The cowardly client? Australia 'too scared' to innovate

By Frank Chung | 29 July 2013
 
Smart Communications 'TXTBKS' by DDB Manila took out the Grand Prix in the Mobile Lions.

Innovation in Australian mobile advertising is "almost dead", with clients only willing to take on tried-and-tested ideas from other markets, according to industry leaders.

Speaking at Mobile Generation last week – the first combined event hosted by NGen and Youngbloods – Google Australia's creative agency lead, Bob Forster, said clients are "investing in a space they don't understand" and it was up to agencies to provide more data.

Forster said clients "have to be shown value", and the reluctance to invest in mobile was partly down to a lack of case studies. "The problem, too, is brands – they don't want to share their secret sauce," he said. "People who are doing it well don't want to tell anyone.

"They're thinking, I don't want to see what happened in search, when we were there in 2000 or whatever getting four cents per click and killing it, and suddenly everyone came in and now it's 20 bucks a click. They don't want to see that happen.

"So the more you can try and find out what's happening in the industry and provide evidence and analytics – think not just about the website but the total experience – and actually provide data... They've got a bottom line to sign off. To get into a comms plan, you need to have evidence."

His comments echo those of Mark Bergin, creative director of Design100 and director of the Australian Mobile Awards, who told AdNews last month clients were "scared of dropping the kimono" and risking their competitive advantage.

According to Justin Baird, founding partner of Aegis innovation unit Jumptank, Australia is the home of "risk-free pioneering". "Everyone talks about how they want innovation but they want to make sure that someone else has done it first," he said.

"So if you can find something from a different market that actually does exactly what you want it to do, then you'll probably get it over the line a lot easier than if it's something that's a completely brand-new idea. Australia is a very conservative market in that respect."

Big Mobile managing director Rob Hall said while we punch above our weight in other categories at Cannes, in mobile Australia is far behind. "The penetration is here, consumer usage is here, brands are just so far behind where the consumers are," he said. "Innovation is almost dead in the mobile industry here."

Forster added: “The funniest thing I've found is, look at your own companies. How many people here work for an agency that has a mobile-optimised site? Who works in a creative agency and your website is still in Flash?

“You think of a client trying to find your location for a pitch, and it's like, download Adobe Flash 10 on your mobile device. It's a really bad experience. You're not going to win the client.”

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