Advertising Melbourne. Assessment 3.

COMM2411 – Communications and Social Relations Assessment Task #3 – COLLABORATIVE GROUP PUBLICATION Professional Industry – Advertising ___________ Jon Kenyon - St Kilda Festival Dan Bruty – Punt Road Steph Walton – Cupcakes Quinn Masters – Kiss FM Radio Thomas Dullard - Four and Twenty Pie. (CHRIS HEWSTON)

Jon Kenyon - St Kilda Festival

Just on the outskirts of the city lies a buzz of excitement and charisma that once a year embraces all that is Melbourne in a show of true convention. Now in its 30th year, St Kilda Festival is one of Australia始s best known and Melbourne始s most loved events. It utilizes St Kilda始s stunning foreshore and celebrates the cream of Australia始s musical talents. St Kilda Festival utilizes the picturesque beachfront space by having six live music stages, art exhibitions, cultural activities and sports displays such as kite boarding and BMX riding.

However it is the diverse range of musical acts that attracts the most punters. Advertising and online social marketing of the St Kilda Festival has created it into a strong stand-alone brand, in addition to one of the biggest days on the Melbourne social calendar.

The Festival no longer has to rely on word of mouth though local residents, as media vehicles such as newspapers, radio and the Internet have enabled the St Kilda festival to become one of the most advertised free local events in Victoria. Music newspapers such as Impress and Beat have been reaching consumers all over Melbourne for over 5 years now. Their weekly dose of events and happenings in Melbourne keep people of ages in the know. Not only is the St Kilda festival advertised annually, but also online facilities such as Facebook and Myspace ensure that the festival has its own inherent online community of followers. This then allows the festival to take on its own online life, long after the foreshore music stages have shut down.

By building these online communities, the festival is able to stay in contact, and build relationships, with these communities. Festivals should no longer be perceived as fitting a limited window of working time, for example a weekend, as interaction with their consumer base can now extend way beyond that. The Festival now has a strong brand identity that lasts anything from four months to 365 days a year. Which means it pays careful attention to how the activity is integrated into the long-term plan. Experiential events such as the St Kilda festival are at their most effective when they are built into an overall communications strategy.

The success of the festival has been largely due to their strong integrated media communications plan based around advertising. People from all over Melbourne know the St Kilda is the place to be in the month of February, as the fun times roll on. The ability of the advertising to deliver one clear concise message throughout several different mediums has given the St Kilda festival a strong brand image. This image is one of fun and excitement that never disappoints.

Dan Bruty – Punt

As I drove over to a friends house I gave him a quick call to let him know I was running late, and the peak hour traffic wasnʼt going to get me there any quicker. I pulled in behind and Forty Winks truck and waited for the lights to turn green at the corner of Swan and Punt road.

I slowly pulled around the corner and could see the never ending line of metal coffins stretch as far at the eye could see. It was 5.21pm on a Wednesday. Welcome to Punt road Melbourne.

I turn the radio on just as a song ended and was greeted with a solid ten minute block of ads.

Just what I needed to get me through this long drive ahead. I settled in to my seat as a few drops of rain hit the windscreen. I reach for the heater and change the station. More ads. A perfect peak hour. I hadnʼt gone far when I came to a halt under the Swan St bridge. A Jims mowing ute pulls to my side as a white van from Dannyʼs 24 Hour Plumbing toots from behind. Its dark under the bridge, but the wallpaper of concert posters brightens the mood as I run my eyes over the endless number of bands that will grace the city in the coming weeks.

The traffic starts to move.

The lanes crawl ahead as all the cars indicate and try to pick the best lane to gain a few meters. I sit in one of the middle lanes. It doesnʼt make a difference. A taxi from yellow cabs pulls past me. Iʼd hate to have his job. To my left is the home of the Richmond Tigers. “Speed Kills” reads the TAC sign. How ironic. No hope of speeding in these conditions I think to myself.

