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We’ve seen one of our food delivery clients grow, reporting their second straight week in record sales. They are using the time to reach new customers, re-engage previous customers and acquire more sales than ever before.

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Some businesses are thriving right now

We also have clients in industries that naturally thrive during lockdowns. For example,  we’ve seen one of our food delivery clients grow, reporting their second  straight week in record sales. They are  using the time to reach new customers, re-engage previous customers and acquire more sales than ever before. 

However, simply being in the right industry at the right time isn’t enough. We’ve supported this particular food delivery client with a carefully curated digital strategy, timely social media executions and an excessive level of detail and  personalisation  being integrated into direct customer communications. Leading their overall marketing strategy, McKenzie Partners  are  working with this client on a  minute-by-minute  basis to ensure they remain ahead of their competition and anticipate their  consumers’ next desire.

Take the time to enhance your offering

Some of our clients are using this unique window of time to enhance their offerings. One client, a  specialist cruise company,  is planning to renovate their boats  when construction works are permitted again. That way, the team will ensure that they can safely support trades and  help  other industries survive. It’s a rare opportunity as the works won’t impact bookings and take away from their own potential earnings. Plus, McKenzie Partners are right there with them, documenting progress on on their social channels  and ensuring we are across the details,  so  we’ll be  ready to broadcast the new and improved vessels when they are once again ready to cruise.   

Come out the other side, bigger and better!

We are also working with clients that are currently closed to plan for their future success. That could mean designing  a new menu,  finessing  a show-stopping events  brochure or even  crafting  their next big piece of content. From drafting scripts, editing footage and recording voiceovers – there’s so much that can be done virtually.  Our creative team can access all their resources  with ease  –  McKenzie  Partners has  long  been  a cloud-centric agency ready to pivot with the times.   

 

 

We are here to communicate, collaborate and support

At McKenzie Partners, our teams in every state  are meeting daily to talk through priorities, collaborate on ideas and, of course, support one another through  shifting deadlines and the harsh realities of being an incredibly agile support service to our clients  at  this time.   

So, what has this latest lockdown taught McKenzie Partners? We truly are a versatile team who has one another’s support. Our clients might have a dedicated Account Director, but those  Account Directors  of ours are backed by a unified and collaborative bunch that are ready and willing to jump in and assist any of our clients. At this time, we’ve learned that small businesses across Australia, just like ours,  need to  work together and work harder than ever to  ensure that  the loudest story that comes out of 2021 is not the latest COVID wave, but rather a story of  business survival and success.   

Have you ever wondered about the ads that pop up at the top of a Google search? McKenzie Partners’ Senior SEM Specialist Melvin Mendoza is the one to ask about them.

He’s an expert in search engine marketing and has worked in the digital field for over 10 years. We quizzed Melvin about becoming a SEM specialist and how the job has evolved over time.

 

In a nutshell, what does a senior SEM specialist actually do?

My job involves implementing, executing and optimising paid search marketing accounts. The core objective is to generate brand and product awareness for the clients, which in turn drives sales and enquiries for their business.

 

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The core objective is to generate brand awareness and product awareness for our clients.

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What does a typical workday look like for you?

On any given day, I’ll make sure accounts are performing and on budget. I’ll also analyse paid search and look for growth opportunities. The other part of my job is reporting and translation of data for sales and optimisation.

 

How has SEM evolved over the time you’ve been in the industry?

The main evolution here is that SEM used to sit within the IT sector. Now SEM is very much a part of the sales and marketing world.

 

How did you become a SEM specialist in the first place?

I worked for major companies within digital sales. So, digital marketing was a natural and future progression for me.

 

What’s it like to work in a job that didn’t exist 20 years ago?

I’ve personally worked in marketing my entire career. So, many of the companies during that time evolved and integrated digital as a catalyst for business growth. It doesn’t seem that strange because it’s been a gradual evolution and I’ve continued to upskill. It feels more like a natural progression rather than a dramatic career change.

I do all the time, I am so used to seeing paid ads that I click on unpaid/organic ads instead!

