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THE CULTURE ISSUE









60

FEATURES 44 CASE STUDIES

14 34 66
The rise and fall of Infographic: Tourism Australia
festival marketing Communication
patterns across countries Eat Local
20 70
Infographic: 36
Culture segments The new Chinese travellers Jalna
Becoming number one
22 40
Do we really know Uber: a culture in crisis 74
Dr Kakenya
our audiences? 44 2017 media tour
28 Infographic:
The culture iceberg 78
Infographic: Sydney Opera House
Tourism in Australia 48
Commercialising women’s sport #ComeOnIn
30
Indigenous business 52 66
and cultural tourism Interview:
Village Cinemas GM, 74
14 sales and marketing

28 60
Profile:
Jemma Wong,
AFL head of audience growth

August/September 2017
THE CULTURE ISSUE

46 88

56 BEST OF THE WEB 96

CONTENT PARTNERS 82 COLUMNS
Editor’s choice
46 James Charlesworth 88
Marketo Steve Sammartino
The secret weapon of 84 Isolation and immediacy
mass influence Most shared
90
56 Scott Glitz Valos and Lee
Forrester 86 Future-watching
Make your culture
more customer-centric Most read 92
Jon O’Loughlin Sérgio Brodsky
80 82
UnLtd Ads get artful
The culture of giving 8 94

Michael Henderson
Anthropology and vu jàdé

96
Mark Ritson
Sitting on the fence

98
Con Stavros
Brands take a stand

Contents

Publisher Contributors
PAUL LIDGERWOOD
Adam Joseph Alvin Lee Ben Ice
Associate publisher and editor age 30 Page 90 Page 52
PETER ROPER
[email protected] Celia Pavelieff Chris Connell Con Stavros
Page 22 Page 46 Page 98
Assistant editor
BEN ICE Ed Steiner Fiona Killackey Karl Treacher
[email protected] Page 36 Page 14 Page 40

Sub editor Ja es Charlesworth O
MADELEINE SWAIN e 82 a

Editorial design Marketing would like to recognise and thank t
KEELY GOODALL
Editorial Advisory Board for their invaluabl u n , n
Production manager
ALICIA PINNOCK but not limited to Dr Michael Valos (chair), Car Rud ick,
[email protected]
Erik Zimmerman, Mike Harley, Shannon Peachey, Trisca Scott-
Digital pre-press
KARL DYER Branagan, Skev Ioannou, Cameron Woods and Peter Little.

Commercial partnership
enquiries
TYLER PAYNE
Tel: +613 9948 4978
[email protected]

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Mark Ritson Michael Henderson Michael Valos r p o: n vei er / 123RF
Page 96 Page 94 Page 90

Michelle Keomany Paul Fisher Pet o r How well do you know your audience?
Page 60 Page 80 Page

Samuel Stern Scott Glitz Sérgio Brodsky
Page 56 Page 84 Page 92

With thanks to our
Content Partners

vm n C ampion
Pa 8 Pa e 56

[email protected] | www.surveysampling.com

Editnoort'es Peter Roper
Associate publisher and editor

@marketingmag F rom theatre to sport to pots Council’s ‘National Arts Participation
and pans, the one thing Survey’, a robust, comprehensive
all actors, athletes and report that’s free to download
marketers have in common is the from its website. As is work the
task of communicating with and Council commissioned Morris
satisfying an audience. I wrote in Hargreaves McIntyre to develop:
this editorial a couple of years ago highly visual culture segments, or
about a pet hate I caught from Steve Pen Portraits, which dig so much
Sammartino, Dave McCaughan and deeper below the surface than
others: the word ‘consumer’. It’s the demographics and bring to light the
economists’ definition of people as attitudinal and behavioural drivers
mindless input-output machines of their participation.
– about as complicated as a single-
celled organism. Generalisations It’s worth checking out, no
and predictions of behaviour are matter your industry, because while
necessary, of course, but the language it is research that delivers on the
we use at the same time also affects Council’s remit of supporting our
how we see our customers. arts sector, including the many small
organisations around the country
If we instead view marketing who would otherwise have little
as a performance, our mindset access to marketing research, it
is automatically and significantly applies to as close to 100% of the
altered. It helps us keep in mind population as you’ll get. The arts
that real, complex people are at audience is your audience.
the end of our messages and that
they have more in common than A final shout out to all our
demographics. Which is why I love contributors this issue. It turned
the work the Australia Council for into a huge one with more ideas and
the Arts has done that we’re pleased content than can possibly fit in 100
to be able to share with you in this pages. Thank you. And, readers, stay
issue. Celia Pavelieff’s piece asking tuned to our website for some bonus
how well you really know your material. There’s plenty more where
audience is a timely provocation. this came from.

The charts accompanying her — Peter
words are a small selection from the

THE CULTURE ISSUE

“Isolation “We should be a little
is one of sceptical about greatness.
the cultural Great and mediocre
impacts advertising (and art)
technology can get confused, even
has changed by experts.”(92)
forever.” (88)

“The minute you Culture marketingmag.com.au
think you are an
expert in predicting /‫ޖ‬kԥlt‫ݕ‬ԥr/
your audience, you’ve
started down an Noun
erroneous path.”(22)
1. The arts and other manifestations of
“I had heard often human intellectual achievement regarded
enough that cultural collectively.
protocols were
important, but 2. The customs, arts, social institutions
learned, for the and achievements of a particular nation,
very first time, people or other social group.
why this is so.”(30)
Origin: Middle English from French ‘culture’
or directly from Latin ‘cultura’: ‘growing,
cultivation.’

Source: Oxford English Dictionary

“It’s always easy to “The days of
point at the CEO and, taking in the
in many cases, that’s sights from
appropriate, but it’s the safety of
never the whole story.”(40) a tour bus are
coming to an
end.” (36)

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

@marketingmag “It’s a “Survival instinct still
bloody runs deep in modern
marketer’s human culture and the
dream to same process plays out
bring about immediately when a new
brand marketing offer is made.”(94)
change – “Symbolic associations like
it’s what ‘sophisticated’ are just as
we fight for functional as those related
and what to ‘performance’ or ‘speed’.
we work It’s all utility for the human
for.” (60) consumer.”(96)

“In the same way that the “I believe
industry changed when digital that festivals
‘became a thing’, organisations that don’t
need to fundamentally shift to have a
not just promote a digital culture, genuine
but a culture of data.”(84) vision and
are just
“Catching employees operating
in the act of doing to generate
the right things is a an income
powerful force for or activate
change.”(56) a brand risk
imminent
THE CULTURE ISSUE failure.” (14)

14 FEATURE

Experience makers:
THE RISE AND FALL OF
FESTIVAL MARKETING

In the age of experience marketing, how are festivals and brands working together
to create unforgettable moments for their audiences? Fiona Killackey reports.

xperience is being cited as the biggest threat Audiences want more
to retail today. As wages remain stagnant,
we’re choosing to spend less on products and Gone are the days when a festival’s reputation alone guaran-
services, and more on activities that make us teed sales. Or when people were willing to go without Wi-Fi
feel something, providing us with emotion- or a decent night’s rest in return for attending. “People
ally charged stories we can relay to others. don’t tolerate inefficiencies now,” says Alycia Emmerson,
One industry reliant on experience for its existence is marketing and sponsorship manager for Falls Music and
festivals – whether they be music, comedy, art or film. As one Arts Festival.
of the few commercial activities that guarantee an emotional
response from its audience, a festival has the power to remain “Patrons used to line up at retail outlets for hours to
in attendees’ minds years after they exit the venue. This get tickets and they would be OK with the venues not
ability to connect and convert has seen massive shifts in having connectivity, walking a fair distance to get to their
the way brands work with festivals and in the way festivals campsite or waiting in queues,” she says. “This is not the
themselves market and execute their offering. In an interview case now and this forces us to really think about the patron
with The New York Times in 2016, Alasdhair Willis, creative journey in every interaction we have. It has to be simple
director of Hunter, stated, “The non-disposable moments and quick.”
at festivals carry so much weight – they are unforgettable,
watertight, locked-down emotional memories that, as a Advertising is out
brand, you want to access and be associated with.”
Yet, not all festivals manage to walk the line between The audience’s desire for more also extends to what they’re
offering something extraordinary and being seen as little willing to accept from brands that sponsor or partner with
more than an advertising vehicle. In the past five years many festivals. When Ben Richardson, co-founder of emergent
of Australia’s most recognised festivals have shut down. technology festival, Future Assembly, was brainstorming
Big Day Out – a once permanent fixture on the calendar of the idea of the festival with friends (following a mediocre
music-loving youth – ceased operating in 2014 (after being experience at another tech festival) one of their top rules
bought out by US promoter CS Presents) and was quickly was no pitching, and sponsorship only from brands that
followed by Future Music and Soundwave. In the tech space, truly understood the purpose and values of the festival.
festivals have come and gone and, in 2016, after 28 years
in existence, the Melbourne Art Fair announced it was no “No one is allowed to pitch their product when they’re
longer, although it returns in 2017. So, what has changed and talking at Future Assembly; they have 25 minutes to
what can festivals do to ensure their survival? inspire the audience with an insight that is unique to their
field and that’s it. It’s not a sales expo. No one is allowed
to sell their products at the event, it’s all about networking.”

