‘Melbourne is for relationships and Sydney is for business’
Melbourne is the town where relationships come first, while Sydney is where business takes priority, Mumbrella’s first Question Time to be held in Melbourne was told.
Naked Communications Melbourne boss Frankie Ralston-Good said: “In Sydney you win the business and then you built the relationship. And in Melbourne you built the relationship and then you win the business. If you’re a good salesperson and want to do lots of selling, go and work in Sydney. If you want relationships and want to do great work with a client, work in Melbourne.”
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne boss Peter Biggs said: “The clients in Melbourne are a dream. They take the time to built relationships with agencies. They don’t go to pitch for artificial or kneejerk reason.”
And Crikey co-owner Eric Beecher said for many, Melbourne was now a more attractive city to live in than Sydney, which was a turnaround on a decade before.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Is the chip on Melbourne’s shoulder getting bigger?
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Brilliant. Demonstrations of the petulant, one way Melbourne/ Sydney rivalry is always good for a laugh. How much energy has been spent bashing Melbourne at previous Question Times in Sydney?
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this point of view and associated navel gazing about the so-called melbourne-sydney dichotomy is sooooo Melbourne.
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I have been told for many years that Melbourne is relationship driven. This not true, agencies in Melbourne are just much nicer to deal with and more laid back. Sydney might appear to be more “business” which could be because there is more going on and more competition.
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So simply if you want a challenging role, work in Sydney. If you want a role that goes through the motions of day to day work, work in Melbourne!!
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the main difference between melb and sydney is people in sydney generally are more relaxed about buttoning up their shirts.
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To all of the above accusing the panel of navel gazing, it helps to hear the question – which asked if the trend of Melbourne agencies, clients and talent drifting north to Sydney was going to continue.
Typical speaking (or typing) before thinking.
Having said that, I moved to Melbourne 18 months ago from Sydney ad-land and couldn’t ever imagine working in Sydney advertising while it remains as it is. Frequent trips back reinforce this.
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As someone working in PR who has moved from my hometown in Sydney to taste the Melbourne experience I have to agree with most comments above… the Sydney versus Melbourne ‘issue’ really only exists here in Melbourne. Both cities have different offerings in terms of business and lifestyle and are probably best approached with these differences in mind.
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Relatively big fish, small pond, and other cliches….
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Running a business without fostering relationships rarely succeeds. So, it is best really to go with a balanced approach between business and relationships. This means that you have to take the best out of what’s being offered in both Sydney and Melbourne and develop it, no matter where you may be.
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3:37, 4:25, 4:27, 4:34, 4:38, 4:15, 5:56…
funny how the comments are actually mostly from sydney based people.
and, many on the panel aren’t even originally from australia…
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Who was that asking the question in the vid?
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@comment 3: hahahahahhahahaha!
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Hi Power,
It was Nichola Patterson (sorry for not giving you a caption, Nichola..)
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella