Think you know who your customer is? Think you know what motivates them? Think you know what their behaviours are? Think again.
I just returned from spending three days on the road as part of the GroupM Out of Towners trip. It was the Sydney, Canberra, Wagga Wagga leg, so probably one of the more metro of the regional road trip, but still revealing.
What was apparent was that the vast majority of us in this industry have certain perceptions of other regions, that aren’t backed up by the reality.
That’s also the central theme of our November AdNews Live! event Reframing Australia. The 2016 Census revealed, ‘ordinary Australia’ no longer exists, but people’s perceptions are outdated. With that in mind, how can brands and agencies expect to connect with real audiences in a genuine way if we don’t fully understand who they are?
AdNews Live! Reframing Australia will explore the disconnect between the industry and Australia’s changing demography, and offer strategies and insights on how to do it better. Dr Mehreen Faruqi, the first Muslim woman elected to any Parliament in Australia, will give the keynote opening address, plus The Monkeys and Meat & Livestock Australia will talk through their – often controversial – approach to representing Australia’s rich cultural mix.
What I found on the trip, was that there are marked differences, but what was also surprising is that it’s a lot the same. There are hipster cafes in every small town and smashed avo on toast is still a hot menu item whether you’re in Bundaberg or Bondi. (Read more in our regional marketing feature in the October issue on page 26 It's out next week.)
The main difference is that people in smaller cities and towns are more likely to have more disposable cash. Millennials in cities may be frittering away their house deposits on brunch but in the regional cities, millennials own four bedroom homes with gardens, and drive brand new cars. Where the cost of living is lower, there is more disposable income to spend – and spend they do. What was also apparent was how important local communities and issues are to the people that live there.
ational issues are obviously still relevant but the concerns of a local town are closer to home and closer to hearts. So if the local media, and the brands advertising on them, want to earn their favour, they need to find a way to understand those issues, and whether they can play a role that is valued by the local population.
Two weeks before we were in Wagga Wagga, Super Cheap Auto opened up its first massive store there. Hit Riverina, SCA’s local station were there doing an outside broadcast as part of a commercial deal. On top of that, its sales director manned the barbie and cooked up more than 300 snags for the sausage sizzle. It’s not rocket science, but it was more a community event than an opening and the goodwill generated among local people who attended or who listened on the radio, will come back in spades over the months and years to come. It pays to be in touch.
AdNews Live! Reframing Australia is on 15 November in Sydney. Tickets are available now at adnews.com.au/adnews-live-reframing-australia
We've got some great speakers confirmed including Dr Mehreen Faruqi, the first Muslim woman elected to any Parliament in Australia, Adrian Swift, Head of Content Production & Development - Nine Network, Meat Livestock Australia's Group Marketing Manager, Andrew Howie, and The Monkeys’ Scott Nowell, and more.