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

You have to be so careful
with the culture you create
on all platforms and the
management of these
communities. The tide can
change very quickly and
it’s hard to reverse, so you
have to plan.

– Alycia Emmerson, marketing
manager, Secret Sounds

THE UL U

16 FEATURE

Who’s doing it well?

BRAND: INTEL
FESTIVAL: COACHELLA, APRIL 2017

Earlier this year, as tens of thousands danced at
Coachella, something was happening above the
main stage. What initially looked like fireworks
or a light show quickly surfaced as an activation
like no other: 300 synchronised Intel dancing
drones creating shooting stars and artwork
across the sky. Merging technology and art,
Intel was able to create a unique experience for
festivalgoers while cementing its brand as a leaders
in the drone space.

BRAND: FAST COMPANY In their first year of operation they turned down sponsor- marketingmag.com.au
FESTIVAL: FAST COMPANY INNOVATION ship from a large tech company “as they just wanted to have
FESTIVAL, NOVEMBER 2015 their brand everywhere”. This year, the company has come
calling again. “It’s like they see we’re serious and we know
Experience trumped entertainment when the what we’re doing,” says Richardson.
creators of Fast Company decided to celebrate
their 20th anniversary with a five-day festival, Festivals must be social
rather than a party. Operating in New York, the
first Fast Company Innovation Festival As Emmerson states, connectivity is imperative at any
incorporated more than 100 events across 75 festival, with patrons wanting to share their experiences
venues with site visits, panel discussions, keynotes instantly and join conversations online about what’s
and one-off experiences with brands and people working and what’s not in real-time. Social media also acts
Fast Company had profiled over the previous two as a way of increasing audience participation with compa-
decades, including Serena Williams, Gwyneth nies utilising digital incentives (such as branded Snapchat
Paltrow, Steve Aoki, Carrie Brownstein, Neil filters and free product for social promotion) to entice
Blumenthal, Pepsi Co, L’Oréal, Toms, Goop, Walker patrons to brand areas.
& Co, YouTube, Garance Dore, Nike, Rebecca
Minkoff and Birchbox. During his 2016 keynote at Ad:Tech in Sydney, Slade
Sherman of Creator Global incorporated a live poll of his
BRAND: STATE FARM performance onscreen, a result of the audience tweeting
FESTIVAL: LOLLAPALOOZA, AUGUST 2016 positive or negative comments using a particular hashtag.
For festival owners, marketing through social media enables
US insurance company, State Farm aligned its them to niche down and target people before, during and
brand activation at music festival Lollapalooza to after their events, as well as review data about what works
its tagline – ‘Like a good neighbour, State Farm and what doesn’t. But it can also threaten the reputation of a
is there’ – by offering a ‘Here to Help’ lounge for festival if not monitored.
attendees that included free storage lockers,
Wi-Fi and phone charging stations, as well as giving “The biggest threat to festivals in Australia is public
away products people may have forgotten to pack, opinion online,” says Emmerson, “You have to be so careful
such as toothpaste, shampoo and ponchos. with the culture you create on all platforms and manage-
ment of these communities. The tide can change very
quickly and it’s hard to reverse so you have to plan.”

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

Positioning for the right audience the ‘experience’ than the music was key in standing out in a
competitive market. “It forced us to look at marketing differ-
Ensuring user-generated content errs more on the posi- ently because it wasn’t all based on bands people know. It’s
tive side starts with positioning the festival to attract the always been about celebrating the ‘joie de vivre’ more so
right audience. Richardson says one of the biggest lessons than the headline act. These values have had a long-lasting
they learned from running Future Assembly in 2015 and impact on our audience who make a yearly rendezvous to
2016 was the different audiences’ needs. “We listened to celebrate, discover and enjoy a slice of French culture with
the market and this year Friday and Saturday is going to be friends and family. Each year we reconsider how to improve
rebranded to ‘work’ and ‘play’ days and the ticket prices are this experience to further reinforce our core values.”
drastically reduced for the Saturday, which will be hugely
accessible and more about play. The Friday will speak to Curation is key
people who are more into networking and we’ll enable more
networking experiences to occur.” Just as products are curated online or in-store to promote
conversion, so too must the overall festival experience be
Emmerson agrees. “With our Falls events we have four curated for optimum enjoyment. “We live by two core philoso-
separate shows and they all attract completely different phies when it comes to Future Assembly,” says Richardson,
patrons,” she says. “So what we roll out for Lorne is not “First, everything is completely curated for quality – we have
necessarily going to work in Fremantle. Tailor every- stringent checklists – and, second, everyone has to be able to
thing you do to those insights and know your audience communicate the value their product or company brings to
will continue to change.” For Jean-Francois Ponthieux, society in a way that a 12-year-old would be able to understand.”
founder of Cartell Music, which runs So Frenchy, So Chic
(an annual French-themed outdoor festival in Sydney and Curating connection is also part of what Richardson says
Melbourne), positioning his music festival as more about will set successful festivals apart from their competition.

@marketingmag

THE CULTURE ISSUE

18 FEATURE

I believe that festivals that don’t The wrap

have a genuine vision and are just What is the best possible experience we can
operating to generate an income or give people? While this should be key in any
activate a brand risk imminent failure. marketer’s mind, nowhere is it more crucial

– Jean-Francois Ponthieux, founder, than at festivals, which depend on word of
So Frenchy, So Chic mouth marketing and positive audience
sentiments to continue. According to Rich-

ardson, large and small festival organisers

Much of the frustration of festival attendees is the lack of alike should automate time-consuming tasks like admin

opportunity to really connect and engage with key speakers or following up on speaker presentations, and devote more

or acts post festival. This year Future Assembly is working time to really monitoring the market and ensuring they are

on an online platform that will enable attendees to immedi- providing what people truly want. “Complacency is the

ately connect and engage with brands and people they have biggest threat to success,” says Richardson. “I think that’s the

discovered at the festival. “Instead of them having to Google key undoing of any business, but particularly festivals, where

the brand and then wade through their help desk, they’ll just it’s so easy to get complacent and consequently not offer an

be able to contact them immediately through the platform.” experience that keeps people coming back.”

Case study: So Frenchy, So Chic

Jean-François Ponthieux has been a fixture in help me inspire people about the French way of marketingmag.com.au
the Australian music industry since he moved to life and, ultimately, the experience they’ll have at
the country from his native France in 2003. After the festival.”
spending time working at Filter Music and Petrol
Records, he began his own small boutique festival, Ponthieux began the festival to share the experiences
So Frenchy, So Chic, in 2011. he had as a child in France and it’s this initial vision
that he says guides him on which sponsors to work
“When I started I was doing old school marketing with and how to execute his marketing campaigns.
– TV, radio, posters, PR and digital banner ads,” “The whole idea came from my own memories as a
says Ponthieux, “In my second year, I realised this child. I grew up in a small village and each summer
approach was becoming obsolete and I had to pivot everyone would come together to celebrate. It was a
to avoid going bust.” Despite being something carefree time, celebrating joy in the fields of France
of a “private person” and having no social media with hay bales, flowers, rustic French food and
presence personally, Ponthieux realised the wines. I had a really clear vision about how I could
importance of utilising these platforms. “I decided recreate this experience for the Australian market... I
to learn everything I could about social. My first believe that festivals that don’t have a genuine vision
comprehensive digital campaign was in 2015; ticket and are just operating to generate an income or
sales increased by 20%”. activate a brand risk imminent failure.”

Since then Ponthieux has utilised the online Understanding the audience and being able to
space to grow the business. “I now fully embrace quickly adapt to their needs is key, says Ponthieux.
digital as it gives me complete ROI reports and “I’m constantly searching for new information
creative flexibility, tailored messaging, audience to make sure I don’t fall behind. What was true
segmentation, a chance to reward fans who yesterday may be obsolete today, so people must
spread the word about the festival through stay on top of trends, of shifts in technology and
affiliate marketing, remarketing, upselling, of what their audience most wants. Challenge your
budget optimisation and a diversity of tools to strategies and tactics and test everything!”