 

What’s the best and worst bit about your job?

The best part is definitely analysis, taking logical risks and watching accounts perform for clients. There aren’t significant cons, but reporting and automation certainly needs to evolve further.

Michelle Rowling, Group Account Director at McKenzie Partners makes a compelling case for the value of competitions.

When strategically designed and methodically implemented, competitions can deliver key results, metrics and traction that outperform other marketing channels.  Competitions are so often dismissed by organisations and marketing managers as being mass giveaways, where the only beneficiaries are those members of the public actively engaged in the prize scene seeking free gifts. Sure, if the objectives of the competition are not clear and the mechanic is misdirected, this can absolutely be the case. However, when clever and accountable, there is a strong place for competitions in a customer-centric marketing plan.

 

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When strategically designed and methodically implemented, competitions can deliver key results, metrics and traction that outperform other marketing channels.

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Competitions get you customised data

A competition is a great method of data acquisition. With both ethics and compliance considered consistently, the data derived from competitions can prove valuable for your organisation. Whether the information obtained represents new prospective customers or highlights hyper-engaged members of your existing customer base, there’s no other way this quality of data can be obtained.

By ensuring there’s a strategic opportunity for your competition entrants to share their details, consent to marketing communications and offer you new avenues to connect with them – a database collected from a competition today could serve your organisation well into the future when used correctly.

 

Boost your social media engagement

Want social media engagement? Page growth, following and advocacy are all social media benefits that you can get from a good competition. Sure, you can sponsor posts, boost ads and cast your social media content wide. However, a competition will capture your true brand advocates and allow them to work for you. Competitions allow advocates to endorse your brand, promote your offering to their network and amplify its reach with a qualified audience.

Social engagements and metrics can be used to your advantage to administer a competition, but you can also use social platforms to simply extend the broadcast of your competition and maintain the entry mechanic elsewhere.

 

You’ll gain insights

Consumers love it when they feel included and involved in a brand or business they admire. Competitions can be a crafty way of gaining their input and acquiring their insights. Want to create a new flavour? Want to know your most appealing asset? Want to know how your experience is truly received or shared? A clever competition can allow for the collection of anecdotal data, feedback, insights and ideas. It’s also a great way of sharing positive experiences and ideas about your brand with others. Entrants will feel like they’ve contributed to something great, as well as feeling rewarded should they be the winning contender!

 

 

What prize should you choose?

To be successful, competitions need to offer a compelling and sought-after prize. The prize should drive entries, momentum and sustain interest even long after the competition has run. Cash, cars and holidays are king here. However, you can also incentivise more entries and enrich the potential use of your data by integrating samples and offering discounts. This can be an incredible way of rewarding each and every entrant, while encouraging purchase, maximising spend and enhancing the potential long-term loyalty between the customer and the brand.

 

Can you ever just do a personal Google search without examining the ads?

I do all the time, I am so used to seeing paid ads that I click on unpaid/organic ads instead!

 

How do you set up a competition?

Competition ideation, implementation, management and communication can all be incredibly complex. Permits, terms and entry mechanics are always required. Competitions need to be ethical, and legally compliant in all participating states. There are also platform requirements when implementing social promotions and website functionality to contend with when hosting a competition online.

That’s where engaging an agency can be helpful. At McKenzie Partners, we have competition experts in our team. In store, on pack, triggered by consumer spend, games of chance, event-based promotions, online competitions and social media giveaways – we’ve done it all. We also have experience across a range of industries, having worked on competitions in travel, retail, hospitality, entertainment and auto. If you’re keen to amplify your reach and maximise your data potential, let’s connect and discuss a competition for your brand.

In today’s media landscape, content really is king. With so many platforms available, brands are finding new ways to tell their stories. Anthea England is the content director at McKenzie Partners. She helps clients share their unique perspectives.

 

In a nutshell, what does a content director actually do?

