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Marketing to a Nation of Adventurers

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Australian’s love adventure sports and we live in one of the biggest natural adventure playgrounds in the world.

Australian’s love adventure sports and we live in one of the biggest natural adventure playgrounds in the world. Hiking, biking, four-wheel driving as well as camping and caravanning regularly top the list of polls about how Aussies love to spend their time.

Aussie’s also spend more money on recreation than a whole range of other living expenses including alcohol, personal care, gadgets and fashion[1], so it’s an attractive market for overseas businesses in the leisure industry looking to expand their international presence.

But successfully marketing your products in Australia means knowing what motivates Australian consumers. It also means building partnerships with local brands, and establishing relationships with local media.

And it helps to understand some of the unique challenges facing any business trying to sell their products in a country this big.

There’s no place like … Australia

Australia is a big country with an extreme climate and a few naturally occurring life-threatening dangers. When there are so many risks you can't control, you’re not reckless with the ones you can.

So Aussie adventurers look for reliable brands they can trust to meet the demands this vast landscape places on their sports.

Australia is passionate about four-wheel driving and enthusiasts travel far longer distances, for example, than their New Zealand counterparts, so there’s a unique market for products such as dual battery packs that prolong power and let them tackle longer distances with minimal risk.

It’s not enough just to meet that demand; you also need to be able to demonstrate those products can perform consistently in the hot, humid and harsh Australian environment.

Be Global but think Local

Despite being bigger in size than the UK and Europe combined, Australia is home to only a fraction of their population. So when you market in Australia, you're marketing to a whole lot of smaller markets each with their unique local identity.

Distributing a new product in Australia can be a challenge because of its sheer size, so building strategic partnerships with local businesses is a way to access those markets.

Aussies love convenience, so partnering with an existing online retail store is one way to tap into potential markets and take advantage of our love of online shopping. Or set up a local website and digital store, and start to build a unique online presence. It’s still worth having a bricks and mortar outlet for those customers who want to try before they buy.

Strategic partnerships don’t necessarily have to be with other producers and sponsoring a local event or club can generate publicity and build brand awareness with your target market. Consider approaching charities, trade organisations or associations to discuss potential opportunities.

It’s all about Community

Like a lot of today's savvy consumers Australians distrust messages in advertising. They place most trust in what marketing speak calls ‘earned media'[2]. Technically it’s not media, its word of mouth recommendations from family and friends … the people they trust.

For overseas businesses looking to build their brand in Australia local media especially local and community newspapers can be a great way to build awareness and establish that trust.

Community newspapers attract millions of readers every month; they are relied on and trusted – more than any other media source according to research[3] - by local communities to keep them up to date on business in their area and help them make shopping decisions.

Getting local press coverage relies on building relationships with local media, and that depends on knowing what they want. However much you want your brand to have a global identity, you’ll need to tailor global press releases if you want to get published.

Local media want something that will capture the interest of their readers; it could be a local event or story with a personal angle that indirectly showcases your product.

Make contact with local media representatives and find out what they want. Get to know the local market, find local events that work with your product and use those to frame your press release.

Think ‘Sustainable Marketing’

Sustainable Marketing Services has a track record of building successful local marketing campaigns for Australian and international businesses. We understand the unique demands of the Australian marketplace.

Call Sustainable Marketing Services today for a chat about how we can help you build your brand awareness in Australia.