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017



20 INFOGRAPHIC

PORTRAITS OF PATRONS

11% 29%

ESSENCE EXPRESSION
2.2 MILLION
ADULTS 5.7 MILLION
ADULTS
The Essence segment
tends to be well-educated The Expression segment
professionals who are highly- is in tune with their
active cultural consumers spiritual side. They are
confident, fun-loving, self-
and creators, they are aware people who accommodate
leaders rather than followers. a wide range of interests, from
Confident in their own tastes, culture and learning to community
and nature. Expression like
they will act spontaneously experiences to be authentic
according to their mood and and enjoy opportunities to
understand the creative process.
pay little attention to what
others think.

12% 6%

AFFIRMATION ENRICHMENT
2.4 MILLION
ADULTS 1.2 MILLION
ADULTS
Affirmation welcomes culture
as a way of enjoying quality The Enrichment segment is
time with friends and family characterised by older adults
with time to spare who like
at the same time as improving spending their leisure time close to
themselves as individuals. They the home. They have established tastes
are interested in less traditional and enjoy culture that links into their
interests in nature, heritage and
artforms but will continue to more traditional artforms.
attend large, mainstream events

and activities as they offer a
low-risk means of satisfying

these varied needs.

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

Culture segments categorise audiences by their attitudes, choices and behaviours. As part of
the Australia Council for the Arts recently-released 'National Arts Participation Survey', Morris
Hargreaves McIntyre was commissioned to develop highly visual culture segments, also known
as Pen Portraits. These and results from the 'National Arts Participation Survey' available free at

australiacouncil.gov.au/research

13% 12%

STIMULATION RELEASE
2.5 MILLION
ADULTS 2.3 MILLION
ADULTS
The Stimulation segment is
an active group who live their The Release segment tends
lives to the full, looking for new to be younger adults with
experiences and challenges to busy working and family lives who
used to enjoy relatively popular
break away from the crowd. arts and culture, but have become
They are open to a wide range of switched off as other things
have taken priority in their lives.
experiences, from culture to Consequently they feel they have
sports and music, but they like limited time and resources to enjoy
the arts and culture, although they
to be at the cutting edge in would like to do more.
everything they do.

7% 9%

PERSPECTIVE ENTERTAINMENT
1.4 MILLION
ADULTS 1.8 MILLION
ADULTS
The Perspective segment is
settled, fulfilled and home- The Entertainment segment
orientated. The arts and culture tends to be conventional,
are low among their priorities, younger adults for whom the
arts are on the periphery of their
however their underlying lives. Their occasional forays into
spontaneous nature and desire culture are usually for spectacular,
entertaining or must-see events,
to learn provide a focus for and compete against a wide
engaging with arts and culture. range of other leisure interests.

Source: Morris Hargreaves McIntyre Culture Segments™ commissioned as part of the 'National Arts Participation Survey, Connecting Australians' (Australia Council)
THE CULTURE ISSUE

22 AUDIENCES

Do we really know
our audiences?
A provocation.

As the Australia Council releases the 2016 version of the ‘National Arts
Participation Survey’, Celia Pavelieff shares her reflections on the findings and

asks whether, as marketers, we really know our audiences.

I love watching rugby union and AFL, reading Helen every day. We are marketers, so the more heavily invested we
Garner’s non-fiction and also magazines at the are, the more we live, eat and breathe intel on our audiences.
checkout, getting lost in Bridget Riley’s stripes and We can almost predict their every move. We know what time
absorbing the infectious energy of the Djuki Mala they wake up and post to them. We know when they eat and
dancers. I need a new phone, I love eating pizza, serve to them. We know what they’ve looked at in the past
shopping at farmers’ markets and wearing boots. These and suggest what they may like in the future. We pop up,
details could describe anyone, but what does this snapshot around and through their lives. Or at least we think we do.
of habits say about me? Who am I and how well do you
know me? There is a very good chance that I am your Audiences are consumers, customers, clients, markets,
audience, as much as you are mine. regions and, for many of us, the reason we go to work each
I didn’t always like rugby union, which in many day. Every touch point on the supply chain of everything
respects was blasphemous in my household with a father we do earmarks each of us as a consumer or audience for
who once played for Australia. I was dragged along to something. But I think we often forget how shared our
a game many years ago, secretly liking it yet outwardly audiences are. I am as much a telco’s audience as I am a
abhorring it. Nothing in the world could convince me potential audience for contemporary Indigenous dance
to go to another game, though secretly I yearned for the and theatre. I am as much an ebook publisher’s audience
experience again. But what would motivate me to go again, as a farmers’ market shopper. While we become very
what trigger needs to be pulled in the future? If I can go familiar with our audiences’ habits, how often do we invest
weeks without saying the word ‘sport’ or thinking about time analysing the motivations behind the choices our
‘rugby union’, I am a marketing challenge. audiences make? The increased content being served to our
So how do you as a marketer get to know me? We audiences is increasing the knowledge base informing these
all have our go-to toolkits and resources, including the choices. Within this knowledge base lie our opportunities
granular audience data that is increasing in sophistication to motivate the dormant or new audience member. I’ll
return to the concept of the new audience member shortly.

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

As marketers we have a powerful, unique attribute that we If you’ve ever found yourself saying… ‘I didn’t know that’
bring to the table. In a world currently driven by content, when shown something new for the first time, you are
imagery and, at times, 140 characters, we have an important someone’s developing audience. And once that little phrase
role as creators and curators to connect with our audiences. was uttered, you were a conversion. That moment in time
As marketers we are visionaries. We envision our audiences changed you from being a cold to a hot prospect; you just
with our products and experiences. We have the power became someone’s potential customer, audience or client.
of observation and interpretation. The power to give You just grew a market by one.
spreadsheets and market research data meaning by using
them to connect audiences and experiences, customers and We can philosophise and build theories around these
products. However, the analytics and data sets only tell part behaviours. We can use these behaviours to improve the
of the story. The questions that this data doesn’t answer success of our goods and services. And we can guarantee
often hold the answers that tip awareness into conversion. now that these behaviours will evolve and change as the
The questions are not new, nor this insight ground markets change.
breaking, but a little reminder that we are not yet in the age
of The Minority Report. How can I be so sure that the characteristics of
your audiences and markets will change? Our need to
The minute you think you are an expert in predicting continue monitoring our audiences and to improve our
your audience, you’ve started down an erroneous path. understanding of them is my proof. Once we started doing
You’ve missed some of your developing audience in the this, we haven’t been able to stop. We research to inform us
moment. The very technology that is serving to inform of changes, opportunities and deficits. The key to knowing
us about our audiences is also imparting more and more your audience is to know it will not only change, but to look
content to them and others, and in so doing changing their beyond your audience. Not only do we need to monitor
behaviours. Behaviours that you have banked on and are the changes of our current audience, we need to already be
aiming to anticipate. Never underestimate the unknown. looking into the audience groups of other industries and
sectors for the dormant or emerging group. To know that

THE CULTURE ISSUE

24 AUDIENCES

AUSTRALIANS’
ARTS ENGAGEMENT

Listen to festivals
recorded music

Creatively Read music
participate books

Engage of Australians A end live literary
online engage with events

the arts dance and
theatre
marketingmag.com.au
First
Nations arts

Engage with the arts Are involved with visual arts
of their cultural community arts and and cra s
background cultural development
Source: Australia Council, ‘Connecting Australians:
2016 National Arts Participation Survey’

of others. Technology does a wonderful job of connecting people have tried to define the concept of culture. Culture
us – curate these connections to know your audience better. is many things to many people in many ways. Exploring the
Technology, though, is largely responsive and informs us concept of culture reveals that culture does not have its own
well of past performance; knowing your audiences includes theories or methodologies, but borrows from the schools of
active and ongoing research of your next audience. the social sciences, anthropology, philosophy, psychology,
the arts, linguistics, political sciences and international
The layers to our research will vary for each of us: relations, to name just a few. Culture also contributes and
analytics, market research and applied research help is the summation of the interpreted behaviours of these
us to understand more significant audience behaviours disciplines, and in many ways culture is the potential
and to construct audience, market and regional analysis predictor of what we can achieve.
that those diehards among us will gobble up to apply to
our campaigns. This plethora of research can be cut and Societies’ differences are also their similarities
diced, interpreted and applied in many ways to help us encompassed in this wonderfully diverse and complex
understand our audiences more. concept of culture. Culture in this post-modernist society
is a concept, a plurality of paradigms. It is because of
Through this article I have been exploring the simple, yet this extraordinarily complex quality that culture defies
quite confounding question – do we know our audiences? one definition alone. The connections between our
It is impossible to do this without understanding the audiences, culture and their behaviours are some of
relationship of audiences to cultures. This edition, dedicated the most exciting connections that we as marketers can
to culture, is the perfect place to illustrate this. Many, many

