kernahan claims the firm has managed to reverse engineer where AIs are pulling from and what's influencing them – but it's early days and only in testing with a handful of clients. Meanwhile, a new generation of search upstarts are eschewing the ad-funded model entirely: Andi Search CEO Angela Hoover, suggest ads would lead to her platform's "ultimate destruction". But that's what Sergey Page and Larry Brin once said. Perhaps they were wrong on the timing.

Seven's new structure raised more than a few eyebrows when it landed in June, as did the big name cuts that came with it. But despite new Television and Digital divisions appearing to erect silos, national TV sales boss Katie Finney says Seven's commitment to converged trading remains unchanged. In fact, she says little has tangibly changed across the sales structure, aside from PNLs and reporting lines – intended to streamline delivery for partners. She's in market tasked with assuring advertisers and agencies that Seven is now better set to manage shifting market dynamics. But the restructure isn't all Seven has to address, in what has been a year marred by controversies and murky allegations. Finney says the business is taking on "the good, the bad and the ugly" from partners and staffers alike, while CEO Jeff Howard is taking a zero tolerance stance on bad behaviour.

Two years go juniors were asking for $90k and getting it. Digital guns with all of 24 months experience were seeking $150k. Agency perk wars were running hot. But the talent pendulum has swung. Job cuts have been coming thick and fast and the power balance shift has left those on the wrong end of the shakeout short on optimism. Recruiters say it's a return to the mean following the pandemic era's artificial inflation, though exacerbated by “recession-y” macros and ongoing agency consolidation at the big end of town – and it's hit senior talent hard. But there are still four key areas where jobs are to be had, and proactive, no-lose steps to take. Here's part one of Mi3's two-part adland jobs series.

Job cuts, restructures, depressed spend and corporate reputation firefighting. It's hardly a surprise that free-to-air networks have toned down the upfronts razzle dazzle – and some agency execs welcome a more tailored conversation. But could the shift put TV's recovery narrative at risk just as streamers are hitting the ads accelerator? OMG's Kristiaan Kroon reckons it might. Foxtel Media's Mark Frain sees things the same way. He's still planning to go large.

Artificial intelligence makes for solid panel fodder at an event like SXSW. The playbook goes that creativity and insight will overcome a sea of machine-generated same, and that humans will be masters of the machines and their prompts while everybody will upskill and adapt. But then someone asks an unscripted question: What about London's creative industry being decimated? Accenture Song's global and APAC creative chiefs didn't duck the question – but reckon there's a rebalance incoming.

Foxtel's aiming to beat OzTam to market with its new trading currency – with the two set to land days apart. That could prove bumpy for media agencies. Foxtel Media boss Mark Frain, while piling pressure onto the incumbent currency provider, hasn't ruled out bringing everything back together. But only under a "very different operating model". In the meantime the pay TV firm turned streamer is going all-out to align new partners: Measurement firm Beatgrid, IPG's Magna and Wesfarmers are running tests on reach, frequency, incrementality and brand lift, while Amplified Intelligence and OMG are building a major video streaming attention and context amplification study for the Video Futures Collective.

Cummins & Partners is without a CEO after Michael McConville's departure from the indie creative shop. It is not yet clear whether his role will be replaced. The former Adam&EveDDB boss had attempted to put creative effectiveness and econometric modelling at the heart of the agency's model, arguing it could reset fee structures based on results. How far McConville managed to implement that change is open to question – but at least he tried.

Seven's new leadership has had to align fast following a major clear out, though some agency chiefs suggest they're not quite there – yet – as a cohesive unit. Meanwhile, a dialled-down upfront had the network promising to be a “better partner” instead of “obsessing” purely about winning overnight ratings; repositioning its streamed content as SVOD, not BVOD; and claiming its new tech can predict audience behaviour 28 days out with 95 per cent accuracy – and maybe even keep them from switching channel. Plus, it's wooing smaller advertisers with $10m worth of inventory to prove total TV's effectiveness.

Suncorp's CMO Mim Haysom confirmed the now insurance pureplay had consolidated its nine insurance brands with Publicis-owned Leo Burnett after a sweeping review of its creative and production partners in a strategic overhaul following the sale of Suncorp Bank to ANZ.

Dentsu Creative ECD Sarah McGregor has parted ways with the business on mutual terms, meanwhile Kmart might be ending its on-again-off-again relationship with the agency as a creative pitch looms.