Boomtown has announced the final Masterclass in its 2023 series, capping off a successful year for the regional media education series.
The free 90-minute masterclass, to be held on Thursday, November 23, will be a national, industry-wide webinar, open to everyone. It will feature a panel of senior marketing and sales executives from across Australia, exploring the benefits and opportunities of advertising regionally.
The announcement follows another Masterclass held last week with special guest speakers Emily Moss, commercial director, amplifyCBR, Paraj Panjwani, sales planning and performance director, Optus, and Sally Roscholler, trade marketing manager, ACM.
The guest panellists discussed how and why they invest in regional and offered advice to attendees.
Optus’s Panjwani said: “If your client isn’t sure how much to invest in regional, let them start with the contribution they get from sales. That’s a good place to start, then once they start to get a return, there is an opportunity to push it a little further and expand the opportunities which are untapped in regional when compared to metro.”
ACM’s Roscholler added: “Start with one region, because it can be really daunting trying to scale across all the regions in Australia. If you don’t know where to begin, start with one state and hone in on a couple of regions, start testing and learning. You aren’t going to get it right the first time but start small and grow your base and see it flourish.”
To finish off the session, amplifyCBR’s Moss said: “Our local talent and dedicated journalists can provide a level of localism through integration with our content teams, making it much easier to not have to adapt your message for every single market. You can simply lean on us, and our community connections.”
Brian Gallagher
Boomtown Chairman, Brian Gallagher, said: “This year has been another stellar year for Boomtown’s popular masterclasses, which have trained almost 1,500 media, marketing, and advertising executives on the power and benefit of regional media since their 2020 inception.
“We are delighted to announce our final masterclass for the year in November which will feature another exceptional line-up of special guests.”
Boomtown launched the national education initiative to help media professionals unlock the brand potential for the 9.6 million people living in regional Australia. The masterclasses have included sessions designed to provide a better understanding of the regional media landscape and the competitive advantage for brands, along with tools to help plan and buy regional advertising.
Boomtown has undergone a significant transformation post-pandemic, with regional Australians now comprising more than a third of the population and moves to regional areas outpacing metro for the first time in decades. Additionally, people that move to Boomtown are now younger, wealthier, and more digitally connected than ever – there’s never been a better time to connect with regional audiences.
This year’s Masterclasses have featured a mix of webinars and face-to-face training, along with bespoke classes for marketers and agencies with content tailored to their needs.
New facilitators, Fusion Learning, will deliver the final session.
Boomtown will announce the speakers for its November Masterclass and its 2024 Masterclass offering soon.