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

@marketingmag optimise in the curation of our campaigns. Our audiences inform us about what our audiences value now and
are rich in cultures, cultural heritage and experiences. hypothetically in the future. Triangulating data potentially
These audiences, markets and regions each contribute to finds your ‘new’ audience. They may very well be right
and draw from culture: your audiences and mine. In fact, under your nose: the family sitting the park, the AFL fans
culture connects not only audiences, but Australians. or the 62-year-old exploring a new tablet in the electronics
aisle. I once commenced a project (I tend to think of the
I currently work in the arts – in fact, I have for many audience build as a project) and set myself the task of
years. I have devoted countless years to understanding breaking all previous audience records and attracting
audiences, building and learning about them. My job will everyone who was seven to 70 in Australia. I did segment,
never be complete, but it will be informed by the amazing target and strategically plan the whole campaign, and I
opportunities that audiences present for the arts and did believe that the audience was diverse, complex and
culture. The lessons from arts audiences are not unique to evolving. I used research from a variety of industries to
this sector. The recently released ‘Connecting Australians: explore audience opportunities and reach ‘new’ audiences.
2016 National Arts Participation Survey’ reports that Audience records were broken and new targets set for the
98% of Australians are engaged in the arts. This means future, audiences who would never have conceived of the
these same 98% of Australians are our shared audience, experience were converted. Eyes were opened, appetites
yours and mine. The beliefs this research reports are the raised, industries and sectors connected audiences in some
same beliefs of our combined audience: that the arts reflect surprising and unprecedented ways.
Australia’s diversity, they shape and express identity, and
create empathy, understanding and connection. What do Yet there were more satisfying moments. Visiting the
these beliefs have to do with your products and services? audience as they enjoyed their experiences at random times
throughout the campaign was one of the most informative
Savvy marketers will delve deeper into this research and rewarding ways that I got to know my audience. I
to appreciate these socially cohesive behaviours and observed, chatted and collected the stories of how they
motivations of this shared audience. These characteristics

PROPORTION OF AUSTRALIANS WHO FELT THE ARTS HAD
A ‘BIG’ OR ‘VERY BIG’ IMPACT ON VARIOUS AREAS

Stimulating their minds
Their ability to express ourselves
Their ability to think creatively and develop new ideas
Child development
Their understanding of other people and cultures
Their sense of well-being and happiness
Helping them deal with stress, anxiety or depression
Shaping and expressing Australian identity
Bringing customers to local businesses

Source: Australia Council, ‘Connecting Australians: 2016 National Arts Participation Survey’

THE CULTURE ISSUE

26 AUDIENCES

MEDIA USED TO ENGAGE WITH THE ARTS ONLINE

AUSTRALIAN POPULATION AGED TO

Facebook

YouTube
Artist or arts
organisation website
Instagram

Email newsle ers

Online newspaper

Pinterest

Twi er marketingmag.com.au

Reddit

Source: Australia Council, ‘Connecting Australians: 2016 National Arts Participation Survey’

came to be there – further consolidating my knowledge do we really know our audiences? is almost as hard as
of them to take them to their next experience. We were answering the question, what is culture? My advice is
simultaneously evolving behaviours, drawing from and then not to seek a definition, but to continue to ponder
contributing to cultural experiences, and ultimately the questions and use as many different resources as we
connecting shared audiences. have available to us to curate our audience experiences.
And if you aren’t sure who Bridget Riley is and have never
I am not convinced that referring to segments as ‘new’ experienced the Djuki Mala dancers, look them up, because
audiences is useful. All audiences are someone else’s you are missing out!
already. Yes, they may be new to you or they may indeed
just need the right trigger for you to recognise them – Celia Pavelieff is marketing and operations manager at
my dormant rugby union years as an example. What Australia Council for the Arts.
other insights do reports such as the ‘2016 National Arts
Participation Survey’ provide about your current and Research to explore
hottest prospected audiences? Do you know what music
Australians listen to or books they read? These same ‘Connecting Australians: 2016 National Arts
Australians who spend countless hours following sport or Participation Survey’: www.australiacouncil.gov.au/
avoiding it? Are you aware of how active and participatory research/connecting-australians
we like to be? Are you missing opportunities to engage with
your audiences? Have you considered cultural backgrounds Arts Nation: hub of research and data on the arts in
in designing and curating your campaigns? Australia: www.australiacouncil.gov.au/research

Audiences and culture are two of the most wonderfully ‘Building Audiences: Aboriginal and Torres Strait
consuming concepts that we as marketers are interested in. Islander Art’: www.australiacouncil.gov.au/research/
Culture is inseparable from who we are, what we choose to building-audiences-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-
do, watch, consume, buy and eat. To answer the question: islander-arts

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

27 SURVEY PARTNER: SSI

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THE CULTURE ISSUE

International tourism delivers bill rs to

our economy each year. Here’s a ding

ho’s coming, and who’s spending.

Australian tourism bi ion international
industry total billion o s, staying a total of
visitor spend

$119.8

billion

MOST VISIT BY COUNTRY (ye ing De 1

NEW ZEALAND CHINA UK US N

1.2 1.1 674,000 668,000 38 00

million (+ lli n (+ 7% (+4%) (+16 )
year-on-y

NTRY (year ending Dec er 2016)

CHINA li %) $ NEW ZE JAPA
i +) ill
$9.2 billion

billion (+11%
year-on-year

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

MAIN REASON FOR TRIP BY SPEND (2015-16) 14%

HOLIDAY $15.9b of international travellers
CATION .3b used Uber in 2016
$5.8b EDUCATION
common website
to book private
mmodatio was
Airbnb d by

$

$2

?

AUS RALI S
TOURISM
LABOUR FORCE

nd takeaway o d services NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
BY SECTOR

directly employed

391,000

indirect o

mployed , res a o

l 69,700

Transpo

5
,2

Clubs and pubs

31,200

o s: urism Research Australia ‘International Visitors in Australia year n 0

uri R rc us ia ‘Australia’s Tourism Labour Force’, Tourism Research Australi ‘S of In tr 1 ’

J 49 2 via 2 R

Cultural awareness and
reflection through food

Adam Joseph explores Aboriginal food tourism, and how it
exemplifies the opportunities for Indigenous Australians in the tourism
industry to provide authentic, rewarding experiences for tourists,
while fostering cultural awareness and upholding traditional values.

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

31 BUSHFOODS

In 2012 a war of words erupted in the Federal “For someone like me, who
Parliament between two MPs on the same side prides himself on being
of politics when one was described as an “urban culturally informed, it
Aboriginal” and “not a man of culture”. As the senior shines a light on how much
policy adviser to that same political party in the more I have to learn.”
tourism and regional development portfolio, I was fixated
by this, but keen not to engage for several reasons. Aboriginal Citizenship, my grandmother had to buy beer
First, it was being driven by the other side of politics, in pubs and take them out to the combi for my grandfather
for partisan political gain, and not to advance the cause to drink. While his father’s identity was a closely guarded
of Indigenous Australians. Second, I had only recently family secret that tormented him, he maintained that he
received the results of Tourism Australia research that was not Aboriginal, but merely tanned well in summer and
showed 81% of inbound tourists wanted an ‘authentic’ “wasn’t going to drop his pants to prove it to a publican”.
Aboriginal tourism experience – something that
required interpretation and understanding. Third, it
challenged my own thinking about Aboriginality, and
potentially identity.
When my grandparents holidayed in Queensland
in the late 1950s, a decade before the Referendum on

@marketingmag LAND OF OPPORTUNITY

Indigenous businesses are creating opportunities well beyond food and tourism.
Anne-Marie Elias, chief disruptor, shines the light on Indigenous businesses that
are creating new opportunities for inclusion in the digital and start-up environment.

