Why the ABC does not apologise for marketing its content
Today’s edition of The Australian newspaper sees the News Corp title criticise public broadcaster for purchasing keyword search engine terms in an effort to drive consumers to its news websites. In this opinion piece Leisa Bacon, director of audience and marketing at the ABC argues that its digital advertising is no different to its other marketing efforts.
All media outlets market their content. Billboards, newspaper advertising, back-of-bus signage, publicity and promotions on TV and radio stations are marketing tactics all of us as audience members are exposed to daily. The digital space is no different.
This is simply the newest marketing arena. At the ABC we invest in creating strong, distinctive, Australian content and we want that content to be found by our audience.
When an important Australian story breaks, like that of former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s passing on Tuesday, all media outlets, the ABC included, will publish content across their platforms. And like all other media companies, the ABC wants to ensure its content, which includes many years of rich TV, radio and print archives, reaches as many people as possible.
The ABC invests in Australian stories, content and conversations, often when others may not – we demonstrated this recently through our Mental Health initiative. In an increasingly fragmented media environment we need to help our audiences find and access these stories.
In addition, the ABC has a rich archive of content built over many years, across all our platforms. It is of great benefit to the public to be able to access this material. In a digital environment, search is critical to help navigate this.
Search for digital is like the TV Guide is for broadcast TV. It’s how audiences find things when they don’t know where to look. We need to have a presence, even though he ABC is fortunate to perform strongly in natural search. We add some paid search to this when we have content that’s harder to find, or a depth of content which will be appreciated by our audiences. It is a cost effective way of reaching our audiences.
Across the keywords ABC bids on, we have a high average quality score on search which enables us to bid efficiently. Hence the spend figure quoted by The Australian in relation to Gough Whitlam was grossly exaggerated at $10,000. The real amount was about one tenth of this, a small amount to spend to help audiences navigate years of rich content across TV, radio and news stories. This is the role of a public broadcaster, to share important Australian stories.
All companies act in this way, including other public broadcasters like the BBC, and frequently other government agencies, to help you find a service.
Finally the ABC understands it is part of a wider media ecosystem which is why we also promote other sites, both across the ABC network and other news sites. For example, if you go to our Gough Whitlam news coverage, online links promote and drive traffic to other news sites, including The Australian. We do this because as a public broadcaster we understand the demands of our audience and the need for as much information as possible, regardless of the source.
Leisa Bacon is director of audience and marketing at the ABC
Good on you Leisa!
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Good piece, Google is your home page.
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Oh, how times change.
I can remember poor Aunty being caned mercilessly for being so UNcommercial.
Back then Packer and Murdoch and their barking scribes derided how Aunty could not program and did not have a clue on how to gain an audience. A few decades on Aunty is now allegedly “stealing” audience from Newscorpse and other MSM now on life-support. Lets really look at the taxpayer support of these commercial media and ask “is it good value for money?”
Long live ABC.
I long ago abandoned MSM and I wont be back! For instance, I am here at Mumbrella, taking time to comment – time I will never again spend on a Newscorpse clickbait site.
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please stop giving The Australian oxygen. Compare its readership to the ABC’s viewers, listeners and readers.
Its just the usual muckraking..
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People know how to find the abc online – wasting tax payers’ money (which could otherwise go to meaningful public uses, such as truly helping the marginalised) to lift abc egos is self indulgent.
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They’re just shitty they’re fail business model runs counter-intuitive to the internet.
No point linking to a paywall.
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This is utter garbage.
The ABC is a media behemoth within Australia. It has a government funded reach beyond that possible by any privately funded media enterprise.
We all know where they are, the shows they run. They have their own internal channels as a megaphone to advertise any program they like.
What benefit does the taxpayer get by using our funds to compete directly with private companies with resources they cannot possibly match?
What benefit do we get from the ABC having a marketing arm at all?
The ABC is a cancer in our society. It has enabled a small cabal to retard the development of our nation.
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“The ABC is a cancer in our society. It has enabled a small cabal to retard the development of our nation.”
Get back on your meds, mate.
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Quite right Leisa. I’m guessing the words on the ABC are too big for Darryl and Michael. Go back to reading your comix and listening to your FM hits.
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@Alan, not sure how you construed my comment as anti-ABC?
