Local brands’ quality questioned

Questions over the quality of brands in Western Australia arose during feedback to the 2005 WA Business News branding survey, which had the best participation rate of any in the exercise’s four years.

According to TMM’s Greg Archer, quality brands in WA are practically non existent.

“Moving here a couple of years ago from one of the largest UK advertising agencies, I have been staggered at how ‘lazy marketing’ – almost a clinically recognised disease on northern shores – is so rife here,” he said.

“Consider for example how much it would affect Bunnings to change from ‘lowest prices are just the beginning’ to ‘greatest selection is just the beginning’ – I do not believe it would affect the performance of the till at all, and might in fact enhance it,” he said.

“I was recently over in the Channel Islands where I lived and worked – amazing to consider that the largest ad agency in Guernsey with its mere 50,000 population is bigger than Marketforce.

“And window shopping both there and Jersey, with little in the way of lazy marketing, it really hit home what this lovely city of ours is crying out for.

“And the money is there to allow it – more than the Channel Islands, in reality.”

Mr Archer’s message was brutally honest but simple.

“WA needs to unlearn some of what it has learned, as there is a very sophisticated market here – growing larger by the year and not just down to immigration – that no-one seems a blind bit interested in servicing,” he said.

“Never before was a tired-out fraternity in need of a right royal kick where it hurts – carrying a Myer shopping bag should have a feel good factor in the Harrods league but it doesn’t due to its constant 30 to 50 per cent off brand goods emphasis.”

However, industry changes would challenge that argument, as brand-focused agencies become more prevalent in WA.

Apart from The Brand Agency, which is a full-service agency, there are several smaller players that consider brands as their core business. The Right Group and Baynham Ross are two that consider themselves as brand-focused consultants.

This focus extended more recently with the emergence of the state’s first brand franchisee, Uffindell-West, a Perth office of a London-based specialist independent consultancy of the same name that was established here by 303 Advertising a year ago.

UffindellWest has been successful, in the Perth market and among 303’s existing client base, including the West Coast Eagles, Western Power, Curtin University, HBF and Cash Converters.

Also, WA Business News understands that another specialty operation similar to UffindellWest will start in Perth before the end of the year.