RESET - Australia’s biggest advertisers emerge from the shadow of COVID-19

Chris Pash
By Chris Pash | 27 November 2020
John Broome

John Broome, the CEO of the AANA (Australian Association of National Advertisers), says a tough year brought on by COVID-19 is an opportunity for all brands.

He opened the industry body’s RESET conference saying marketers can either wait for a new normal or instead re-imagine the future.

“This is the chance for brands to be progressive, to lead positive change, to bond and engage in ways unimaginable just a few months ago,” he says. 

This year RESET is reaching a real-time audience of more than 1500 via live streaming and a physical audience in Sydney. Speakers include demographer Bernard Saltformer Prime Minister Julia Gillard, sports star Adam Goodes, Telstra CEO Andy Penn, MECCA Brands founder Jo Horgan, and CEO and co-founder of Who Gives A Crap, Simon Griffiths

Broome says smart brands marketers are going through a vital period of introspection and reassessment. 

Who is my customer today and tomorrow? What are their behaviours and aspirations? How must I continuously fulfill these? Will my brand be distinctive, relevant, and meaningful? And will all this combine to create long term shareholder value? 

“Is this a new approach to marketing?” says Broome. “No this is the fundamentals of marketing; perhaps more important now than they have been for a generation. 

“But I strongly suspect that marketers who lead the way forward, will couple these marketing fundamentals with new capabilities that are required for fluid times namely purposeful curiosity, creative problem solving, innovation and strategic storytelling.” 

The AANA is continuing its own program to RESET its brand. 

Next year AANA is expanding by opening membership to small business and individual marketers. 

“Simply put we want to become indispensable to brand marketers,” says Broome. reset 2020

He says the AANA has, like its members, faced a tough year but is in a much better place because of it. 

“We have a much clearer vision of who we are, what value we can create and what role we can play in each of our members’ journeys,” he says. 

“This year we have put marketing capability, industry best practises and future proofing the self-regulation system at the forefront of our activities."  

“Capability to enable your marketers to drive growth for their business through the value of their brands. 

“And by doing this, putting the value of marketing and our profession back into the board room where it belongs.” 

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