Australians love a big event.
From footy finals to the Melbourne Cup to the Australian Open, Aussies flock to the grandstands and get around their screens to cheer on their team (or pray their mate’s team doesn’t get up).
These events are major markers on the Australian calendar when the community comes together around shared passions.
But to smart marketers, these events represent something else. To them, they are surges in public interest that can be tapped to deliver significant incremental reach and engagement.
Because the interest these events generate plays out in floods of readers across Australia’s major news publishers, eagerly wanting to read analysis or watch highlights of the plays, shots and goals.
The numbers speak for themselves
On Melbourne Cup Day, Nine’s news publishing brands saw a 36% increase in sessions compared to the Tuesday before due to readers engaging with racing content.
During their news publishing coverage of the 2024 AFL Grand Final, its Players and Coaches Ratings article saw 354% more sessions than the average for non-AFL finals stories, and the Live Updates Blog saw a massive 1,751% more sessions.
Australian audiences love to read analysis or watch highlights of plays, shots and goals of their favourite sporting events.
The 2024 Australian Open article “Azarenka speaks out on Ostapenko antics” saw 560% more sessions than the average for non-Australian Open stories, and the Day 2 Blog saw a huge 1,277% more sessions.
But it isn’t just sporting events that draw a crowd. News Publishing brands and mastheads see large increases in readership during elections and major cultural events too.
Visits to News Corp Australia’s news publishing sites on the Wednesday of the 2024 U.S. election were 60 per cent higher than the previous 28-day average, and Nine saw a 75% increase in sessions compared to the same day the week before.
Seven West Media’s The Nightly app received its highest ever readership (minutes and visits) on the day of the U.S. election surpassing its previous record set the day before (Melbourne Cup Day).
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump went head-to-head in the 2024 US election.
And during Taylor Swift’s 2024 Eras tour, daily visits to News Corp Australia’s entertainment sections of news publishing sites were 22 per cent higher than the average for the quarter and the top eight articles across entertainment sections were all Tay-Tay related.
Interestingly, we’re now starting to see non-traditional events emerge.
Black Friday is coming
The biggest shopping event of the year, Black Friday, is fast becoming an important day for news sites and their readers. Visits to News Corp Australia’s dedicated e-commerce platform news.com.au/checkout were 142 per cent higher on Black Friday 2023 compared to the average daily number in the previous quarter.
Black Friday is an important day for news websites and their readers.
These statistics are a testament to the changing landscape of media consumption, where second-screen viewership and interactive content reign supreme. The news publishing realm is not merely an alternative but a complement to broadcast media, offering richer, more nuanced engagement for audiences seeking more than passive consumption.
Despite an increasingly individualistic society and a highly fragmented media landscape, big events offer rare opportunities for marketers to connect with people on a national level through subjects they care deeply about.
Aligning campaigns with these events is essential for brands looking to maximise exposure and engagement.
By understanding the consumption patterns around these events, advertisers can strategically leverage them to maximise media investment and ROI.
So, with Black Friday 2024 just around the corner, big games for the Aussie cricket team coming up, the 2025 Australian Open in January and a federal election to be called before May, marketers should start developing their news media strategies now.
The ball’s there, it’s time to hit a winner.