Closing the gap on digital literacy is digital “Indigenous job creation through Indigenous economic
technology company Indigital (indigital.net) development is far more successful, and sustainable,
founded by Mikaela Jade, a Cabrogal woman than job creation alone… Indigenous businesses are 100
from Sydney. Indigital is bridging ancient times more likely to employ Indigenous people.”
cultures and the digital economy. Based in Kakadu,
it brings new technologies like AR and VR to rural, Start-up accelerator Barayamal (barayamal.com.au)
regional and remote communities. Empowering is a culturally appropriate business accelerator program
Indigenous communities to share their ancient culture for Indigenous entrepreneurs, with effective support,
with the world and creating economic opportunities at each stage of a business, from concept development
for them. to stand-alone businesses. It was founded by Dean
Foley, a Kamileroi man who grew up in Gunnedah, and
One organisation aiming to build on the strengths and was inspired to support Indigenous entrepreneurship
assets of Australia’s first peoples is First Australians as a way of reducing unemployment and social
Capital (firstaustralianscapital.org), a company disadvantage. Barayamal means ‘Black Swan’ in
founded by Jocelyn King in order to reduce poverty Kamilaroi language. Before 1697 Europeans had only
and disadvantage. By supporting the prosperity and ever seen white swans, so the black swan represents
growth of Indigenous business, it is confident it can help Indigenous entrepreneurs who have not been noticed
entrepreneurs to create viable and scalable business for their innovative and successful businesses.
that will ‘close the gap’ for Indigenous communities. First Barayamal is a grass-roots initiative that is 100%
Australian Capital provides the necessary scaffolding Indigenous owned and managed. It believes
to help businesses start, grow and thrive. It does this by that by empowering Indigenous entrepreneurs
providing access to mentors, capital and skilled staff to Barayamal could help close the gap on
build business. In 2014 ‘The Forrest Review’ found that Indigenous disadvantage in Australia.

THE CULTURE ISSUE

32 BUSHFOODS

“I had heard often enough The importance of acknowledging Aboriginal development marketingmag.com.au
that cultural protocols of food is explored with a powerful example. Guides
were important, but introduce tourists to a certain fruit, which if eaten raw has
learned, for the very first a dangerous psychoactive effect. If eaten in large quantity,
time, why this is so.” it causes certain death. The fact it can be eaten safely,
however, if soaked in water for no less than two weeks
Hearing that growing up left my siblings and I identifying is knowledge that was gained through trial and error
not as Aboriginal people, but with them. We lived on a farm and persistent research. That knowledge represents the
scattered with Aboriginal artefacts, and spent our Christmas innumerable deaths of Aboriginal people who suffered in
holidays in Condobolin (Wiradjuri country) where my the process.
great-aunt ran Well Baby clinics for Aboriginal families. We
were proud of Dad’s role at Indigenous Business Australia I had heard often enough that cultural protocols were
helping to incubate Aboriginal owned enterprises. important, but learned, for the very first time, why this is
so. For instance, I learned why fish is divided a certain way
This background motivated me, quite naturally, to give (different body parts shared among different groups: the
pro bono assistance in recent years to a range of Aboriginal elderly, children, men and women). But it’s not for me to
causes – from preventative health charities, to packaged share this insight into Aboriginal people’s culture in this
food manufacturers, to tourism ventures. article – it’s for Aboriginal guides to share this information
as part of cultural information sharing business. In using
And yet, even for me, someone who is genuinely well- Aboriginal food, the importance of acknowledgement and
motivated to help to foster and celebrate Aboriginal culture, involvement of Aboriginal people is key.
the process of doing so leaves me more often than not
feeling awkward, unsure and at times intrusive. The Botanic Garden’s cultural tour has also caused
me to reflect on my own efforts, helping a Lithgow region
Last week, I stood on a rock in what was once ‘Farm farmer commercialise a paddock, based on the principles of
Cove’ looking out at Bennelong Point and the Sydney acknowledgement, proper use and support for community.
Opera House (once the site of a large shell midden). I was Her intention is to build a viable model, involving
surrounded by well-known foodies (including restaurateur Aboriginal people, to deliver guided walks and catered
Peter Gilmore, and Young Henrys’ brewer Richard meals. It could represent a model for other likeminded
Adamson). In my group were representatives of packaged Australian farmers to diversify their agribusiness
food manufacturers, including Coca-Cola Amatil and holdings. It’s obvious that work (and business ownership)
others, who had gathered for an Aboriginal cultural tour of opportunities for Aboriginal people that centre on
the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney. celebrating their own rich culture bring more than financial
security. Aboriginal food tourism reinforces clan kinship,
As my mouth grew numb from a medicinal plant promotes health and well-being (via exercise and a balanced
Gadigal people used to help aid tooth removal (Yuin diet), fosters cross-cultural awareness, and helps safeguard
woman, humourist and guide Jess Sinnott calls it a ‘dentist the collective knowledge acquired by first peoples.
tree’), I listened to Jody Orcher (Ualarai Barkandji woman
from Brewarrina) recreate the scene as, over two centuries It’s intractably hard going, building an experience
before, Cadigal Cammeraigal Guringai people were yelling that offers tourists a rewarding, interesting and varied
‘Warra Warra Budu Nawi’ (warning each other about experience, and one that may be considered ‘authentic’, let
ghosts coming on a big canoe). alone navigating local Aboriginal politics and overcoming
mistrust about motives. Yet, the experience of the Royal
The bush tucker and cultural tour of the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney demonstrates it is achievable.
Botanic Garden in Sydney reintroduces Australians to
this wonderful tourist attraction by reinterpreting it as a Adam Joseph is a government relations specialist. He has
place where food gathering, preparation and sharing has worked as a policy and media adviser and speech writer to
occurred for millennia. And for someone like me, who Australian parliamentarians, mainly in the tourism and
prides himself on being culturally informed, it shines a regional development portfolios. He spent six years as a senior
light on how much more I have to learn. In fact, my journey corporate affairs manager at a leading FMCG manufacturing
has barely begun. business and is a former director of industry associations. He
currently works in-house at an Australian renewable energy
company and provides pro bono advice to several not-for-
profits. He holds degrees in international relations and
diplomacy from Sydney and Oxford Universities.

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017



NEGOTIATION PATTERNS
ACROSS BORDERS

VERY LITTLE PROTOCOL
frank compromise
AUSTRALIA cups of tea, general frank Australian CRUNCH jocular cosy, matey CLARITY
WORD BASE coffee outlines of proposal cynicism exchanges method ending

first names deal

SOME IRREVERENCE

POLITE REACTION MAY BE

CHINA long preamble weighted RESIST slow, drawn out tough talk may use CLARITY
WORD BASE silence tactic

government or regional influences often affect progress harmonise
without losing

face

to get to know proposals negotiations huge market may introduce
partner card last-minute
changes

MORALISTIC CALM OR
CONFRONTATIONAL

POLITE DEVELOPS LET'S FINALISE TOMORROW
PERSONALISM

UNITED KINGDOM begins half agrees modifies
WORD BASE casually keeps calm proposal
seems introduces
we might uses humour
friendly intro makes RESISTCODED proposes repackages jovial
informal have reasonable RESISTspeechtea break deal 3/4
a little proposal to avoid agreement
proposal deadlock

POLITE ELIMINATES OPPONENT'S
STICKING POINTS
“DON'T ROCK THE BOAT”

SOFTENING UP TACTICS
PHASE
mention competitions
SINGAPORE personal praises asks offers fake anger hinting you
WORD BASE questions other other
entertaining golf side side opinions shrewd may fail down GOAL
(banquet) karaoke (family, (face) to when negotiating last-minute demands to earth
money) speak agreement
etc relationship stalling
inflated intitial price
first is OK pretend they do not
care about outcome
LOOKING FOR
HARMONY AND TRUST

Richard D Lewis, one of the UK's foremost linguists has visited more than 120 countries, taken language school
Berlitz to Asia, Portugal and Finland and personally tutored Empress Michiko of Japan. He speaks 10 languages,

founded consultancy CrossCulture (crossculture.com) and wrote the best-selling When Cultures Collide.
Decades of research have lead to Lewis’ mapping of the communications patterns typical to different countries.

A small selection of them are reproduced here with permission.

WORD BASE minimal repetition harmonising constructive silence CLARITY MAY NOT JAPAN
speech comments BE ACHIEVED

SOFT SELL SEEK SINCERITY, DEPENDABILITY

OPENING friendly but factual make RESIST query seek gentle fairness NEW ZEALAND
correct state aims proposal objection compromise but firm must be hallmark
negotiating
openly of final
agreement

BUT NOT BRITISH-STYLE CODED SPEECH
SOFT TOUCH

WORD BASE asks other side… modifies own says what adds ends in INDONESIA
…to speak first proposal… you want: ambiguity

respect language especially for older people

…to show …want to polite requests
deference hear

WORD BASE all the cards spell it confront A FIGHT concessions
on the table all out provoke conciliation

wishes to do the business as soon as possible summary CLARITY US

louder sarcasm is communication
kidding

Figures reproduced by Marketing, property of Richard D Lewis / Richard Lewis Communications. Visit https://www.crossculture.com.

