Australia's 'Advertise or Die' campaign gets traction in India

A huge number of Australia’s media owners have united in a campaign to knock at the doors of marketers and communicate the importance of advertising to the long-term sustainability of their businesses. ACE Radio, Australian Radio Network, Foxtel, Grant Broadcasting, JCDecaux, Macquarie Media, News Corp Australia, Nine, Nova, Ooh Media, Seven West Media, Southern Cross Austero and 10 will publish ads in their assets to create the "fear of missing out".

Titled "Advertise or Die", the campaign has been developed in partnership with Publicis Group’s creative team at Saatchi and Saatchi. It is supported by the industry bodies Think TV, Outdoor Media Association, Commercial Radio Australia and News Media Works. The campaign kicked off on December 8, across outdoor, radio, premium digital, print and television, with a teaser. The full campaign, including evolutions in the creative message and a high-profile celebrity who understands the value of advertising, will launch in the coming weeks, states a media release uploaded on the "Advertise or Die" website.

The ads across platforms end with, “If your brand’s not here, it’s nowhere”, and are supported by a new website: advertiseordie.com.au which has case studies showing the importance of each medium. It reminds business leaders of the dangers of not investing in the promotion of their products and services, and the impact that abstaining from advertising will have on profit and earnings.

A recent ad published in an Australian broadsheet got shared widely in India on social media platforms. The copy of the ad read, "This newspaper's readership includes 633,000 people and 0 bots. That's all the data you need."

The Advertise or Die spokesperson, global marketing commentator Mark Ritson explains, "There are three key messages for those who manage Australia's corporate budgets. First, continue to invest money in advertising, not just despite a tightening economic situation but because of it. Second, make sure at least half your budget is invested in the top of the funnel and on long-term brand building, not just on short term spending. And finally, don't fall for the siren song of new exaggerated media opportunity which is at the expense of proven long-term brand-building media."