Advertising & Promotion Campaigns

Macquarie rolls out TV-radio ad deals

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 15 : 2 June 2008
Original article by Neil Shoebridge

LexisNexis Summary: Advertising & Promotion Campaigns

Macquarie Media Group is selling packages for radio and TV advertising. It acquired the regional TV network of Southern Cross Broadcasting in late 2007. In February 2008, it began testing joint packages in the regional city of Shepparton in Victoria. The trial was extended to Hobart and other cities. In May, Macquarie Media CEO Mark Dorney said that the merger of the businesses would produce cost savings of $A9 million in 2008-09. Joint selling will benefit advertisers as people listen to radio in the mornings and evenings and watch TV in the evenings

TBWA chief unfazed by fog of uncertainty

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 51 : 2 June 2008
Original article by Neil Shoebridge

LexisNexis Summary: Advertising & Promotion Campaigns

Tom Carroll, the CEO of advertising agency TBWA, has acknowledged that Australia's advertising sector has declined, but he is optimistic. TBWA increased its revenue by 12 per cent in 2007, to $US1.8 billion ($A1.9 billion), and its Australian arm, Whybin TBWA, was a star performer with a 96.1 per cent operating profit increase to $A6.6 million and a net profit increase of almost 174 per cent. Whybin TBWA has lost some government work but picked up private clients, and Carroll remains interested in expanding

Island fans fail to excite AFL

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 8 : 31 May 2008
Original article by Mark Phillips and Duncan Hughes

LexisNexis Summary: Advertising & Promotion Campaigns

The Western Bulldogs will play Hawthorn in Launceston, Tasmania, on 31 May 2008. Under the Tasmanian Government's five-year sponsorship of Hawthorn, the team is required to play four home games at the city's Aurora Stadium. Opposition parties have queried whether the $A15 million sponsorship deal is a proper use of public funds. The Australian Football League (AFL) views the state as a "mature market" and thus unappealing for expansion purposes. Saul Eslake, the CEO of ANZ Bank, is among the Tasmanians who support the Government's efforts for the state to field a team in the AFL

Products & Services

Luxury firms rely on novelty

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 51 : 2 June 2008
Original article by Noelle Waugh

LexisNexis Summary: Products & Services

To retain nervous consumers, luxury goods marketers are looking for refashioned outlets and new products. Luxury cars have retained their appeal but boats have declined. The luxury car tax increase set for 1 July 2008 is expected to hurt sales. One analyst said that the fall in tourists from China and Japan has hurt sales of luxury goods. Meanwhile, Louis Vuitton has introduced a new range of products which appeal to consumers in their mid-20s, while several stores are being renovated

Marketing Strategy

Companies cold on movie mania

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 48 : 2 Jun 2008
Original article by Noelle Waugh

LexisNexis Summary: Marketing Strategy

A number of companies have prepared marketing campaigns to capitalise on the anticipated success of upcoming movie releases. For example, the release of animated film "Kung Fu Panda" is expected to generate solid toy sales for Hasbro, while Coca-Cola Australia, the Ferrero confectionery group and Myer are all planning to sell products with ties to the "Sex and the City" movie. However, while film distributors and cinema operators have high expectations of the upcoming movies, some executives in the product licensing industry have expressed doubt that the movies will generate big product sales

Consumer Behaviour

House brands spark supermarket turf war

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 1/49 : 2 June 2008
Original article by Neil Shoebridge

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

The house brands of Woolworths, Coles and other retailers now have a record share of Australia's $A80bn grocery retailer sector. The growth of house brands is causing tensions between supermarkets and manufacturers of grocery products. House brands' share of the market has risen above 20%, and is expected to increase even further as consumers respond to the pressure of high petrol prices and rising interest rates by selecting cheaper groceries. Manufacturers say the growth of house brands is restricting their ability to invest in new products and packaging. Some marketers of grocery products have started to lobby the new MD of Coles' supermarkets, liquor and fuel division, Ian McLeod, on the issue

Brewers' hopes rest on boutique brands

The Australian
Page: 29 : 2 June 2008
Original article by Blair Speedy

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

Australian brewers Foster's Group and Lion Nathan expect the switch to premium beers by consumers to continue. ACNielsen figures show that packaged sales of premium beer increased by 7.7% in the 12 months to the end of February 2008, a period in which there was very little growth in the overall beer market. Lion Nathan was able to record a 7% rise in underlying net profit for the first half of 2007-08 despite only 0.3% growth in beer sales, because of increased sales of premium brands, which recorded a 33% rise in revenue, Foster's Group's premium beer marketing manager, Ben Summons, said premium beers usually produce higher margins

Luxury firms rely on novelty

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 51 : 2 June 2008
Original article by Noelle Waugh

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

To retain nervous consumers, luxury goods marketers are looking for refashioned outlets and new products. Luxury cars have retained their appeal but boats have declined. The luxury car tax increase set for 1 July 2008 is expected to hurt sales. One analyst said that the fall in tourists from China and Japan has hurt sales of luxury goods. Meanwhile, Louis Vuitton has introduced a new range of products which appeal to consumers in their mid-20s, while several stores are being renovated

Black and white and read all over

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 48 : 2 Jun 2008
Original article by Neil Shoebridge

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

The Newspaper Works has produced a report that claims consumers are "actively engaging" with print and online newspapers. The report, which is based on data compiled by Celsius Research and The Leading Edge in 2007, claims 90 per cent of Australian consumers pay full attention when reading a newspaper, with one-third of those surveyed claiming they believe print newspapers contain the most "respected" media content. Up to 61 per cent of respondents indicated they felt "up to date" with news immediately when using print and online newspapers

Faraway favourites running on empty

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 19 : 31 May 2008
Original article by Lisa Carapiet and Matthew Cranston

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

Tourism patterns are being affected by high petrol prices in Australia. Brett Williams, of Coffs Harbour Pacific Property, says there has been a decline in visitors to the town, which is half-way between Brisbane and Sydney. Macquarie Property Research's Rod Cornish notes that people are opting to drive to holiday destinations closer to home, whereas a few years ago they favoured places further away. Property agents in towns distant from big cities are converting holiday houses into permanent rental properties

Consumers wary of refinancing

Money Management
Page: 5 : 29 May 2008
Original article by Mike Taylor

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

The number of Australians seeking to refinance their mortgages seems to be falling. This is according to a survey released by Mortgage & Finance Association (MFAA) and BankWest in the week ending 23 May 2008. Phil Naylor, CEO of the MFAA, said that some of the decline in refinancing intentions could be attributed to apathy, as well as a lack of awareness that not all lenders are charging the same rates. There was also a suggestion among some respondents that the level of fees charged when changing lenders was too high