36 CHINESE TOURISM marketingmag.com.au

Top five motivations
for travel outside Asia:

= Relaxation (44%),
= to try something

new (39%),
= to feel excited by new

experiences (37%),
= a reward for hard

work (30%), and
= to meet new

people (28%).

Lassedesignen via 123RF

The Chinese traveller

Ed Steiner discusses the emerging travel behaviours and preferences of
Chinese people and the implications for the Australian tourism industry.

@marketingmag T he rapidly evolving Chinese traveller promises The semi-FIT traveller is keen for some aspects of travel
to dramatically shift the needle for the tourism to be organised, as long as they have the freedom and
industry in Australia. flexibility to explore and discover something on their own.
The growing middle class in China has
allowed for a greater emphasis on quality of Group travel still holds appeal, particularly for those
life and, with that, people are more willing to spend on travelling with elderly companions or children. But
travel and shopping. increasingly, Chinese FIT and semi-FIT travellers want
to do self-guided holidays in Australia with family and
From our recent investigation into the Chinese friends. The opportunity for the Australian travel
mindset about travel abroad and what they look for in industry is therefore to respond and create appropriate
travel experiences, we’ve identified an emerging theme: the packages with pre-booked accommodation and flights but
Chinese are no longer tourists; they’re travellers. flexible itineraries.

The days of taking in the sights from the safety of a tour EMBRACING THE SHARE ECONOMY
bus are coming to an end, being replaced by a new class of
Chinese world traveller, eager to embrace and engage in China is leading the way globally with share economy
new experiences. The traveller is motivated by experiences adoption, which in 2015 was worth US$299 billion,
that differ completely to everyday life and where there and is expected to grow 40% by 2020. Share economy
is an opportunity to learn: different customs, cultures, accommodation already accounts for 13 million travellers –
languages, cuisines, scenery and activities. about 10% of Chinese outbound travellers each year.

This new class of traveller seeks out the exotic and looks What the Chinese traveller likes about the share
for curiosity-satisfying experiences that are ‘brag worthy’ economy is the interaction with local people and the
and unique to share with friends and family back home. chance to have new experiences. Life is more convenient
with the share economy, which is viewed as better value for
For us in Australia, particularly brands and money. Instead of booking ahead, the Chinese are booking
organisations in the travel, hospitality and retail sectors, in the moment from the comfort of home or spontaneously
some of the more significant trends underpinning this shift while on the road. Given the trend in China toward a
bring to light key opportunities in the travel purchase cycle. cashless society, Chinese travellers are well-accustomed to
online bookings and will appreciate Australian businesses
Here are some of our findings and the implications that accept payment through UnionPay, Alipay and
for marketers. WeChat, to name a few.

THE CHINESE APPETITE FOR ‘FREE, “The days of taking in
INDEPENDENT TRAVEL’ the sights from the safety
of a tour bus are coming
While group travel has traditionally provided a much to an end.”
enjoyed safety net, the trend is turning toward Chinese
travellers seeking the spontaneity, adventure and flexibility
that comes with free, independent travel (FIT).

The pure FIT traveller is often part of the younger
demographic. They plan their holiday themselves and
enjoy venturing solo beyond the cities into regional
Australia. Yet there is a middle ground in the fast-growing
semi-FIT segment.

THE CULTURE ISSUE

38 CHINESE TOURISM

Sheeler via 123RF

“What the Chinese traveller SHARING THE LOVE marketingmag.com.au
likes about the share
economy is the interaction Chinese travellers are highly digital and socially engaged,
with local people and and digital platforms along with word of mouth, are highly
the chance to have new influential on holiday decisions.
experiences.”
For example, travellers look to WeChat and Weibo for
For tourism boards, the popularity of the share economy family and friends’ opinions, Ctrip as a one-stop shop for
is great news. It’s the small towns and communities travel information, and more than four in five share their
that can really benefit, simply because having people holiday experiences on WeChat as they travel.
share their homes brings in the potential of greater
numbers of travellers. This brings in good business, not Despite efforts there is a lack of cut-through in
just for the individual hosts, but also for the community advertising Australians offer, creating a barrier to Chinese
at large as travellers explore restaurants, cafés and travellers visiting Australia. Having a cohesive and greater
touring services. presence on social media and apps like WeChat, Weibo and
Ctrip will help make Australia more relevant.
Traditional accommodation providers can still come
out on top, despite the obvious threat of the share economy. Overall, we must start to view the Chinese visiting
Though to do so, they must better communicate the value of Australia differently. The Chinese traveller is no longer
services where share economy providers cannot compete, your average tourist, but now a world-class traveller eager
such as: room service, on-site restaurants, concierge to explore the unknown and seek new adventures.
services, laundry services and health clubs. Looking for
ways to provide greater personalisation and customisation Much like Australians, Chinese travellers want to ‘find
to grow will be key. themselves again’ and nourish their souls through new
experiences, and the more we can develop our offer to meet
these needs, the better.

As the new Chinese traveller looks for a destination
that can provide new learning opportunities, cultural
experiences, and fresh and flexible itineraries that help
to provide unique and shareable memories, Australia’s
natural charms will undoubtedly rise to the top.

Ed Steiner is director of travel and leisure at Kantar
TNS Australia.

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017



Uber’s X-rated behaviour marketingmag.com.au

Karl Treacher analyses the cultural troubles at Uber that led to a toxic work
environment and its CEO being forced out.

Finger limes – photo by
Cokemomo via 123RF

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

41 ANALYSIS

I ’m rated 4.65 as an Uber customer. A driver once customer experience and satisfaction at a similar cost.
told me. I rated him 3.0 because he kept sneezing in All too often the speed of success comes with a series of
the car with the windows up and was listening to challenges.
Michael Bolton. Uber itself has been an incredible
story of what’s possible when a business launches to Organisational health and culture are just a few of
satisfy a vastly disgruntled audience. In other words, when the more common ones. By now most people are aware of
consumers feel captive to industry players that act in their the evolving culture and reputation catastrophe that lies
own best interest. Or, without customer-centric vision, it beneath the ride-sharing/meal-delivery tech giant. It’s no
leaves the door wide open for a business that can deliver secret, and much has been written on this topic. However,
it appears that little has been discussed about the reasons
@marketingmag behind this reputation challenge. I mean, what’s really
behind it. It’s always easy to point at the CEO and, in many
cases, that’s appropriate, but it’s never the whole story. Now,
I’m not about to profess to knowing the whole story, but after
studying brand, reputation and culture for 20 years I would
contend that there are a few universal practices in this story
that have led Uber to where it is today. I’m going to leave the
CEO hatchet job to others (like the 20 major investors who
asked him to step down from the position), but talk about
some equally concerning cultural concerns at Uber.

TOO MANY WORDS, NOT ENOUGH VALUES

Reportedly, Uber has 14 core values. Yep, 14. I’m not going
to list them all here because you’ll forget them anyway – as
all people would, do and did. Fourteen values are too many.
About 10 too many. Through our research, and as being a
human, I’ve found that people can remember about seven
when socialised effectively, but can only use three or four to
inform and shape decision-making and behaviour – which
is their only role and purpose.

From the 14 (which are a poor spread across the things
that cultivate communities), I’d probably pick ‘obsessed
with the customer’, then ‘inside out’ and ‘being yourself’ as
the best of a bad lot, and they are well down the list… well
beyond the point of interest for an employee. Up the top of
the list is ‘super-pumpedness’ and ‘always be hustling’ –
two behaviours (not values) that encourage competition.

So when the former US Attorney General Eric
Holder delivered his findings after a workplace culture
investigation and suggested the ‘values’ need work, it was
no surprise to me. It was, however, a surprise to others it

It’s always easy to point at
the CEO and, in many cases,
that’s appropriate, but it’s
never the whole story.