Over the next 25 minutes I manage to sit through endless blocks of ads and 2 pop songs. I pull up at another set of lights and reach to the glove box for a CD. I look up as Iʼm greeted with another red light. Just my luck. The now winter sky turns dark as the city lights come to life. Mc Donalds drive through. I am hungry but I have to get to my mates, Iʼm already late. I pull away from the lights and look down to see Iʼm in need of petrol. Fuck. I change lanes and pull to the left. I wave as an Office Works van lets me in as I pull into the Shell servo. Iʼm lucky I pull straight into a pump and fill up. I hurry inside as the rain starts to get heavier. Mars Bars, 2 for $1.50 the shelf wobbler informs me. I grab two and head to car.

Traffic seems to move better now as I zip and out of the sea of cars. Not long till Iʼm at my mates. I get one last set of red lights and stop for a train. A billboard stares me in the face. “B Pay. All most too easy”. Not an easy drive.

I pull into my mates. How was the drive? He said. Shit house. But I think I just got the content for one of my uni assignments. “Really? What do you have to write on? “ “How Punt Road is linked with advertising….”.

Steph Walton – Cupcakes

A little over a year ago, one could count the number of Cupcake stores within Melbourne on one hand. Now, there are stores popping up all over the greater CBD area.

Thanks to TV shows such as Sex and the City, females all over the world have turned to Cupcake stores for their weekly catch up, rather than simply going to a café. Not only can you choose from many varying flavours and sizes, you can order a tea, coffee or milkshake and sit at one of the many tables each store now boasts. There are lines out the door for these luxury items and more often than not, stores are sold out by 3pm.

Apart from websites, cupcake stores do little to no advertising of their products, relying solely on word of mouth via customers and staff. You will not find stores publicised in magazines, on the television or on radio, so how do they still attract so many customers. Sex and the City and the like have done some of the hard work for them; everyone knows cupcake stores are now an integral part of metropolis areas, so if you want a cupcake, you are going to look for one. With 3G Internet on most phones there is no longer any excuse to say you cannot find anything. It is all too easy to look up your location and find directions to the nearest store (and anything else your heart desires).

Cupcakes have a strong fan base. As a cupcake connoisseur, if I see a store, more often than not I will buy one (even only as a once off taste) to try and see if it makes the cut. Deep down, everyone harbours a sweet tooth and cupcakes are the new way to satisfy that craving so even if arenʼt actively pursuing a cupcake snack, if you are craving something sweet and come across a store, a purchase is thus likely.

Therefore, stores need to rely more on their placement within Melbourne (especially the CBD) in order to draw in as many customers as possible and turn them into repeat customers who will tell their friends. Rather than spend money on advertising, stores let their window displays do the selling for them. Having the cupcakes prominently displayed at the front will make it all the more tempting to go in and buy. Having stores in busy areas, such as the ones in Degraves St., Melbourne Central and QV are all heavily visited areas in Melbourne by both tourists and residents. Them seeing the stores on a regular basis means that more often than not, most of these people walking past will be tempted to sneak in at least once.

A graph provided by the Patisserie and Bakery association of Australia shows the industry revenue for cakes, pastries and biscuits within Australia for one year. There is a substantial amount of money generated through cake sales in a single year ($229,506,000) and this shows that people are willing to spend money on such items, even though they are considered unhealthy and expensive snacks.

Thus, cupcakes have all the glory with very little hard work. They look pretty, they taste amazing, they look good in display windows and are all over the city. You cannot escape them and eventually you will be tempted to try one.

Quinn Masters – Kiss FM Radio

Kiss FM is Melbourneʼs original dance music radio station. In 2001 The Australian Broadcasting Authority determined that there was a need for Melbourne to have a station like Kiss but decided not to give it a community licence. Fast forward to 2005 and Kiss has returned as a narrowcast radio service to once again showcase Melbourne finest DJs and producers doing what they do best - spinning and making music to aurally excite Melbourneʼs lovers of syncopated rhythms.

Kiss FMʼs main source of advertising and exposure to the public is through its annual event called “Kiss My Grassʼ, hosted at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on the Australia Day long weekend. The event is solely focused on providing Melbourneʼs ʻpuntersʼ with quality acts and cutting edge music from its local talent. In the last 3 years, the event has grown to a crowd of over 15,000 in its most recent year, up from 5,500 in its first year in 2006.

