Independent out-of-home provider Gawk has joined Boomtown, the media collective representing the 10 million people living in regional Australia.
Gawk is the 10th media organisation to join the collective, sitting alongside long-standing media owner members SCA, WIN, Seven, ARN, ACM, Nine NBN, 10 Regional, News Corp Australia and Imparja.
Founded in 2018 by brothers Luke and James Course, Gawk is a 100% regional Australian out-of-home company, with nearly 600 large-format static and digital billboards spread across regional Victoria, NSW and South Australia.
Since its inception, Gawk’s billboard network has rapidly expanded, recording 267% inventory growth in the last two years alone.
In regional Victoria and South Australia, Gawk holds an estimated 80% share of roadside out-of-home.
Gawk has built regional NSW’s dominant and largest digital out-of-home network from scratch to become the region’s second largest out-of-home operator.
The company was named on the AFR Fast Starters List in 2022, amid rapid network and business expansion, which now includes a team of 47 and offices in Erina in NSW, Sydney, Melbourne and Geelong in Victoria.
“For us, joining Boomtown isn’t a media buy – it’s a statement about where we stand and who we stand with,” said Luke Course, director at Gawk.
“While the big out-of-home players have quietly retreated from regional Australia, we’ve done the opposite.
“Regional is what we do and all we do – we are proudly one of the only out-of-home companies in the nation that is 100% regional, 100% of the time.
“Agencies have spent years trying to plan regional out-of-home campaigns by stitching together whoever happened to have a billboard in the right postcode.
“We're offering something better than that, one partner, one network, one credible option across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. No stitching required.”
Boomtown Chairman, Andrew “Billy” Baxter, said since its inception, Gawk has believed in regional Australia.
“Gawk’s deep commitment to regional media, its significant presence in regional markets and its passion for contributing to regional economies makes it the ideal partner for Boomtown and our ongoing mission to champion regional Australia to national advertisers.
“The strength of Boomtown lies in bringing together organisations that understand the power of regional communities and local connections.
“That understanding represents a significant opportunity for brand growth, along with the fact that regional Australians contribute $250 billion annually to the national economy and significantly outspend metro residents in a range of everyday categories*.
“That kind of spending power cannot be ignored."
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