Boomtown launches regional media planning hub
The Boomtown initiative, which aims to remedy only 10% of advertising budgets being spent regionally, has launched an industry-first online media planning hub.
The Boomtown Hub features interactive media coverage maps and search tools, giving users the ability to see which publishers operate in each region.
It also shows insights for categories such as retail, automotive, finance, and travel, and lets buyers reach multiple regional media owners with one streamlined brief.
“In the past, there have been significant barriers to planning regional media,” said Brian Gallagher, Boomtown’s chair and Southern Cross Austereo’s chief sales officer.
“Media buyers kept telling us they found it difficult to work out which organisation owns which regional assets and in which markets, and it often meant they had to liaise with each individually, making the whole process very time-consuming.”
The Hub’s map of Newcastle
The Boomtown committee used that feedback to custom build the hub, Gallagher explained, which “not only simplifies the complexity and scale of regional media but provides a new way to seamlessly brief in campaigns”.
“We are confident that it will become a valuable tool for the industry and is another step in helping regional media attract the advertising dollars it deserves,” he noted.
There has been a renewed focus on domestic travel recently, as COVID-19 restrictions have lifted and boosted by Tourism Australia’s marketing push. This month, both Australian Community Media and News Corp have launched new travel publications. Gallagher hopes that will further motivate regional ad spend.
“Boomtown is really at an inflection point in 2021. It’s already home to 8.8 million people and that will increase this year as people continue to migrate permanently out of metro areas,” added Prime Media Group’s general manager of sales and marketing, Dave Walker.
“Now is the time for advertisers to add regional media to their plans and take advantage of the unprecedented numbers of people choosing to travel to and live regionally, and with the Boomtown Hub now at their fingertips, it will be easier than ever to harness the power of regional audiences for their brands.”
Last year, Boomtown – whose media owner members include SCA, Prime, WIN Network, ACM, Imparja, Grant Broadcasters, News Corp Australia and Ooh Media – partnered with the Media Federation of Australia to launch regional media masterclasses.
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Brittney Rigby was Mumbrella's deputy managing editor - news and analysis. She left Mumbrella in April 2021.
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