The land "Down Under" might just be the ultimate proving ground for innovative campaigns and universal branding strategies. See what our Australian experts say about marketing in this fertile, foreign landscape.
That little country on the other side of the world may not currently be on your brand's marketing radar, but it should be. As online technologies shrink the distance between any two places, you may be surprised to learn that many of your brand's biggest potential supporters spend their time shopping in the global marketplace, rather than in their backyard. And this presents some valuable opportunities for marketers looking to add the title of innovator to their brand's perception.
We're kicking things off here with an advanced look at the Australian market and what makes this remote island continent a vital link to global marketing success.
Why sell in this market?
The Australian consumer is typically overlooked in U.S. marketing priorities, due to the country's relatively small population and its great geographical distance. Yet, extending your reach here does present a few notable advantages.
For example, this diverse country is known for its well-educated, early technology adopters who have high disposable incomes (by world standards) and a well-known entrepreneurial spirit. CEO for Australia's The White Agency, Miles Joyce, credits the country's folk tradition of "larrikinism" -- its people's laid-back, irreverent and anti-authoritarian attitude -- as one reason that Australia may just be the ideal testing ground for innovating digital campaigns, as well as for extending brand presence and influence.
In addition, web technology is well accepted and adopted there. Reports have indicated that 70 percent of Australians (15 million people) use the web. Furthermore, according to the latest ACNielsen market research, 87 percent of Australian internet users made a purchase over the internet. With a $300 million investment in online marketing Australia-wide, per year, and an online marketing growth rate of 24 percent per year, there's a lot of marketing power in this small population.
Another key advantage for U.S. marketers looking to expand their global reach, according to David Crothers, CEO of Qmecom, is that Australians also have a positive adoption rate of U.S. consumer brands and concepts, opening up a solid desire for products and consumer technologies developed in the United States.
Get noticed
So how can brands get noticed in the rough-and-tumble landscape of Australia, which often gives the impression that it's on the other side of the world in terms of cultural attitudes and technological preferences?
For starters, certain digital media platforms, like mobile, carry an innate advantage when working with tech-savvy, early-adopting Australians.
"Generally, mobile technologies are more advanced in Australia than the U.S.," Crothers said. "A useful stat that comes to mind is that the 3G Network has gained a penetration of around 3 million users, or 15 percent, in the last 12 months."
Another recent standout, according to Iain McDonald, founder and co-managing director of Australia's Amnesia Group, is the take-up of social networking tools.
"Australian messenger users have close to double the amount of contacts in their friends list (compared to U.S. users)," McDonald said.
"Facebook is currently the fastest growing of the SN platforms but appears to have tapped into a much older demographic, proving the phenomena is not limited to one generation."
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