My job involves implementing, executing and optimising paid search marketing accounts. The core objective is to generate brand and product awareness for the clients, which in turn My area of expertise is written content, particularly longer-form work like blogs, SEO content strategy, website copywriting and PR content. However, my role also involves shorter copywriting jobs like EDMs, social copy, Google AdWords and radio scripts. The challenge is always to think more holistically and ensure each piece of content for any given brand is on brief and engaging.

 

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The core objective is to generate brand awareness and product awareness for our clients.

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What does your day look like?

On any given day, I’ll make sure accounts are performing and on budget. I’ll also analyse paid search and look for growth opportunities. The other part of my job is reporting and Briefs come into me and I juggle them throughout the day depending on the deadline and the scale of the job. Content like website copy or a blog will take more research, so I’ll block out time for that in advance. Same goes for regular content like social calendars or weekly EDMs, for instance.

 

How did you become a content director?

I’ve always liked writing, so I started with a media and communications degree. My first job was as a writer at a tween magazine. It was a lot of fun and very useful as it taught me to write for a different audience and interview well. I wanted to hone my editing skills, so I took a job at Women’s Health magazine as a sub-editor. Sub-editing requires a lot of attention to detail and I still use these skills daily. The team there was exceptionally talented, open-minded and wrote nuanced stories – everything you want in an editorial team. I eventually became the features writer and then a digital content editor. From there, I moved in-house at a wellness company to work on their content. After three years, I made the move to the agency world.

 

 

Why is good content and copywriting important for brands?

How many times do you read a brand’s website, socials or emails and think, what do they actually do? What do they stand for? How does this company even work? I think that all the time. The key is clear and clever communication. Many brands try to say too much, they’re vague or they use very technical language that is alienating to potential customers.

Editorial-style content like blogs are absolutely critical. Many people dismiss it as fluff, but this kind of content gives brands integrity. It can make them an authority in their industry and reiterates their core values. Plus, if blogs are used as part of a broader SEO strategy, they can be incredibly powerful for increasing visibility in search results. If I can give businesses one tip, it would be to invest in SEO content – you won’t see results overnight, but long-term it will make a huge difference.

Ultimately, in a world where there’s a crippling amount of choice, people need something else to connect with beyond the simple product or service. Content helps make brands more human.

 

What’s the best and worst thing about your job?

The best thing is that I love helping people and I feel my skill set can be really useful for clients. Sometimes just a few simple edits or words can convey a message more clearly and it can make a tangible difference. I also like that I can spend my day writing all kinds of copy. There’s actually not much admin involved in my job. The worst part is that it’s hard to let go of jobs. I’m a perfectionist and I always want to keep editing, in case I can make the copy better. That is a downside that is entirely of my own making.

Darren McKenzie, CEO of McKenzie Partners, gives you the run-down on Catch Up TV.

In 2020, flicking between TV platforms was the activity du jour. It was 9Now one minute, Netflix the next, as our demand for content skyrocketed. Unsurprisingly, ThinkTV figures suggest that Catch Up TV consumption was up 26% compared to pre-lockdown numbers. With the ability to tailor your message and your budget, Catch Up is a great way for brands to garner attention.

 

What is Catch Up TV?

First, let’s go back to the basics because there’s often confusion about what Catch Up actually encompasses. In short, it refers to TV viewed on a computer, mobile device, Connected TV or set-top box. As the name suggests, it’s typically viewed after the original on-air date. It’s also commonly referred to as Broadcast Video on Demand (BVOD). In Australia, this includes platforms like 9Now, 7plus and 10 Play. This differs from Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD), which are your platforms like Netflix, Stan and Disney+.

Catch Up TV originally hit the Australian media landscape in 2008 with the launch of ABC’s iView. The other major broadcasters gradually introduced their own offerings over the following decade.

 

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In 2019, the total hours spent watching BVOD increased by 35% in the first half of the year.

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How popular is Catch UP TV in Australia?

