Commercial radio rallies around retail
The importance of Australia’s retailers is the subject of a new on-air campaign across 261 radio stations that begins today.
The campaign is a combined initiative from Commercial Radio Australia and the Australian National Retailers Association in the lead up to Christmas.
Worth a reported $5m in airtime, the campaign is going out to both metro and regional stations.
Margy Osmond, CEO of ANRA said: “Retail employs over 1.2m Australians through some 140,000 retail businesses. It is the backbone of communities across the country and provides the first jobs for many young jobseekers. We are very pleased to be working with the commercial radio networks and through their local stations, thank our shoppers for supporting Aussie businesses.”
Joan Warner, CEO of Commercial Radio Australia said: “Times are tough, particularly for Australian retailers. The radio industry wants to show its support for the retail sector and offered airtime allocated to the industry’s on-air brand campaign for a promotion of the importance of the Australian retail sector.”
The retail sector accounts for more than a quarter of the commercial radio industry’s total revenue, Warner said.
“The bottom line is that the retail sector is crucial to many people around Australia and the radio industry is keen to show its support in helping promote the sector.”
Running alongside the campaign is a new website and research report on the power of retail in the Australian economy. The research was developed by the ANRA, in conjunction with the Australian Retailers Association and the National Retailers Association.
“Times are tough, particularly for Australian retailers.”
Because distribution chains are altering as consumers increasingly order directly from producers. Australia is particularly vulnerable to this change because of the distribution cartels doubling and tripling prices to bring goods into the country via the traditional channels.
Of course consumers are switching en masse to buying direct via the web. Australian retail, and the wholesalers behind it, have priced themselves out of the market.
No amount of campaigning can alter the inefficiencies of the old model and the enormous cost burdens it tries to pass onto consumers.
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