Several senior marketers are urging brands to spend their ad dollars in regional Australia, saying the money will “work harder” for the brands.
It comes as new research from the Boomtown Spend Snapshot report, created in partnership with CommBank iQ, was announced at two industry events for senior marketers, held in Redfern, as part of the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Director’s Cut events in Melbourne.
Boomtown, the media collective representing the nearly 10 million people living in regional Australia, and CommBank iQ, came together to deliver the new report, which showcases the spending power of regional Australia, with regional consumers found to outspend their metro counterparts across several major everyday categories.
Both events included CMO panel discussions, moderated by The Ideas Business founder, Wade Kingsley, on the importance of Boomtown media investment, featuring insights from CommBank iQ CEO, Makenna Ralston, Inspirations Paint chief marketing officer, Joel Goodsir, and Reflections Holiday Parks chief marketing officer, Peter Chapman.
Chapman spoke about the importance of loyalty for Boomtown residents, noting that Reflections Holiday Parks has devised a dedicated strategy for regional campaigns.
“We think about both the metro and the regional markets, but we think about them differently,” he said.
“We know regional Australia is underserved when it comes to advertising; there is a significant gap between investment and intention. Brands need to show up time and time again to build that mental awareness in the market and they also need to focus on the best channels to reach regional audiences.”
Goodsir agreed, encouraging agencies to build regional media planning and buying into their budgets.
“I would just really encourage brands to show up in regional Australia, because they will quickly realise that every advertising dollar will work much harder there,” he said.
Ralston, who also presented the new research insights, invited brands and marketers to use the data to support their regional campaign planning.
“This new data is granular, and it is diverse. I’d really encourage brands and agencies to stay in touch with this research and the critical insights it provides,” Ralston said.
“This data really grounds marketers’ gut instincts in fact. And while brands and marketers should continue to trust their gut when it comes to regional campaigns, this research gives them the important real-world figures to support their planning.”
According to the new research, regional Australians have emerged as a dominant economic force, outspending their counterparts across key categories and contributing $250 billion annually to the national economy.
Regional consumers consistently outspend across major categories, including groceries, petrol, home and lifestyle, the report revealed, with many categories also recording faster growth in regional areas.
AANA director member engagement & marketing, Jane King, said: “AANA members represent brands that matter to everyday Australians, and regional Australia is a powerful market they should be speaking to. Boomtown keeps proving it, and this CommBank iQ research gives our members yet another reason to ensure their brands are showing up in those communities”
Boomtown comprises a third (37 per cent) of the total Australian population. Residents contribute up to half the investment across several key everyday categories, demonstrating the importance of Boomtown to brand activity nationwide.
Boomtown chairman, Andrew “Billy” Baxter, said: “The value of these new insights for brands and marketers cannot be underestimated. It was insightful to have both Joel and Peter at our recent industry events to share their lived experience of advertising in Boomtown and the results it has delivered.
“Their success in regional marketing is demonstrative of the spending power of Boomtown audiences,” he added.
“They represent a signification portion of the national economy, and they’re outspending metro residents across many key everyday categories. Advertisers who ignore regional media now risk leaving money, and influence, on the table. We know that regional campaigns are where relevance and trust really take hold, providing opportunities for brands to really resonate with audiences and turn advertising into a conversation that’s more likely to convert.”
The Boomtown Spend Snapshot was collated from de-identified transaction data from more than 17 million Australians across 40 spending categories and more than 200,000 brands.
The data is based on real behaviour and is weighted to reflect all Australian consumers.
