LBB AUNZ's Most Read Articles of 2025

It's been a year of dramatic shifts -- 11 CEO exits and the Omnicom-IPG merger -- top creative work from the likes of Uber and Telstra, plenty of exclusives, in-depth features, and interviews with the industry's finest.

Here, Lilya Murray takes you on a countdown of the most popular stories of the year.

20. Shania Twain Sings ‘Can’t Do That If You’re Driving’ in Catchy Uber Ad

The musical spot also featured Aussie comedian-musician Tom Cardy, who plays a trombone sample of ‘Man, I Feel Like a Woman,' as Tess Connery-Britten wrote.

19. Dentsu Creative Wants to “Arrive a Little Bit to the Australian Market” in 2025

​Kirsty Muddle, Cate Stuart-Robertson, and David Halter sat down with managing editor Brittney Rigby to explain why Dentsu Creative’s 2024 was better than the market believed it to be. In 2025, Kirsty exited to take the top spot at Ogilvy.

18. Jeff Low Personifies Delivery Bags in DDB’s First Work for DoorDash

It was DDB’s first work for the delivery brand since winning the account. As Tess Connery-Britten reported, the agency said DoorDash is a “really complicated business and a global leader, but in Australia is up against a behemoth."

17. Uber Eats Chases Tennis Icon Andy Murray in Comedic Special Campaign

The comedic ‘Get Almost, Almost Anything, Maybe Even Andy Murray’ campaign by Special saw the tennis star attempt to escape delivery drivers.

16. "Stop Giving Yourself a Way Out." Nils Leonard Urges Creative Self-Belief

The Uncommon founder passionately urged the industry to start valuing creativity higher, reported Tess Connery-Britten. “The way people talk about money and creativity in agencies, and how they talk about it in art is very different. [Artists say] ‘This is worth whatever the fuck I say it is.’ ‘How much is that?’ ‘A million quid.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Because I made it and I'm telling you, it's a million quid.’”

15. An A to Z of the 70+ AUNZ Indies You Need To Know About

Reporter Tom Loudon's thorough list of AUNZ’s indie agencies tracks the small but mighty shops making waves across AUNZ.

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14. Nick Law’s Guide to Survival: Reverse “Ruinous” Media, Creative Separation; Convert CCOs to CEOs; Stop Giving Away Creativity

Accenture Song’s global creative chairperson told managing editor Brittney Rigby in an exclusive interview that restoring creativity’s value is “the most important” challenge agencies face.

13. Dentsu’s Ben Coulson Has a Creative Climb Ahead, But He’s “Out of Base Camp”

Before he exited earlier in the year, the then-CCO of Dentsu Creative told managing editor Brittney Rigby he planned on growing the agency’s creative reputation “incrementally”. He also said clients should “not just expect your agency to do what they're told, but to do something much better than that.”

12. From Ciclope to SXSW Sydney, We're an Industry Divided

Lea Walker, founder of recruitment agency Mrs Walker, wrote, "Rather than leaving these conflicting conferences feeling disenfranchised and scared, I feel clearer than ever: while the industry is arguably in chaos, we as individuals don’t have to be."

11. Dad Does K-Pop Dance With Help From Google's AI-Powered Search

The 72andSunny campaign, 'Just Ask Google', positioned search as an "act of love".

10. Sarah Michelle Gellar Revives Horror Legacy in Uber One’s Killer Campaign

The actor starred in the ‘I Know What You Could’ve Saved Last Summer’ campaign by Hello, following her appearance in a similarly-named film. It followed previous celeb appearances including Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams and Happy Gilmore’s Chris McDonald.

9. The Moment I Fell in Love With Film

For Valentine's Day, a selection of the world’s producers and directors told reporter Tom Loudon when they became besotted with the medium.

8. Nick Garrett’s Job Is to Turn “Disjointed Jigsaw Puzzle” Into “A Masterpiece”

In an exclusive interview, Omnicom Oceania’s CEO told managing editor Brittney Rigby about his ambitions to "redesign the model and transform us to be ready for the next 10 years."

7. Wieden+Kennedy Sydney Hires First Four Creatives to Lead Macca's Work

Managing editor Brittney Rigby exclusively reported on the indie's inaugural Aussie hires, including Roy Leibowitz and Chris Wilson as co-group creative directors, and Jack Elliott and Lochie Newham were hired as senior creatives.

6. Omnicom Oceania Merges DDB and FCB NZ to Form McCann NZ, DDB Aus Folded into Clemenger

In one of the biggest stories of the year, as reported by managing editor Brittney Rigby, DDB Australia was folded into Clemenger, and DDB and FCB merged to form McCann NZ. Former Clemenger CEO Lee Leggett was named chief customer officer of Omnicom Oceania.

5. Telstra Continues 'Together is for Christmas' with Animated Ghost Story

A lonely goth girl bonded with a ghost in an unlikely Christmas spot to round out the telco's creative efforts this year. Micah Walker, CCO of Bear Meets Eagle on Fire, told reporter Tom Loudon the intention was to remain Australian but avoid clichés.

4. 6 Months, 11 Australian CEO Exits. Nothing “Will Be Quite The Same Again”

LBB spotted a trend of longtime bosses leaving their posts, and Tess Connery-Britten dug into it with two of the longest-serving CEOs left in market: Publicis Groupe's Michael Rebelo, and BMF's Steven McArdle.

3. CHEP and Traffik Folded Into Clemenger, Lee Leggett Named CEO

BBDO’s global CEO, Nancy Reyes, exclusively told managing editor Brittney Rigby the restructure is the first step to restoring Clemenger’s glory in Australia.

2. Steve Buscemi Stars as Alien Overlord Whose ‘Scamageddon’ is Blocked By Telstra

The blockbuster ad is the year’s second most-read story. Directed in Prague by Randy Krallman, the leading actor had “the right mix of nostalgia and humorous hostility” to play the villain, Bear CCO Micah Walker told Tess Connery-Britten.

1. Wieden+Kennedy Enters Australia, Setting Up Sydney Outpost After Winning McDonald's

On 21 January, managing editor Brittney Rigby revealed the agency won the closed pitch to win the FMCG brand's local business -- it also works with McDonald's in the US and Canada -- and open an office in Sydney. It became, and remained, the top-read story of the year.