Mumbrella360 catchup: Is Australia too small for the ambitious?
In the next instalment of a series to run in the coming days, we recap the highlights from the Mumbrella Question Time session at Mumbrella360.
Tim Burrowes was joined by Nick Baker, executive general manager of marketing for Tourism Australia, Stuart Gregor, founder of Liquid Ideas and chairman of the PR Council, John Mescall, executive creative director of McCann Worldgroup ANZ and Henry Tajer, executive chairman of Mediabrands and chairman of the Media Federation.
The panel discusses whether the Australian market is too small for those with big ambitions. “It’s more about [traveling to] New Delhi than New York” – Nick Baker.
To see all four parts of this video interview now, download this week’s Encore.
This story first appeared in the weekly edition of Encore available for iPad and Android tablets. Visit encore.com.au for a preview of the app or click below to download.
Interesting opinions!
Travelling abroad is not only beneficial for business but personally – experiencing cultures, fashions etc…from different parts of the world will allow an individual to have a much broader mind and ultimately not be confined by a closed set of ideals from one particular region…..
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1 believe ambition is generally constrained here for several reasons (well, one reason which drives the other reasons):
1) Population – very small at only @ 21 million/22 million
2) Because of the smaller population, we have less competition in many areas which leads to higher pricing for goods and services which leads to less purchasing by consumers and a restricted marketplace.
3) Less compeittion and low population means dominant retail players such as Coles and WW can apply draconian payment terms upon FMCG companies, who in turn, are forced to apply similar payment terms upon their suppliers, whether in food, appliances, marketing and advertising services and so on.
4) Poor payment terms mean constrained cashflow for businesses who are employed by the FMCG companies and similar corporations
5) Constrained cashflow means less investment in development of innovative ideas, products and services by all Australian companies, despite their desire to invest
I could go on but I don’t want to bore everyone. if you are ambitious, have a great idea you want to develop or sell/market or you want to market yourself or learn from a wealth of talent overseas (including Australians who reside overseas) who are in bigger marketplaces, then you need to go o/s. If you are happy being moderately successful and enjoying the amazing Australian lifestyle then stay and be happy with that. But don’t kid yourself that you couldn’t be more successful overseas. You probably could, for all the reasons listed above.
Thanks
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Martin Sorrell of WPP on moving to Australia:
‘Why would you want to do that? It’s a backwater’
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Australia is not necessarily too small, but it is not at all a place for people with big ambitions.
As a country we do have the population size and wealth for people with ambition to thrive, but we have very much an anti-innovation, anti-risk attitude in this country.
If Mark Zuckerberg was born in Australia, he would probably be nothing more than a mid-level digital marketing expert creating banner ads for a bank. Young, innovative ideas people are not embraced in Australia.
Investment culture in Australia is either, can it be dug out of the ground, is it a property, or is it a safe and proven formula. In markets like America, investors are constantly seeking out ‘the next big thing’ to throw money behind.
Anyone who truly has a big idea and wants to make it has to leave Australia to do so. Sure some do okay here, but never as well as they would if they leave. Governments, businesses and people by nature are conservative and risk averse, and it’s only getting worse.
Even our politicians are so scared of actually talking about anything that has anything to do with running the country, all we ever hear is ‘stop the boats’.
The reality is, it has to get worse before it will get better. Australian are just all too comfortable to care about how far backwards we are going. Whilst our country keeps surviving off digging up stuff out the ground, we can mask our extraordinarily unskilled, lazy, unionised workforces by having hundreds of thousands of people working for the oversized bureaucracies that are local, state and federal governments. Only when the government cannot afford to keep thousands of useless people in unnecessary, jobs, replicating the same role dozens of times over at local, state and federal levels and we have actual mass unemployment will people maybe sit-up and start changing their attitudes.
In the interim, anyone with a good idea, who has ambition and you want to make it beyond being just ‘mediocre’ best bet is to jump on a plane without looking back.
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Good and interesting question, but patchy and dodgy on the answers.
Henry supports the home team, who do well anywhere, but especially so in America apparently.
John blamed population inequity and remembered to support the home team.
Stuart “Travel broadens the mind” but don’t use that broadened mind against we who don’t travel ( and therefore have slimmer minds?) travel and learn but preferably not to London, especially Kensington, if you must do so don’t mention it when you get back and don’t knock the home team.
Nick had a nice broad approach to the question answering in a layered and positive way, noting the worth of world travel, but remembering ultimately not to knock the home team.
For myself, I say that if you have big ambitions in marketing, then Australia probably is a bit of a garage sale. I also support the home team, I like garage sales.
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It pains me a bit to admit msmh of these views are unfortunately correct.
It’s a cultural issue that starts young e.g. schooling system and then into university and then into the workforce.
If you want to live an average kind
..good but not great job, salary , achievements etc then this is the place for you. If you have big ambitions, people won’t say anything…they will be polite and force a smile and say ‘That’s nice…’ or some such..but No one not your boss or anyone else will give you any support. .
Nice people…friendly…laid back… risk adverse socialist types..equal society..comfortable…but small minded and if you want something more, it’s going to be frustrating.
Having said that though…dont be dissuaded…this means there is no competition if you are ambitious. See it as an opportunity with little competition (instead of frustration of no support and no one like minded support)…success is all yours…you will have to approach with right attitude and be persistent and resourceful with little support.
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