“Boomtown will boom your business” was the key message shared by marketing experts at the final Boomtown Masterclass for 2024.
The masterclass, which was held online last Thursday, featured insights from a panel of senior women in media, including MD for marketing agency Magna Global, Lucy Formosa Morgan; GM of group media for Woolworths Group, Nicole Smart; and chief marketing and innovation officer for software platform, Flintfox International, Cath Brands.
All three women shared their experiences with advertising campaigns in Boomtown, which represents the 9.8 million people currently living in regional Australia. Close to 100 people tuned in for the Masterclass.
Smart said what she likes most about regional is the opportunities it presents marketers.
"Because it’s uncluttered, [marketers] can be doing so much more and engaging at a deeper level," she said.
“The most rewarding times in my career have been when I’m doing work in big regional towns. You can really connect with the local community and make a difference.”
Brands said one of the things she's learned about regional is that the reach and frequency is strong, but the conversion happens a lot quicker.
"It might be because there’s less noise, but it’s also because of the community and word of mouth," she said.
“What regional offers brands is a sense of community. It’s one thing to show up on a billboard, but why not be at the local Bunnings sausage sizzle, advertising on the local radio station and being content driven? The reality is, in regional, [customers] are more likely to bite because they listen harder, and they’ve got less noise around them.”
Formosa-Morgan said brands should add regional campaigns to their media plans in 2025.
"Work with your clients to understand the regional distribution, the regional targets and test it," she said.
"There is such an opportunity - with less clutter, there’s the opportunity for bigger brands to really stand out in regional markets and deliver great results."
Last week’s Masterclass was the latest session in Boomtown’s Masterclass series, designed to explore the opportunities in regional advertising. Since its 2020 inception, the masterclasses have educated thousands of Australian advertising and media professionals on the benefits of Boomtown advertising.
Details of the 2025 Boomtown Masterclass series will be released soon.
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