42 ANALYSIS

appears. The company has since lost an estimated $26 People can remember marketingmag.com.au
billion in value based on Holder’s report. That’s a big price about seven values when
to pay for getting your values wrong, you say? Indeed, but socialised effectively, but
of course that’s not the only thing that went wrong and we’ll can only use three or four to
get to that a little later. inform and shape decision-
making and behaviour.
While we’re on the topic of values, in Australia we
are surrounded by companies with corporate, generic, REPUTATION RISKS
meaningless value statements and values lists. I recently
watched a brand employ an old-school HR director who Here’s where it gets controversial and, in my opinion, a
wound the values back from a meaningful list of authentic, little unfortunate. For many organisations, this type of
meaningful statements to the age-old, ignorable and negative publicity and antisocial findings would mark the
invisible list of honesty, passion, collaboration, innovation… beginning of the end – and rightly so. Some would weather
zzzzz. Yes, they are great values, but they are hygiene. They the storm, stabilise and rebuild and some would continue
are the basics. The ticket to play. The things that every single on with a small dent in the armour.
successful company must have to effectively operate, grow
and turn a profit. Show me the real values, I say. The values Uber will probably do what it needs to in terms of
that express the unique and driving ambition behind the rectifying the overt cultural issues and bad press and
company. Values that embody the spirit of the community continue on without the level of scrutiny deserving of this
and strategic direction. Values that really connect people type of organisational challenge. Why? Because vast numbers
with their customers and one another. Values that connect of people need, like and love the concept and experience.
everyone to one single-minded purpose. Uber saves them from catching a taxi. In Australia, we know
that our taxi associations have big regulatory challenges and
Unlike a generic list of boring values, what Uber did more often than not deliver very poor experiences. If there’s
well was articulate the things that actually do drive the an alternative, and one that solves that problem but may be
company. The problem is that they are the wrong things. at the cost of employee workplace culture (someone else’s),
Uber chose a list of statements from one super-competitive, then in the scheme of value-based decision-making it’s a
win-at-all-cost bucket and then threw a customer-centric no-brainer. At the heart of any behavioural analysis is the
statement on the end, so as not to have 13 values. They human desire for self-preservation.
add ‘champion’s mindset’, ‘making bold bets’, ‘meritocracy’
and ‘toe-stepping’ to the already individualistic and THE WRAP
competitive list.
Uber grew quickly and in a raw entrepreneurial fashion
THE RIGHT THINGS with ‘results at all cost’ as its unspoken mantra. This
happens when organisations are beholden to the demands
Coming from Holder’s report was a list of recommendations of investors. Their ‘values’ are flaws by design and aren’t
and Uber’s future depends on it actioning these. Some of the connected to their behaviours, leaving the door open for the
suggestions are quite simple and fundamental. For instance: types of things that happened at Uber. Will we see it again
mandatory human resource and management training, with another company? Yes, particularly in this start-up,
increase diversity and enhance board oversight. investor era. Will this be the end of Uber? Definitely not,
but I for one hope it takes notice of the audit's findings
I find it fascinating that, despite watching what works and builds a people-centric, service-first culture that will
and what doesn’t, we continue to see organisations and benefit all.
executives within organisations choosing to ignore the
learnings from failure and lessons from success to ‘do it Karl Treacher is group CEO at The Brand Institute of
their way’. Uber clearly has done things its own way and Australia, a behavioural analyst with more than 20 years’
has been in some ways a great success and in others a experience and a pioneer of organisational reputation, brand
dismal failure. When it comes to workplace culture and and culture alignment. Tweet at him using @treacher.
community, the latter is most appropriate.

Uber needs to take its culture as seriously as any other
company. It is the number one contributor to sustained
organisation success. Of course it is. Its definition ‘how we
do things’ proves this point, and if the way you do things at
Uber involves a reported 215 sexual harassment claims and
many other general employee harassment issues, then the
way you do things needs to change.

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017



ARTEFACTS

ESPOUSED VALUES
AND BELIEFS

BASIC UNDERLYING
ASSUMPTIONS

Source: Schein, EH 2017, Organisational Culture and Leadership 5th Edition, Wiley, New Jersey, USA, pp17.

TIP OF THE ICEBERG

The three-layer model of organisational culture depicted here originated with
Edgar Henry Schein in the 1980s. Schein, a professor at the MIT Sloan School
of Management has made a lasting mark on the field of organisational culture.
Often depicted as an iceberg or onion, the idea is that the onion’s inner layer

and the iceberg’s lowest layer are invisible to the observer.

Artefacts include the visible, tangible identifiable elements
in an organisation and they can be recognised by people

not part of the culture. They may include aspects like interior
design, dress code and jokes. Artefacts are easy to observe

but can be hard to decipher.

Espoused values and beliefs are an organisation’s ideologies –
it’s ideals, goals, values and aspirations. It is often expressed in
official philosophies and public statements of identity and is how
the members represent the organisation to themselves as well as
to outsiders. It may or may not be consistent with artefacts and
behaviours and trouble may arise if leaders espouse values that

are incongruent with the deeper assumptions of the culture.

Basic assumptions are the deeply embedded, unconscious,
taken-for-granted beliefs and values. They’re usually unconscious

– but they constitute the essence of culture. Basic underlying
assumptions are often hard to recognise from within because

they are so deeply integrated in the office dynamic.
They determine behaviour, perception, thought and feeling.

THE CULTURE ISSUE

46 CONTENT PARTNER: MARKETO

Eliminating ‘guess-stress’ is the Chris Connell is senior
key to customer engagement director of marketing at
Marketo, Asia-Pacific
To drive revenue growth for our businesses, marketers
must remove ‘guess-stress’, says Chris Connell.
We need to stop marketing, and start engaging, now.

M agnum Opus Partners’ 2017 As Julie, the manager, likes to say to me now and again, marketingmag.com.au
‘Awareness Survey’ of 1500 “The real loyalty card is no loyalty card.”
Australians showed that, when asked
to recall an ad they either liked or A study earlier in the year by Wunderman found
disliked, 57% couldn’t remember a that 79% of consumers say ‘brands must actively
single ad they felt positive about. Perhaps more shockingly, demonstrate they understand and care about me’ before
66% couldn’t remember an ad they disliked. they’ll consider purchasing.

What’s going on? Why are brands wasting millions on Herein lies the challenge for marketing professionals.
marketing that evidently doesn’t work? While a small business like a coffee shop can engage its
daily customers on a very personal level, how do we do that
I catch the bus into the Sydney CBD each morning for at scale for our organisations, where we have hundreds,
work. Between the city bus stop and my office, there are 14 thousands or tens of thousands of people to connect with?
different cafés I could grab my coffee from. But I always go
to the same place: a small hole-in-the-wall style coffee shop Well, in truth, we haven’t been able to. As a marketing
called Mia & Co. It’s a moment I look forward to each day. professional myself, I’ve been in this situation plenty
As I place my foot inside the door, I’m greeted with a smile, of times.
and a warm “Good morning, Chris”, and off to work they go.
They don’t ask me what I want; they already know. You see, And that’s why we see so much wasted marketing spend.
the first time I walked into this coffee shop five months ago, Because too many of us lack the ability to learn what our
they took the time to get to know me. To learn my name, and customers want, at scale. So we get stuck in ‘disruption’
what I liked. mode, sending messages out that disrupt the customer, and
‘hoping’ it strikes the right nerve, because we simply don’t
Their advantage over the other coffee shops on the know if it will resonate until it’s out in the wild. And, more
block isn’t anything to do with price, or the blend of their often than not, it falls flat.
coffee beans. They have an emotionally-based engagement
with me. Magna Australia – IPG Mediabrands’ media
investment and intelligence division forecasts a marketing
It’s like throwing a dart at and advertising spend of almost $16 billion in Australia
a dartboard – we hope that in 2017, stark evidence of the business risk facing many
today we will hit the bull’s organisations today. As marketers, we can’t continue like
eye, and send out something this, the risk is too great.
that works.
GUESS-STRESS

Avoiding ‘guess-stress’ is how marketers remove the risk of
wasted marketing spend – it’s how we use engagement to
drive revenue growth that is measurable.