On any given day, I’ll make sure accounts are performing and on budget. I’ll also analyse paid search and look for growth opportunities. The other part of my job is reporting and Briefs coWhile it started small, Catch Up TV is no longer a niche medium. In fact, data shows that 23.5% of Australians watch BVOD every week, that’s around 6 million people. The medium is also experiencing spectacular growth. In 2019, the total hours spent watching BVOD increased by 35% in the first half of the year, compared to the previous six months, while advertising revenue increased by 38.9% from January to December. As indicated, Catch Up TV consumption only increased further during lockdown.

 

Advertising on Catch Up TV

I’ve always liked writing, so I started with a media and communications degree. My first job was as a writer at a tween magazine. It was a lot of fun and very useful as it taught me to write

Perhaps more importantly, that growing audience can be targeted very effectively when advertising. That includes behavioural, geographical and demographic targeting, as well as the ability to target ‘in market’ audiences. For example, Catch Up TV allows you to only target the postcodes relevant to your particular business. You’re also able to layer a user’s intent, to some degree, based on their browsing habits.

 

 

Catch Up essentially flips the TV advertising model on its head. It’s not about targeting a group of viewers of a particular TV show, it’s really about building a persona for each viewer.

In a data-driven world, Catch Up also has the advantage of highly accurate reporting capabilities. Beyond the viewer numbers of traditional TV, you’re able to ascertain a clearer picture of the impressions, frequency, reach and more.

Of course, traditional linear TV and Catch Up can both be effective. 18.28 million Australians tune in to linear TV every week, which far eclipses Catch Up and makes it an incredibly powerful medium. Plus, there are currently hugely discounted TV opportunities, which make traditional TV far more accessible than it was pre-pandemic. Traditional also has the potential to capture an older demographic who may not use a Connected TV.

Ultimately, your choice depends on your customer and the goals you have for your campaign. However, we believe Catch Up is always worth considering – it’s targeted, cost effective and achieves great outcomes for our clients.

At McKenzie Partners, we specialise in Catch Up TV. We are currently working with over 100 advertisers across all industries. If you’re a brand who wants to get greater exposure at a reasonable price or an agency looking to advertise on behalf of your client, get in touch!

We caught up with Stewart Heaney, a Graphic & Motion Designer at McKenzie Partners. Stewart is incredibly skilled at bringing designs to life through motion design.

You know those fun animations you see on your Insta feed? Stew can do that – and more! We talked to him about this field, which blends elements of video production and graphic design.

Essentially, Motion Design is a discipline that applies Graphic Design principles to filmmaking and video production through the use of animation and visual effects. Examples include films, videos, animated text and web-based animations and apps. Motion design has evolved as a direct result of technological advancements. This is part of what we do at McKenzie Partners, but we also produce, edit and sound engineer the final products.

 

Can you walk us through a day at work?

There’s certainly no typical day at work for me, but it certainly starts with coffee! After that it could be working on a print design piece, video edit, motion design, storyboard, logo concepts, product photography – you name it. The demand for video-related content is especially high at the moment. Most of my days are filled with video-related work.

 

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Motion design has evolved as a direct result of technological advancements. This is part of what we do at McKenzie Partners, but we also produce, edit and sound engineer the final products.

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Is there a lot of variety in the jobs you do here?

The work is definitely varied and fast-paced here. That’s the beauty of working for a full-service agency! We can literally do 20 different jobs during a day’s work. I do a lot of work for our clients repurposing their existing assets into video. To give you an idea, our clients may have a lot of product photography or static imagery, but they want to create something with motion in it for social media or TV. We can take all those static elements, animate them and create something really special. This can be more engaging for potential customers. I’ve a recently done some web design concepts for a jewellery company, web banners for a nutritional supplement company and EDM designs for an automotive company – to name a few.

 

How did you become a contHow did you become a motion designer in the first place?ent director?

I actually started my career as a communications specialist in government roles, writing press releases and the like. I then transitioned to graphic design, which I’ve worked in for about 10 years. This has given me a solid understanding of design principles, which I think helps for video editing and motion design. I’ve always had a keen interest in photography and video production, which has also helped me immensely.

