Follow the money: Interview with Matt Costello, Newport Capital on valuing digital agencies

What’s your day job? I'm a Director at Newport Capital Group Pty Ltd. Newport is a TMT sector specialist corporate advisory and investment  banking firm established in 1989. The company has completed hundreds of transactions over the years in capital raising, divestments, mergers and acquisitions in the Technology, Media and Telco space including Digital services and digital media. Transactions that the company have undertaken include; My role here is to lead our clients through the transactions which include preparing the company for due diligence, valuation guidance which often includes an analysis of similar transactions and then researching and approaching potential acquirers or ...

Digital Industry Salary Survey 2012 – a sneak peek

The inaugural digital salary survey was launched last week by AIMIA showing the incredible diversity  in the digital services industry. Of the respondents, digital agencies were the biggest group (61%), followed by publishers and then creative agencies which naturally reflects AIMIA members. Key facts from the report: The majority of the respondents reported annual revenues of less than $5 million (60% of respondents) A further 28% were in the $5m to $15m band Average company staff turnover is 18 percent in a year Average length of service is 3 years NSW is the highest paid state, with chief executives paid an average of $288,572 and executive ...

Interview with Matt Griffin, CEO of independent digital agency, Deepend

What's your day job? I’ve got a few fingers in a number of pies at the moment and just trying to stay abreast of things is a full-time job. My day starts with a quick nappy change (Oscar’s, my youngest son, not mine) and a couple of laps around Centennial Park on two wheels then arrive at work around 8 am. My main remit involves overseeing Deepend, of course, but over the last couple of years I have been focused setting or getting involved in a number of start-up businesses in the online, mobile and technology space.   What type of projects ...

A new approach to recruiting – #1 tip

We’re had lots of discussions with agencies recently about the skills shortage, and how they recruit. The shortage of skilled employees is not hype. Finding staff to support business growth and new projects is really difficult. And with rising cost structures agencies don’t necessarily want to bid for staff and drive up salaries even further. Recently one agency had 6 people to recruit including developers, producers, project managers, and senior staff. It’s difficult to use two or three recruiters to fill those different positions. And if you’re really busy you don’t have time or the inclination to read through piles of CVs ...

The Second Screen Social- the dance that broadcasters can’t afford to miss

By Natalie Apostolou The rise of second screen viewing and the shift to social media as an audience barometer for TV engagement continues to confound broadcasters and  advertisers alike as they struggle to catch up with darting eyeballs. As Australia readies for the push of social screen platform providers like ZeeBox,  which is due to launch later this month followed by a slew of others, the experiences from the more advanced US, UK and European markets revealed at  MIPCOM in October suggests that Australian broadcasters needs to wise up fast to the audience bridging opportunities at its doorstep. Speaking at MIPCOM, Fox Broadcasting ...

Interview with Adam Good, Director of Digital Media and Content at Telstra Media

What's your day job? Director of Digital Media and Content at Telstra Media. The position is accountable for a suite of products in entertainment, news, sports, lifestyle and personalisation that are delivered across four digital screen platforms mobile, web, tablet and IPTV.   What type of projects does your company work on – how long do they run? Telstra Media was established to manage all of Telstra Corporation's end-to-end media capabilities. The portfolio includes: 50% ownership of FOXTEL Pay TV business, award winning IPTV platform the T-Box, BigPond web and mobile portal properties, BigPond TV, BigPond Movies, Sensis directory business including Yellow, AFL.com.au, ...

Interview with Tim Parson, Chief Innovation Officer, Quickflix

What's your day job? Chief Innovation Officer at Quickflix.   What are you working on at the moment? Xbox, gamification, and celebrations for the first anniversary of our streaming launch!   How many staff do you have in total We have about 100 (full time and part time), and I currently have 17 who work directly for me.   In your experience on client side, what are the major roadblocks or problems in doing good business with your agencies/contractors? Tough question ! We're an attractive client - who wouldn't want to work with movies + TV content right !? - but also a very demanding one. Quickflix runs lots of ...

Interview with Tim O’Neill, Reactive

What's your day job? I’m Joint Managing Director at Reactive. We’re a digital agency and have been running for 15 years. My main focus is working with our major clients, and helping to welcome new ones (you could call it sales & marketing).   What type of projects does your company work on – how long do they run? A typical project is a large Web site that requires some sound thinking up front, a well-considered (and validated) user experience, some complex technical stuff and flawless delivery. We also help to build awareness through online campaigns, search marketing and the like.   How did you ...

Dollar value of mobile vs tablet shopping

Tablets are becoming a device for shopping. PayPal has looked at the difference in value of shopping baskets – really interesting to compare the basket dollar value: Tablet shopping basket Used primarily at home Shared device Large screen, better interaction, portable 61% apps / 39% web Browse-to-buy conversion 2x higher than smartphones ASP of ~$80Phone Phone shopping basket Used everywhere Individual device Small screen, infinitely portable, taken everywhere 85% apps / 15% web Mobile traffic 2x higher than tablets ASP of ~$60 (Sources:  eMarketer, US Mobile Commerce Forecast, Jan. 2012; Arbitron Mobile, May 2011; IBM; PayPal). What this suggests is that companies need to have different shopping optimisation strategies to cater for the different usage on ...

Interview with Jason Davey, Bullseye

What's your day job? As Managing Director, my role is essentially split between providing clients with strategic advice and leading our team to deliver great results. That involves a lot of communication and staying one step ahead at all times. What type of projects does your company work on – how long do they run? Bullseye works on all manner of digital projects; from campaigns to building apps to million-dollar enterprise website solutions. We have a heritage in being able to tackle technically complex projects that purely creative agencies can’t handle, whilst also being able to handle creative work that needs interactive ...