Airtasker CEO, rage against the algorithm, and the ghost of Picasso: Mumbrella360 full program revealed

A provocative session featuring Airtasker CEO Tim Fung, a panel on how the industry is being held hostage by algorithms, and a masterclass on how Picasso’s choice of transformation over tradition can help creatives in today’s landscape are among the final batch of sessions added to next month’s Mumbrella360 program.

Australia’s biggest media and marketing extravaganza, Mumbrella360, is just six weeks away, happening across three packed days from May 26 to May 28 at Carriageworks in Sydney.

There are ten streams filled with top-tier content, but we’ve gone and crammed even more value into the three days – to get the very most of the program, you’re going to need to vibe code a horde of AI clones to take notes for you.

With the program pretty much locked and loaded (although there may be a few last-minute treats) now is the time to get your M360 tickets, or live a lifetime of regret.

Grab your tickets here and we’ll see you next month.

NEW SESSIONS:

Beyond the algorithm: How Airtasker builds brand story through partnership, not just performance

Airtasker CEO Tim Fung is winging his way to Sydney to headline a session that challenges the marketing status quo by revealing how Airtasker built a high-growth, highly trusted brand, without having to lean on the algorithms that dominate digital spend.

He’ll be joined by Richard Hunwick, chief sales officer at ARN, Andrew Every, chief strategy and transformation officer at Ooh Media, and moderator Caroline Hugall, chief strategy officer at Spark Foundry in a robust discussion on the new rules of modern marketing, and what happens when a company invests in brand, creativity, and community — instead of spending millions on Meta ads.

Tim Fung knows how to build brand trust, one customer at a time

Algorithmic Stockholm syndrome: How the illusion of choice is destroying our industry

And speaking of algorithms, Innocean’s chief strategy officer Giorgia Butler, and CEO Jasmin Bedir will lead a session that aims to disarm the opaque, impenetrable algorithms that guide so many consumer – and, in turn, business – choices these days.

This session will outlay the government actions and regulations required to fight against the search and social media algorithms that are forcing brands and marketers to pay an ever-rising tax – in the form of cost-per-click – just to reach their own customers. Agencies are fighting AI slop for business dollars, while media is prioritising clicks over quality, and neither model is sustainable in the long run.

The connection economy: Who do you partner with when everyone creates?

Here’s a timely question: Who do marketers partner with in an age where everyone is a “creator”?

In another cracking session, we’ve brought together Dr. Bill Page, senior marketing scientist at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, restaurateur and media personality Laura Sharrad, and Jocelin Abbey, GM of Are Media’s homes and lifestyle titles, to explore how partnership decisions are really being made in today’s content-saturated landscape and the role credibility and trust play in guiding consumer consideration.

This session will unpack where brands are seeing real return on content investment, how to navigate “bang for buck” in a fragmented ecosystem where not all impressions are equal, and the growing roles of credibility and context in driving long-term brand growth.

Laura Sharrad has joined the M360 lineup

Why are so many brands ignoring their audiences?

Another great question!

Fresh from an impactful year of global executions, Glue Society’s director and creative partner Luke Nuto will bring a thought-provoking session to the Mumbrella360 stage, where he will challenge how brands interact with their audiences.

The enduring power of ritual

The Research Agency will also be hitting the M360 stage to explore the power of ritual, which is the invisible architect of engagement and loyalty.

New research from TRA across Australia and New Zealand shows rituals are becoming more important to people — everything from morning coffee and afternoon work-outs, to skincare routines, run clubs, games nights, and screen-free Sundays. Rituals are a science-backed blueprint for building lasting connection, and the brands who can tap into this are the ones that help people elevate their rituals in ways that are additive, not intrusive.

To understand the power of ritual for brands, TRA completed a major study which will be shared for the first time at Mumbrella360. TRA partner Colleen Ryan, and managing partner Terri Hall, will step the M360 audience through all the salient findings. They will also be joined by a special guest for a panel discussion.

The Research Agency’s Terri Hall

NEW MASTERCLASSES

Why gaming sits at the centre of culture 

There’s even more research to share on the M360 stage, this time from Livewire. Gareth Leeding, chief strategy officer at Livewire will break down how brands shift from fragmented thinking to connected strategy, using the largely untapped world of gaming to drive both cultural relevance and measurable performance.

How to re-ignite your creative spark

Joel McKerrow, chief creative strategist at the School For Creative Development, wants to help reignite your creative spark, and he believes that when you learn to see the world like a poet, your vision will expand.

He asks: What if creativity wasn’t just something you switched on to meet the next brief, but instead was the wellspring from which you engage with life? In an industry driven by speed, metrics, optimisation, and endless briefs, our vision has narrowed and our imagination is starved, or out-sourced to AI.

This masterclass is an invitation to see the world differently.

How to reimagine creativity when technology changes the game

Another compelling masterclass will be presented by Abe Udy, founder of Abe’s Audio, who will draw parallels (through the immersive sound design of Abe’s Audio) between the early career of Picasso and the technological upheaval facing today’s creatives  and invite you to resist or reimagine.

Picasso chose transformation over tradition – will you? This session will also delve into the challenges and opportunities in navigating ethical AI voiceovers.

And don’t forget, on top of these latest additions, we’ve already announced a bunch of international heavyweights for the lineup — Thomas Barta, CEO, Marketing Leadership Institute (Germany); Mark Pollard, CEO of Sweathead (US); Sherilyn Shackell, founder and global CEO of The Marketing Academy (UK); global CEO of Ebiquity Reuben Schreurs (Netherlands), and Maura Tuohy head of product marketing at Roblox (US) among them.

We haven’t scrimped on local luminaries either, with ex Seven CMO Mel Hopkins, influencer Maddy McRae, plus chief marketers from BMW, Tennis Australia, Uber, and The Iconic joining the fray.

There’s also Mark Ritson, discussing the collapse of core marketing skills and confidence; Bec Darley, group chief marketing officer of TPG Telecom; and Lara Thom, global CMO of Guzman y Gomez, who will come armed with knowledge to dispense to all.

Mumbrella360 will also see five holding company bosses – the local leaders from Publicis Group, Omnicom, WPP, Havas and Dentsu  – take to the stage on the conference’s final day (28 May) to explore the evolving role of holding companies in an era defined by disruption, consolidation and technological acceleration.

The curtain raiser to M360 is the speed-dating networking event. We can confirm that chief marketers from  Aware Super, PepsiCo, Nissan, Westpac, Optus, Uber, IAG, AMP, Football Australia are all locked in to participate this year.

So, with the networking portal set to open very soon on 28 April, you don’t want to delay your three-day ticket purchase any longer, or you’ll risk missing this valuable chance to secure facetime with these market leaders.

Mumbrella360 takes place on May 26-28 at Carriageworks in Sydney.