Etnomarketing Down Under

I would like to talk about Australia, the land of kangaroos and koala bears, of the scorching sun and tropical beaches. The land of large cities like Sydney or Melbourne, where house prices skyrocket as more and more people wish to live down under.

Now, on to the marketing part. Marketing in Australia is more or less the same as in the US or the UK. Or so you’d think. You see, they’re English-speakers, but that doesn’t mean their British ancestors didn’t (over time) change their way of living. For starters, Australian beaches have barbeques for rent, as well as lounging chairs. The waves they surf on are far larger than those in the UK, as well as a nicer experience, considering that the water temperature never goes below 10 degrees. (Although the Indian Ocean has its setbacks too, like poisonous fish and sharks.)

A marketer sees something in that. You have a product, let’s say a refreshing drink. The refreshing drink is often drunk on hot summer days. Or, in Australia, on any given day. This refreshing drink is one in a million, but you’re lucky, the producer is already quite well known. Thee are many possible ways of getting to the point of brand advocacy. One would be to have a celebrity drink your drink in public, on stage or at some sort of big PR event. Now is the time to be cautious. You can’t just recycle your average English ad, you need to be more original than that. For one, try looking for an ‘Aussie’ celebrity. This will not be a football (or soccer, for you Americans out there) player, this person will be a rugby player. Because, as many of you will already know, rugby is far more popular down under than football. It is trying to advertise using a famous curling player in Brazil. For those of you that have never heard of curling, please look it up. It is a Canadian favourite, and a complete joke to many an American.

This is what curling looks like.

All in all, you might say the Australian is not so different after all. And you are right. Unless you are trying to market towards the indigenous people of Australia, you will most likely never encounter a serious marketing problem. However, if you feel out of your depth at any point during the marketing process, it is always wise to gather some advice from ‘real’ Australians. I’m talking focus groups and general market research. No matter what, always be cautious, and never recycle!

Sources:
http://onlinemarketingbanter.com