I learnt how to design for video on the job really and got thrown in the deep end. However, this is the best way to learn. Video is such a huge medium with endless possibilities, so I’m always learning new things.

People often get confused about what they’re paying for when they get creative work done for them. They think it’s about being able to use software or pushing buttons. But, it’s the years of training and design know-how that they’re paying for. All of our collective experience goes into each and every piece of creative.

 

 

Do you have a favourite campaign or client that you’ve worked with?

I don’t really have a favourite. However, the most satisfying work that I do is when we exceed the client’s expectations. For example, if they have a limited budget and assets, which we then turn around quickly with great quality.

 

What’s the best and worst bit about your job?

I think the best part of my job is the variation. One day I could be working on a logo concept and the next I’m putting together a video for a car manufacturer. The worst part is there’s never enough time. There’s always something you think of after you’ve finished and think, “That would’ve been perfect for that job!”

Michelle Rowling, McKenzie Partners Group Account Director, shares her insights on virtual marketing teams.

Now, more than ever, businesses are looking at their requirements through a new lens and marketing should be under the microscope.

As marketing is often one of the larger expenses for a business, it may be the first thing to be trimmed when times get tough. Yet, marketing is essential for success. That’s why a virtual marketing team can be a good compromise – giving you maximum return for your spend.

 

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As marketing is often one of the larger expenses for a business, it may be the first thing to be trimmed when times get tough. Yet, marketing is essential for success. That’s why a virtual marketing team can be a good compromise – giving you maximum return for your spend.

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Outsourcing your marketing gives you access to a team of experts

When you rely on one marketing lead with, perhaps, a small team of support staff – that’s exactly what you will receive. You’d better love the skills and expertise of your lead, as they will shape your marketing strategy. Plus, your lead will train any junior support staff to follow the same approach.

By outsourcing your marketing, you gain access to a diverse range of marketing experts. No one person or small team can be considered experts in product, digital, SEO, SEM, traditional media and customer experience. Nor can they truly be expert communicators, photographers, designers and analysts. To hold every required skillset in your team to the level you need is near impossible and incredibly expensive. With a virtual marketing team, your overheads are reduced and your potential is amplified.

 

You get honest feedback from a virtual marketing team

There’s no denying your staff are your greatest asset. However, sometimes external insights and a fresh approach are what you need. By using external marketing resources, you are guaranteed to receive honest and unbiased ideas and feedback. They will also genuinely be able to view your business from a customer’s perspective – not what your staff simply believe a customer is experiencing.

Likewise, it’s easier to give constructive criticism to someone who is one step removed from your business. You’re guaranteed to be able to deliver your honest thoughts without the awkwardness of having to face the marketing manager in the lunchroom who has just poured their all into an idea that won’t get off the ground.

 

 

You get better insights from an outsourced marketing team

It’s understandable that you may want an industry expert who knows the operation from the ground up. But imagine if the next best marketing solution came from somewhere else? It is possible that great marketing ideas conceived for one industry could be the next best thing for a completely different industry. By working with a virtual marketing hub that services many areas, ideas can be adapted, downscaled or amplified to suit the needs of your business.

You’ll also have case studies and implementation-based learnings to back up any new approaches. If you need to gain a bit more momentum or get an idea across to management or your board, your virtual marketing support will likely be able to provide a wealth of past insights for you.

 

Should you get rid of your marketing department completely?

No, we aren’t suggesting that entire marketing departments should be removed and all services outsourced. Many businesses need an expert in their ranks and you will definitely benefit from an in-house marketer who is across every small detail about your business.

Rather, your marketing lead will be supported by a team of experts, simultaneously bringing their ideas to life and elevating their true potential. Backed by analysts, detailed reporting, creative leads and customer experience experts, your marketing workforce can be upscaled at a fraction of the expense – compared with the required training and support to host it all in house.

Whether you are planning your next marketing hire, re-evaluating your team or if you just need access to a little more intel and support, a virtual marketing team can take your business to the next level. There are so many smart businesses out there that are seeing the benefits – will yours be the next one?