Is Sydney leaving Melbourne for dead?
It’s an ancient debate that refuses to go away: Melbourne versus Sydney. Is the power in media and advertising drifting up north, asks Robin Hicks
The first story I wrote since moving from Sydney to Melbourne six months ago was on the closure of DraftFCB Melbourne, a decent but painfully shy ad agency with a 50-year history that, as it turned out, was too reliant on one major client.
A fortnight later, I covered Publicis Mojo’s Melbourne office making a bunch of redundancies. Some jobs were relocated to Sydney, leaving the once-great office on Southbank with eight staff, down from more than 100 just three years ago.
This news came just three months after the collapse of another ‘once-great’ agency brand The Campaign Palace, which started life on Melbourne’s Cecil Street more than four decades ago.
This was a really great read Robin.
“It’s only Melbourne folk who talk about the Sydney rivalry, because they have an inferiority complex,” Very True! Just moved back to Melbourne – “Melbourne people” constantly negative about Sydney where as “Sydney people” are quite positive about Melbourne…. clearly Sydney is a better city, we don’t need to argue that point. From my experience, clients with Melbourne based media agencies, especially digital, are at a huge disadvantage due to the knowledge and talent of digital planning and buying teams in Melbourne.
“It’s only Melbourne folk who talk about the Sydney rivalry, because they have an inferiority complex,” . That sums up the whole article. It also sums up the entire Sydney v. Melbourne thing. Sydney doesn’t give a rat’s rear end.
For years ans years people wondered why Sydney was the financial capital of Australia.
Was it the favourable tax concessions ( like Maine in the US ) or what ? — a pretty view of the bridge that most Corporates decided to have their Head quarters or Corporate based there ?
Initially it may have been, but that is no longer important as most meidum sized businesses look to right size theiroffice /portfolio by relocating to the burbs to get a better deal.
In this climate of Sovereign insolvency ala GFC version 4 — a pretty view of a bridge won’t cut it.
Melbourne for my money.
I have seen Steve Allen quoted numerous times.
I had no idea he would look like that.
Next week: Sydney or Perth
It’s all about talent, you start your article by highlighting the failures in Melbourne, they failed not becuase of the market, they failed through bad management. It’s Melbourne that doesn’t really give a rats arse about Sydney (I lived in Sydney for 3 years) and looked forward to the return to Melbourne and its Ad Industry Comraderie.
Why is Sydney producing crap work? Because it probably attracts overseas talent who cannot get a job overseas.
Agencies in Melbourne have invested more in breding their own talent, something the surface skimmers in Sydney should consider. Move all the Sydney offices to the REAL suburbs of Sydney, that may put the Ad mob up there in touch with reality and as a result you may see better work.
Anyway, who gives a Rats.
get a flood up ya! That’ll separate the men from the boys…
Re the GDP figures: around 2008-9, private education was Australia’s third highest GDP and Victoria had the lion’s share. After Rudd wiped hairdressing and cooking off the Permanent Residency qualification for international students, numbers plummeted. This has had a slow but significant impact on the Victorian economy which you can see in the above table. I’ve worked as a creative in Melbourne, Sydney, London and Brisbane and the salary difference doesn’t make sense. Melbourne’s rent has crept up in recent years – 20 years ago it was 20-30% cheaper. More recently the margin has shrunk to 5-10% but the pay scale hasn’t reflected that. I hate Melbourne’s parochial nature and the colder weather but the arts, music and culture wins me over.
Well both cities made this list of the “Top 10 Happiest Cities in the World”.
Deservedly too, imho
http://thebat-sf.com/2013/01/3.....the-world/
Interesting article, but I feel some of the sentiment is very 80s.
It’s 2013 and Sydney is not languishing behind Melbourne in the arts or culture stakes.
Statements that Melbourne has the arts and culture imply that Sydney doesn’t, which is remarkably untrue.
