Mr BONSON - 2002-10-16
What is the result of the Tourist Commission’s advertising agency tender?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this is good news today. I can inform the House that a major marketing company, Euro RSCG, has been selected as the preferred tenderer for the NTTC’s domestic tourism account. This is a very important decision for the tourism industry in the Territory to ensure that we have the best possible marketing agency running and developing our marketing and tourism campaigns with the Tourist Commission and, more importantly, with the industry in the Northern Territory. It is absolutely vital that you get the most creative people on board, because it is a very tough climate out there in terms of competition for tourists.
We have been through a very rigorous and vigorous process in terms of selecting the best company for this account. Euro RSCG is one of Australia’s fastest growing advertising agencies, having won $64m worth of new business in 2002; very aggressive, a very large company out there in the market place. Their other clients include Cadbury, Monster, Suncorp, Metway, Volvo, Intel, Dell, P&O, Orange and Time Life.
Over the last four years, Euro RSCG has been named both agency of the year and interactive agency of the year. In an increasingly dynamic and online world, when so much more of the conversion for decisions that tourists make in terms of where they are going to visit is being made in an online environment with access and research over the Internet, it really is good to have secured a marketing agency that has specific and very good credentials in this area.
Euro RSCG partnership is part of Euro RSCG worldwide, and they are one of the world’s five largest integrated communications agencies. Their strengths as an agency are to place creativity at the centre of business strategy and to use media in very innovative ways.
I can also say that part of the selection criteria, for the first time for this particular account that has been approved, is local content. We really did say, and a lot of the feedback I had initially as tourism minister, was that all of the decisions were being made in Sydney without any reference back to business and the industry in the Northern Territory. Industry in the Northern Territory didn’t know what was going on, didn’t understand what the advertising strategy was, couldn’t see the outcome of that strategy, couldn’t measure the strategy, and they very much wanted to see a lot more of that sort of marketing effort being based in the Northern Territory. So we did put that as part of the selection criteria, and Territory business will be involved in terms of working with Euro RSCG on those campaigns.
Again, the shadow minister for Tourism was critical - and again out of touch with the industry - when she said that we had sacked the Marketing Director in Sydney. We had not sacked anybody; we relocated the position to Darwin, where the industry was saying they wanted to see that position located. They did not want the position based on the north shore of Sydney, which is about as removed from the tourist industry in the Northern Territory as you could get; they wanted the position based in the Northern Territory. We listened to industry and we responded. It is a critical position.
We are pleased to announce Euro RSCG as the holders of the new account. I met with senior executives from the company yesterday when they came through, having been told the news, and they are very keen and enthusiastic to get on board, to work with industry in the Northern Territory, and we will be seeing some dynamic and innovative new campaigns.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this is good news today. I can inform the House that a major marketing company, Euro RSCG, has been selected as the preferred tenderer for the NTTC’s domestic tourism account. This is a very important decision for the tourism industry in the Territory to ensure that we have the best possible marketing agency running and developing our marketing and tourism campaigns with the Tourist Commission and, more importantly, with the industry in the Northern Territory. It is absolutely vital that you get the most creative people on board, because it is a very tough climate out there in terms of competition for tourists.
We have been through a very rigorous and vigorous process in terms of selecting the best company for this account. Euro RSCG is one of Australia’s fastest growing advertising agencies, having won $64m worth of new business in 2002; very aggressive, a very large company out there in the market place. Their other clients include Cadbury, Monster, Suncorp, Metway, Volvo, Intel, Dell, P&O, Orange and Time Life.
Over the last four years, Euro RSCG has been named both agency of the year and interactive agency of the year. In an increasingly dynamic and online world, when so much more of the conversion for decisions that tourists make in terms of where they are going to visit is being made in an online environment with access and research over the Internet, it really is good to have secured a marketing agency that has specific and very good credentials in this area.
Euro RSCG partnership is part of Euro RSCG worldwide, and they are one of the world’s five largest integrated communications agencies. Their strengths as an agency are to place creativity at the centre of business strategy and to use media in very innovative ways.
I can also say that part of the selection criteria, for the first time for this particular account that has been approved, is local content. We really did say, and a lot of the feedback I had initially as tourism minister, was that all of the decisions were being made in Sydney without any reference back to business and the industry in the Northern Territory. Industry in the Northern Territory didn’t know what was going on, didn’t understand what the advertising strategy was, couldn’t see the outcome of that strategy, couldn’t measure the strategy, and they very much wanted to see a lot more of that sort of marketing effort being based in the Northern Territory. So we did put that as part of the selection criteria, and Territory business will be involved in terms of working with Euro RSCG on those campaigns.
Again, the shadow minister for Tourism was critical - and again out of touch with the industry - when she said that we had sacked the Marketing Director in Sydney. We had not sacked anybody; we relocated the position to Darwin, where the industry was saying they wanted to see that position located. They did not want the position based on the north shore of Sydney, which is about as removed from the tourist industry in the Northern Territory as you could get; they wanted the position based in the Northern Territory. We listened to industry and we responded. It is a critical position.
We are pleased to announce Euro RSCG as the holders of the new account. I met with senior executives from the company yesterday when they came through, having been told the news, and they are very keen and enthusiastic to get on board, to work with industry in the Northern Territory, and we will be seeing some dynamic and innovative new campaigns.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016