Last weekend News Corp Australia hosted a number of top-tier clients in the Darwin over the weekend, featuring a site visit at the infamous NT News.
Lou Barrett, managing director, national sales, and Heidi Sayers, national group client solutions director at News Corp Australia, hosted the three-day client experience in Darwin from 16-18 August.
Barrett said the purpose of the client experience was to strengthen relationships with key clients who worked with News Corp in FY19, investing in regional media.
News Corp’s Heidi Sayers holding a baby crocodile
“This trip was about gaining a sense of regional communities, showcasing the power of regional media, and influencing clients to invest in News Regional Media’s markets in FY20 and beyond.
“We also wanted to showcase the NT News as the primary educational component of the client experience.
“At News Corp our goal is to deliver results and creative solutions in terms of building client’s brands and growing their audiences. Regional media needs to be on that agenda in the future and the more the big end of town understands this, the more success they’ll realise as businesses.”
News Corp Australia’s involvement in the Boomtown initiative reinforces the USPs for the power and benefits of regional media, and a key driving force for this initiative.
“With 36% of the Australian population (8.8 million) living in regional towns, but only 10% of media spent there, the math doesn’t add up,” Barrett added. “We want agencies and brands to rethink regional media.”
News Regional Media client experience at NT News with Nancy Veart and Kelly Healy of News Corp Australia
The NT News site visit included a behind-the-scenes tour with editor Matt Williams just as the paper was reaching deadline – something many people don’t ever get a chance to see.
In terms of media engagement, the NT News is one of the most successful in the country. Seventy-five percent of Territorians read the NT News in paper or online, an audience of 413,000 per month, which can be translated into engagement opportunities for brands.
News Corp executives hosting the Darwin experience included Lou Barrett, Heidi Sayers, Nancy Veart, Kelly Healy, Kim Carollo and Royce Zygarlicki.
Clients on the trip came from Dentsu Aegis Network, OMD, Atomic 212, TUG, Qantas, Optus, Tab Corp, APT Travel Group, HelloWorld, Luxury Escapes, Hoot Holidays and TEQ.
Commenting on the trip, Sayers said: “It gave our valued clients and partners an experience to see first-hand the depth in the connection our trusted brands have with our regional communities.
“To be able to walk into the NT News newsroom on a Friday afternoon as the team worked on the cover story, and watching online as each story’s engagement rating was up on screen, they gained a new appreciation for our commitment to always delivering content in the context our audience wants. It also heightened the value this brings in engagement opportunities for brands.
“Over the course of the weekend our team had several conversations with clients that we believe will lead to exciting new regional media and marketing opportunities in the future.”
John Vellis, general manager of media and sponsorship at Tabcorp said: “Being my first trip to Darwin, I was really impressed with the reach and influence the News Corp brands have on the community, and especially how engaged they are with the NT News brand in the Territory. The passion and drive of the entire News Corp team to deliver what brands require in regional Australia is really impressive.”
Vellis loved the News Regional Media Kit, which provided insight into the markets. Guests also received a bespoke NT News frontpage wrap delivered to their hotel room, with stories and images of their unique experience.
The Northern Territory client experience builds on the success of the 2018 trip to Byron Bay, where clients were immersed in the Northern NSW region and connected with the Northern Star and Byron Shire News.
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Top Photo: News Regional Media clients at NT News – Lou Barrett at front second from right