When the majority of the nation’s major arts organisations are based in Sydney, and Sydney has produced creative events like Vivid, Crave and the ever impressive Sydney Festival, no one can say that Melbourne’s output is superior. Quite the opposite actually.
There’s also high culture, and ‘real’ culture. Sydney being the more multi-cultural city, the more historical city has a great diversity when it comes to culture and heritage. There’s diversity in the population you won’t find anywhere else in Australia.
I’m not saying Sydney is the greatest… something, or anything.
I agree, Sydney is vacuous and shallow and very try-hard. But you know what, Melbourne can be just as bad.
You are so right when you describe as ironic the claim that Melbourne prides itself on its modesty. It’s so transparent really.
Creativity is not born in a certain place but drawn to where the opportunities are. There is some real creativity and talent in Western Sydney for example, but who’s listening?
Why would anyone go to StKilda ‘beach’-let alone take your shirt off when you got there?You’d not only freeze -but .if you were to lie down in the kitty litter that passes for sand you would probably end up with a syringe in your back.
Syd v melb beaches ?Game over!
Great article. Having worked in both cities, I definitely agree with the Melbourne inferiority complex. It’s a shame because it’s an amazing city that us Sydneysiders love and can learn a lot from – they don’t need to feel like they have to sell it to as as ‘better than Sydney’.
Funny quote about the guys taking their top of in Bondi as opposed to St Kilda. That also might have to do with the fact that you’d actually swim in Bondi (I lived in St Kilda, would never swim there).
If Sydney is the new Melbourne, and Melbourne is the new Adelaide, then Adelaide isn’t even Adeliade anymore.. ouch!
It!s, not in the nature of Melburnians to brag.Could have fooled me?Everytime I visit Melbourne ,I’m told ad nauseum that Melbourne is the world’s most liveable city, that Melbourne is the arts,sports,food,music,coffee,etc capital,and,that Melbourne is better than Sydney. Is that not boasting?
I wasn’t born in Sydney or Melbourne, and having lived in both for a number of years I have an unbiased opinion of each city.
But where we go wrong, as you so rightly pointed out, is for Melbourne, it seems to be very much Melbourne vs Sydney. For Sydneysiders, it’s very much Sydney vs LA / New York / London / Paris in terms of food, culture, art / events and advertising.
The argument that Melbourne’s creativity is trouncing Sydney doesn’t wash with me either, both cities have their ups and downs. And Sydney has produced a heck of a lot of good work in the last 12 months.
The main difference I found in Melbourne was it felt a little slower, more like a big town than a small city. And that reflects in the lifestyle or the people, you have more time to do things at a relaxed pace, while Sydney is trying to be the next Hong Kong or NYC and everything is due yesterday.
I think Sydney agencies could learn a lot from Melbourne, and treat their staff and suppliers like human beings, promote them to retain talent and demand that their clients do accordingly.
I also think Melbourne could learn a lot from Sydney and stop competing against another city in the same country, instead, compete with the world-class cities (and agencies) in the world.
Seriously, these people are so removed from what’s really happening, it’s ridiculous. Melbourne is regarded as one of the best creative scenes globally, & isn’t just about global agencies. Just walk around Cremorne & you’ll know what I mean.
I have to agree that Sydney has more arts and culture than Mebourne but that is to be expected as Sydney has a higher multi-cultural population, key cultural events like the Festival of Sydney every January and areas like Walsh Bay the arts and theatre precinct. Melbourne like to crow they are the capital of this and that when in reality Sydney is just as good if not better, Sydney just doesn’t need to crow about it. Sydney is home to Australia’s 4 top 100 restaurants in the world and is the fashion capital and home to most of Australia’s fashion houses and modelling agencies. So when you hear people say Sydney is the 3 F’s – the Finance, Fashion and Food capital of Australia, you can believe it.
Sydneysiders participate in the Sydney vs Melbourne debate passively by having their heads stuck up their own asses.