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You can bet The Australian would change their tune if the ABC started booking ads in their paper
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Good on you Leisa. The ABC has every right to markets its content. Australia is a small and vast country and the ABC has always serviced it well despite reservations I might have as to some of its unfunny comedies and lame dramas. As the free to airs slowly decline the ABC will become a last bastion, free and Australia wide.
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@Daryl. The ABC costs less than a buck a week per person in Australia. For that it has to service both TV and Radio and Online. It has multiple formats e.g. TV in both HD and SD (well sort of HD), and in AM/FM/DAB+ for radio. It has to service not only metropolitan but also regional, rural and remote areas. Huge chunks of those areas are NOT serviced by commercial interests you dolt. And given the opportunity they would refuse on profitability reasons. But fortunately the ABC is an ‘equal access’ corporation by legislation. It doesn’t simply confine itself to the nigh-density/high profit margin areas.
So you find me ANY other organisation in Australia that services EVERY Australian for a dollar a week. Don’t bother replying because you know you can’t.
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Hey Darryl,
Tell you are jiving please!!
Beyond imagining that I read ‘dyed in the wool’ bile in your words…… Is this is your biggest concern of how taxpayer funds are used?…really?
I like to be advised of upcoming programs. I am not a subscriber to you psychic tv programming channel, so I find the marketing useful. I live a contemporary lifestyle so I like to be advised via multiple channels.
Given the predominantly budget driven fluff our commercial channels run I find it odd that you deem the ABC a retarder of development. Perhaps you are looking for more challenging material to enhance youir development perhaps a Big Brother style intellectual discourse or maybe some reruns of Home and Away.
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One reason the ABC is Australia’s number one media group and Murdoch media and The Australian are not is that the ABC doesn’t decide who the prime minister should be and then abuse its market reach so no one can escape knowing their decision. The Murdoch media should stop bullying the ABC and clean up its own monopolistic practices. As well as limits on audience reach, there should also be limits on electorate reach, so politicians can grow a media diversity spine.
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I only used to subscribe to the Australian on Mondays because of the media section. That’s gone now too.
I still listen to and watch the ABC.
It’s such a shame what’s happened to that newspaper.
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I’m with Garry. I too used to look forward to the media section. Since [Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy] and running a virulent anti-ABC agenda, I no longer bother. Which is a bit of a shame – I miss the one voice of reason in the whole section – Errol Simper.
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For people on a website about sales, private enterprise and free market (capitalism) there sure are a lot of clueless people on here.
Pro ABC, anti Newscorp doesn’t seem to ‘fit’ on here, by my reckoning.
I just don’t get it. If you want to rant against private enterprise, go to an ABC or government-funded site.
There are plenty of those.
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And furthermore, JG, you imbecile, how many times do we have to explain that ABC doesn’t need sales or ratings – its income is guaranteed.
State-funded media can be rotten – and ABC’s heading that way.
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JG, we all have to pay for ABC. No choice.
Read the above sentence again, please.
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Who seriously takes any of News Corp’s rags seriously? I don’t, they are simply one sided drivel peddling propaganda.
I am not a ‘lefty’ either, however Murdoch’s act is so transparent in 2014, it won’t be long people until it is a distant memory, won’t it?
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Robbo. I did as you suggested. And what you say still makes no fucking sense.
Yes the ABC doesn’t “need” sales and ratings, but if you bothered to pull your head out of your nether regions and read the ABC Charter you may vaguely be in a position to pass informed comment.
And to steal an oft-used phrase … if you don’t like the ABC Charter – leave!
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JG you fwit, I can’t ‘leave’. I’m a taxpayer, so I pay for ABC whether I like it or not.
What a clown: ‘Services’ cost money. Paying for services via private enterprise is not the same as paying for services via taxpayers.
Can you at least absorb that?
Comparing cost provisions is completely irrelevant.
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Robbo, I too am a taxpayer. Part of my taxes goes towards education. I want a refund because clearly it was ineffective in your case.
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whine whine… the abc… whine whine. not fair for murdoch etc.. whine whine.
Grow up and move on limited news, you might decide WHO runs the country, but you dont completely control HOW they run it… yet.
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view it as a tax on your stupidity Robbo.
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If the ABC is doing it, presumably it’s because the IPA gives its consent (or is that instructions?).
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