Digital extends traditional media

The Act Now for the Future campaign had been in the marketplace for over one year and the message had started to gain some traction with the WA public. The June/second phase of the campaign required a different level of media thinking and innovation to ensure the campaign would still have cut-through, remain relevant and increase saliency of the campaign messages.

Working closely with the creative team Media Decisions | OMD developed the Clapping Adshel (featured below). The Adshel provided a perfect media platform for the Act Now campaign as this was a form of media that if the WA public engaged with they were ‘doing their bit’ in saving our planet.

The concept was implemented by Media Decisions | OMD through negotiations with Adshel who modified one of their premium shelters to include a recorded ‘Clapping’ sound that was activated by a motion sensor set to run when people emerged from a bus.

This medium instantly ‘thanked’ people for taking public transport.

Media Decisions | OMD negotiated this opportunity within the cost of a standard Adshel campaign – the only additional costs were the physical alterations to the shelter itself.

Do all media campaigns need to use new and digital media?

Creative and innovative uses of media are not just limited to ‘new’ forms of media. Shop fronts are truly one of the oldest forms of advertising space – stores have for centuries been using this space to advertise their products. Media Decisions | OMD in conjunction with the creative agency identified an excellent media and creative opportunity utilising this very space.

A shopfront display was transformed as part of an ambient campaign promoting the highly anticipated second season of Network Ten’s controversial comedy/drama series Californication. The show chronicles the life of Hank Moody, a novelist whose obsession with honesty and his self-destructive behaviour – drink, drugs and sex – are simultaneously destroying and enriching his career. Since its infamous debut episode, Californication has stirred a considerable amount of controversy due to its explicit nature and occasional nudity.

The use of the shop front coupled with the creative made and for an extremely effective campaign.

The media cost was simply the small charge associated with rental of the unused shop front window for the two week period!

Roy Morgan data available

Press Readership Results June 2008
Summary of Results
In Western Australia, readership on the weekend continues to decline with The West losing 21,000 readers and the Sunday Times losing 23,000 readers against the previous 12 month results. However comparing the 12 months ending March 2008 to the 12 months ending June, The West Australian (5,000 increase) and Sunday Times (13,000 increase) have had growth in readership. Although there is seasonality to be considered, increases are positive.

The launch of WAToday.com.au in the Perth market has provided the challenge for all online newspapers to improve the quality of their sites and more aggressively market to the consumer as competition increases for consumer eyeballs and advertiser dollars. Nielsen Netratings will not produce audience figures for WAToday.com.au until after August 2008 however, the established sites, perthow.com.au and thewest.com.au deliver strong numbers of 'unique audience'.

Press Readership Results June 2008
National Trends
The national daily newspapers, The Australian and the Australian Financial review have both shown growth in readership over all days of publication.

The NSW Daily Telegraph is losing ground whilst the Sydney Morning Herald gained 61,000 readers this survey (M-F).

In South Australia, the Advertiser lost 39,000 readers during the week and 53,000 readers on Saturday.

In Melbourne, all papers remained relatively stable with the Herald Sun picking up an additional 44,000 readers on Saturday.

In Brisbane the Courier Mail recorded an increase of 32,000 during the week and 14,000 on Saturday but the Sunday Mail dropped 54,000 readers