The majority of adverts on the Kiss FM narrowcast are from sponsors and supporters of the station and the underground, electronic music scene alike. The station provides a great medium for those wanting to target a youthful, thoughtful and interesting target market of over 100,000 listeners, who are generally not privy to mainstream media on other, more commercial radio stations.

Another thing Kiss FM advertises is the DJs themselves, as well as the club nights, which keep the electronic music scene as strong as it is in Melbourne today. The DJs that play on the station in their weekly timeslot, or as a guest on one of the many guest mix programs, gain a high exposure to the like-minded listener, with their own ability and integrity being their selling point. The DJs are in fact the product they are trying to sell.

Events showcasing international and local artists are also heavily advertised on Kiss, helping the world of electronic music grow from strength to strength in Melbourne. This informs the listeners of where they can listen to the DJs featured on Kiss, as well as promoting the events which in turn generates more listeners for the station and again supports the growing industry.

Looking at the different forms of advertising comparatively between a station like Kiss FM and Fox FM on the Austereo network shows that they couldnʼt be more different. Foxʼs advertisements are worlds away from the Kiss demographic, catering for females under the age of 40, by combining their listeners with their favourite personalities, and innovative, aspirational promotions. These promotions are generally a broad range of products or services, that donʼt seem to offer any real representation as to what the station is all about, demonstrating the huge moral difference between an independent and corporate radio station in Melbourne today.

Thomas Dullard - Four and Twenty Pie. (MCG) Melbourne Cricket Ground, Gate 6, Jolimont Street, Jolimont VIC 3002, ADVERTISEMENT. Melbourne is mad about sport and the Four and Twenty Pie is iconic to the home of sport, the M.C.G. The M.C.G. has been a prominent venue for major state, national and world wide sporting events and concerts for over one hundred and fifty years and continues to bring people together from all walks of life. It is interesting to note that the M.C.G often advertises the four and twenty pie whilst the Four and Twenty Pie often advertises the M.C.G. The M.C.G is especially significant to Melbourne because it is central, convenient and continually presents an amazing atmosphere. With significant social meaning, Cultural meaning and historical meaning it is one of the major attractions to Melbourne.

Melbournians and Victorian people share events they have been part of at the ground, and it has a world-class reputation as a leading multi-purpose stadium. The M.C.G is continually advertised to the world because of its grand reputation, in turn it helps advertise the Melbourne city to the world. The Melbourne Cricket Ground has substantial social meaning to the large majority of Melbournians; it covers the young and old, sports lovers, music lovers and international people alike. Not only is the M.C.G renowned for its capacity to hold world class events, it serves up an iconic, Australian made and loved four and twenty pie. Thus, the Four and Twenty Pie is also continually advertised to a very broad audience, targeting people from all walks of life.

The M.C.G is “the temple in which sports-mad Melbournians worship their heroes and heroines”, and acknowledges the worldʼs with first-class tradition, atmosphere and history.

This is particularly relevant to the four and Twenty Pie, because it is iconic to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Together they are continually advertised in a range of mediums. And together they are pivotal to advertising Melbourneʼs social meaning and social context. The Melbourne Cricket Ground has a central social and cultural meaning to most Melbournians because it continues to hold first class sports events, music concerts and charity events. Continuing to attract tourists from all walks of life, and together with Melbournians, when visiting the Melbourne Cricket Ground, it is a well known behavioral trait that “a pie at the G” is a certainty.

The Four and Twenty Pie was first invented in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia by LT. McClure in 1947 and by the refurbishment of the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the 1980ʼs it was considered a well-known and practiced tradition to consume a Four'N Twenty Meat Pie at an Australian rules football match at the MCG. In 2003 the M.C.G. welcomed Australia and the World to the ground in three different events within six months. And, no matter the event, the M.C.G continues to sell Four and twenty Pies in the numbers of thousands to people from all over the world.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground, its appearance, inhabitants and not to mention its food and Four and Twenty Pies are the essence of what the Melbourne City is about and constantly convey and advertise this to a world wide audience.