Hamish Blake tops 2022 Aussie broadcast talent list

Podcaster and TV personality Hamish Blake has been voted Australia’s No. 1 broadcast personality, in the 2022 The Top Talent Report.

Hugh Jackman has topped the overall list of celebrities.

The report was commissioned by media and marketing agency Talent Corp in conjunction with Lewers Research and details the latest findings of the Australian Talent Index.

The first of its kind in Australia, the index is a talent measurement system that captures consumers’ awareness of, and attitudes towards, a range of Australian talent, including celebrities, actors, broadcasters, sports stars, and politicians.

The survey included more than 5,000 Australians who rated 300+ personalities.

The index is calculated by subtracting the proportion of people who disliked a personality from those who liked or loved them, giving each a score ranging from -100 (universally disliked) through to +100 (universally liked). Hugh Jackman is a clear winner, with his score of +74 rating 13 points clear of the second ranked Chris Hemsworth on +61.

Talent Corp Managing Director Mark Noakes says “When an audience trusts a celebrity, this acts as a shortcut for consumer decision making. This is the power of ambassador marketing.”

“The Australian Talent Index seeks provide the industry with a first of its kind, up-to-date and accurate picture on media, entertainment and sports talent.”

“It really is a valuable way for brands and agencies to match, rank and compare talent for campaigns and ambassador roles.”

“The propensity for marketers to use social media followers as a way to measure a talent’s worth was alarming for us. Followers and engagement rates are meaningless insights in terms of how an audience will respond to a personality. Consequently, our main motivation for developing the Index was to provide the industry with a system that was not only robust and reliable but would provide real and meaningful consumer insights.”

Lewers founder and CEO Lisa Lewers says “We are excited to be involved with the Australian Talent Index and 2022 Top Talent Report project from its inception. We have captured sentiment across 300 currently working Australian media personalities, actors and athletes, referenced against 12 consumer attitudes and 17 industry sectors as well as a range of geographic, demographic, occupational and consumer interests.

“It is the first study of its kind to leverage AI to understand the breadth and depth of the emotions Australian talent evokes – from love to hate and everything in between. It’s a comprehensive lens into how talent makes Australians feel.”

Celebrity endorsement is big business, with brands investing millions in associating with a well-known personality with their brand. Hamish Blake and his wife Zoe Foster-Blake recently partnered with Tourism Australia and its own campaign testing found that 74% of respondents recognised the brand by the end of the campaign, with the highest point of brand recognition being with Hamish and Zoe.