Products & Services

ACP aims high for tasty title

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 55 : 18 August 2008
Original article by Neil Shoebridge

LexisNexis Summary: Products & Services

ACP Magazines anticipates more than 90,000 copies of the first edition of its new "Good Food" magazine will be sold. ACP has also predicted that the new publication, which is the second product produced via its joint venture with the magazine arm of the BBC, will attain its long-term sales target of 80,000 copies per month. Phil Scott of ACP says the group's research has shown that there is a gap in the market for an offering such as "Good Food". The magazine will retail for $A4.95 in Australia, making it more expensive than some other food magazines, such as "Recipes Plus" and cheaper than more upmarket titles such as "Gourmet Traveller"

Marketing Strategy

The Olympics bonanza

The Sydney Morning Herald
Page: 24 : 18 August 2008
Original article by Roy Masters

LexisNexis Summary: Marketing Strategy

It typically costs a company between $US850m and $US900m to become an official Olympic sponsor. This is despite the fact that corporate advertising is not permitted at Olympic events. Revenue for the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics will exceed $US4bn ($A4.6bn). This includes broadcasting rights, sponsorship deals and ticket sales. Some 60 companies are sponsors of the Beijing Games, and former International Olympic Committee marketing boss Michael Payne notes that seven of the 12 major sponsors have committed to the 2012 London Olympics. Meanwhile, TV networks are already securing broadcasting deals for the Games of 2014 and 2016

Consumer Behaviour

Mag meltdown as consumers rein in expenses

The Australian
Page: 37 : 18 August 2008
Original article by Sally Jackson

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

The Australian Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) published alarming figures on 15 August 2008. The ABC survey showed lower reported sales at 85 of 144 audited consumer magazines, with the mass women's weekly category the worst affected. Analysts blamed the result on falling consumer confidence, and said high fuel prices, rising food costs and record interest rates were beginning to have a negative impact on consumer spending

A decade of growth mainly at the top

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 11 : 18 August 2008
Original article by Alexander Symonds

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

The University of Canberra's National Centre for Social & Economic Modelling has issued new data on Australia's wealth. The figures show that over the 10 years from 1995-96 to 2005-06, the financial gap between the richest and poorest strata of society has continued to expand. Average income per week for the wealthiest tenth of all households has risen to $A3,337 over the period, up 35%. The biggest factor in this were investment returns, which grew a massive 210%, as well as the reform of taxation under the previous federal government. The highest-ranked households now account for only 37.8% of all income tax paid in Australia, down from 40% a decade earlier

On the cards: marketing gets personal

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 26-27 : 16 August 2008
Original article by Ben Woodhead and Paul Smith

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

Australian companies are increasingly using data mining software to build a detailed picture of their customers' incomes and spending habits. Retailers such as department store chains Myer and David Jones have an added advantage by operating their own branded credit card schemes with Visa or American Express. Other sectors relying on sophisticated IT solutions are aviation, casino gaming, and banking. Call centres meanwhile can monitor the level of calls received and allocate staff resources better, and airlines use computer modelling to improve fuel efficiency as crude oil prices rise