A large part of this enormous amount of wasted
marketing dollars can be put down to one thing – acting
first, listening second. This is where ‘guess-stress’ comes in.
We face business demands each quarter to drive revenue

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

@marketingmag “For too long, marketers marketers have used data to try and justify what they did,
have used data to try rather than drive decisions looking forward. It’s been a
and justify what they historical application.
did, rather than drive
decisions looking DON’T BE THE FROG
forward. It’s been a
historical application.” The evidence is clear and prevalent, if your marketing team
isn’t using data, insights and intelligence to drive your
and growth. This business stress transfers to the marketing decision-making, you’re like the proverbial frog in boiling
department, often ill-equipped to effectively understand water, and that water is getting very warm.
what’s happening in the market, and how our customers
want us to engage with them – so we guess. We sit in an Data-driven engagement is the only way to invest
office meeting room, and under the stress of meeting the marketing resources in a way that can forecast returns
demands of our business, we guess. before the money is invested. It’s how you avoid ‘guess-
stress’, unleash the growth potential of your business and
It’s like throwing a dart at a dartboard – we hope that fend off competitors who are stuck in ‘disrupt’ mode.
today we will hit the bull’s eye, and send out something that
works. While we know this isn’t the way it should be, often And the statistics show this to be true.
as marketers we simply don’t have the insights and access The ‘New Intelligent Enterprise Report’ developed
to the data we need to truly engage with our customers in a by IBM Institute of Business Value and MIT Sloan
personalised way. Management Review showed that analytically
sophisticated companies are 2.2 times more likely to
RECEIVING NOT SENDING outperform industry peers.
Marketers that are able to use data-driven insights to
To win the hearts and minds of our customers over the engage with customers across channels, at scale, are far
next 12 months, we need to get out of ‘send’ mode and into more likely to be a high-success team relative to their peers.
‘receive’ mode. This is the key to engagement. That’s why we are starting to see big shifts occurring in
the market. According to The Economist Intelligence Unit,
As marketers, we need to stop marketing and start less than half of today’s marketers say they currently use
engaging. But what does that really mean? Well, it’s quite data to drive marketing decisions, but more than 80% say
simple: ‘marketing’ is when you take your best guess they’ll need to over the next three to five years.
at what may work today, and then receive the results CEOs are paying attention as well. PwC’s ‘CEO Survey
tomorrow. Engagement is the opposite. Engagement is 2016’ found that ‘changing customer behaviour’ was the
when you listen and learn about your customers first, and number one focus area for CEOs globally, and this was
act second. Act based on the knowledge you’ve acquired. having the biggest impact on their business strategy. With
Act based on making an emotional connection. Act based this executive focus, marketing teams are securing the
on insight. technology they need to enable engagement.

While ‘marketing’ is hoping that something you SURVIVING AND THRIVING
push out today will work, ‘engagement’ is knowing that
it will, because you already know what your customers Marketing professionals need rich customer insights
want, what they desire. You listen and learn first, and across channels if they are going enable their companies to
act second. survive and thrive over the next 12 months.

Listening means having a 360-degree view of Savvy marketers are already moving to engagement
customers across every channel. It means having their data platforms that use data as the central ‘brain’ of the
sit at the heart of the marketing department and strategy. marketing department, allowing them to engage with
Most importantly, you must have an ability to use the data, customers at scale in an authentic and personal way, while
to analyse it and use it to drive decisions. For too long, being able to forecast the results of marketing spend before
a dollar has been spent.

This is what high-performance marketing teams look
like in 2017. How does your marketing team compare?

Marketo is a Marketing content partner
– a leading organisation with which we
collaborate.

THE CULTURE ISSUE

48 COMMERCIALISING WOMEN’S SPORTS

Even playing field

There’s plenty to be excited about in the development of top-level women’s sport
in Australia. Big brands are signing on as sponsors, but significant gaps in pay,
media coverage and public engagement mean true parity with men’s leagues
may be some way off.

t’s an exciting time for women’s sport in Australia. Those interested in
Earlier this year the AFLW surpassed expectations accelerating women’s sport
in its first season, attracting impressive crowds. need to lean in with a startup
Our rugby sevens team won gold at last year’s Rio attitude toward investment
Olympics. March saw a pay rise for top-level crick- and expected return.
eters. Pro surfers remain more competitive internationally
than Australian male surfers. The NRL continues to invest In 2015, the chair of the Australian Sports Commission noted
in grassroots and touch football programs to engage a new that Australian women garnered only 8% of total corporate
generation of athletes and fans. sponsorships. Sports that have enjoyed female participation
It’s not just codes and fans flocking to support women’s for more than a generation – surfing and tennis, for example
sport. Big brands are rushing in too, recognising an obvious – exhibit a two-to-one pay gap. Cricket Australia’s recently
opportunity to get in at the ground level of a growing industry. introduced pay rise for pro women means the ratio is now
But it’s not all positive. Unfortunate and significant gaps approaching about four or five to one.
in pay, development and consumer engagement suggest it’ll
still be some time before women’s professional competitions Scott Dinsdale, media and entertainment lead ANZ
reach an even keel with men’s ones. and APAC and chair of the Digital Advisory Panel at the
A ‘chicken and egg’ type problem has arisen where a lack Australian Sports Commission, delivered a keynote speech
of popularity and fan engagement exists due to low media at the Business and Sports Summit event earlier this year
exposure and sponsorship, yet obtaining media coverage discussing the findings of the ‘Women in Sport – the state of
and sponsorship demands popularity among fans. play in Australia’ study, which was developed in partnership
Pay gaps exist between male and female professional with Cricket Australia and Australian Rugby.
athletes, which dwarf the already disappointing gender pay
gaps seen in the Australian workforce as a whole.

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017

3 February 2017 – Seconds before the first
bounce of the sold-out inaugural AFLW match

at Princes Park, Melbourne. By Flickr user
Leprecon (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

50 COMMERCIALISING WOMEN’S SPORTS

Big leagues,
big brands

AFLW:
NAB, Cotton On

W-LEAGUE SOCCER AND

MATILDAS NATIONAL

WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM:

Speaking with Marketing, he says he Westfield overall commercial value of sport in
believes there are two main commer- RUGBY LEAGUE: Australia overall of one third over the
cial reasons leagues are jumping next 15 years, would see women’s sport

on board with women’s sport. First, in 2015, Harvey Norman grow from its current estimate worth

they believe that, ultimately, women’s signed on as the first ever of less than $1 billion to $3.8 billion.

games will drive incremental revenue. Jillaroos sponsor Player income is a whole different
Second, he says, “They have all WNBL: ballgame. It’s worth noting that this
goal compares the idea of men’s and
become much more attendant over the

last five years to the role of women as Spalding, Qantas Assure, women’s sport in terms of commercial

fans of their traditional male games.” iAthletics market value, as opposed to income, marketingmag.com.au
It’s therefore an opportunity for NETBALL AUSTRALIA AND which is more commonly the focus
of gender parity goal projections in
leagues to butter their bread on both

sides, so to speak. SUPER NETBALL LEAGUE: other industries.

“As they continue to drive forward Suncorp, Nissan, Samsung AFLW
and create more competitive, more
compelling women’s games, they will CRICKET: It’s arguable that the differing sched-
see incremental revenue growth overall, Southern Stars national

and they will see more women inter- team is sponsored ules of AFLW – which launched in

ested in both games,” Dinsdale says. by Commonwealth Bank the summertime – and the men’s
“Hopefully, they can expect to see AFL competition props up AFLW as
WBBL TWENTY20 the ‘other’ league as opposed to the
men crossing over as well,” he adds. CRICKET: ‘main event’ men’s league. Dinsdale,
Accenture’s white paper estimates

the value of commercialised sport in Rebel Sport in disagreement, believes it was a

Australia to sit at about $10 billion, RUGBY SEVENS “master stroke”.
with a growth rate in the order of 3-4 NATIONAL TEAM: “Some would argue that if it were
percent per year.
on parity they should be playing at the

Based on anecdotal findings, it Qantas same time of the year,” he says.

suggests women’s sports currently But the result is a “bunch of crazed

represent 10% of commercialised fans who’ve been starved for AFL for a

sport in Australia at best. number of months,” he explains.

Accenture aims to define a realistic parity goal, It meant that the spectators – craving to do something

which would see the commercial sport market growing and craving to watch AFL – really gathered around it.

3% year-on-year to hit a total of $15.6 billion, with 40% This delivers a commercial boon from a public engage-

($6.2 billion) ascribed to women’s sport, based on relative ment perspective, Dinsdale says, as it has resulted in

participation rates. year-round talk of AFL.

This, the white paper concedes, is still unlikely, as such a The AFLW’s success was evident from game one,

projection assumes significant cannibalisation of the value where 12,000 were expected to show up to watch Colling-

of men’s sport, for which it does not expect the value to fall wood play Carlton at Princes Park, but instead more than

below $10 billion. double that number arrived, prompting event staff to close

Thus, a more realistic projection remodels the forecast the gates and turn away an estimated 2000 more punters.

with men’s growth at 2.75%, assuming some trade-off with The match was aired on the 7 Network and Fox Footy and

women’s growth. This, combined with the growth in the viewed by 896,000.

MARKETING AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017