Guinness World Records is eyeing off partnerships with Australian agencies and brands, with the 61 year-old business aiming to get local shops to put record breaking at the heart of everything they do.
The publishing powerhouse is now turning to other revenue streams to work alongside its printed offering; that being the record books, and one of the growing streams is working with the creative industry so it incorporates records into PR plans, ad campaigns or even internal team building.
Not bad considering the first book in 1955 was initially a marketing give away, not a money maker.
Speaking with AdNews, Nadine Causey, senior vice president EMEA APAC at Guinness World Records, explained the business now gains 30% of its revenue from its other offerings such brand and agency partnerships, with Australia now being high on Guinness World Record's list as places to expand its operations.
Locally Guinness World Records has already worked with brands such as Medibank. The two partnered for Medibank's “largest ever spin class”. The stunt saw Tour de France winner Cadel Evans lead 270 Australians in the class, that saw the brand ride to record breaking victory.
Causey also says that the business is able to use records to create content that brands and agencies are craving.
“What we do is try and put record breaking at the very heart of brands marketing and creative campaigns,” she says. “We found that record attempts and events generate lots of passion, enthusiasm, emotion and people really buy into being apart of records - it makes a real emotional connection.”
“Guinness World Records can also bring validation. We know consumers are very much after authenticity and trust – we want things to be genuine. We talk about native marketing, brands want to get consumers to deliver their messages for them... It really helps to put a different edge on the marketing campaigns that are being done,” she added.
Guinness World Records has a creative team based in London, which can work with brands and agencies to make the most out of records, which includes helping brands find the perfect record which will hits their objectives.
Causey wouldn't rule out bringing a similar offering to Australian shores, however it will be dependant on how the current push and the appetite from brands plays out. She did say however that the brand now has more resources on the ground such as adjudicators and people dedicated to monitoring Australian records.
“We're seeing growth in Australia but we still see it as a huge area of potential, which is why I've come on this trip to try and help explain to brands and agencies the potential that's there to hopefully grow this commercial business even further,” she says.
“We're putting together local resource to help us get localised understanding of what brands, agencies and even individuals want to do when it comes to record breaking, with the idea that we'll actually have people on the ground here. That could take a few years, but it's definitely one of our intentions,” she added.
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