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A REVOLUTION
26 YEARS IN
THE MAKING
There is one university in Australia which has just changed its name.
The University of Western Sydney is now called Western Sydney University.
We have a new logo too.
These changes are indicative of the many transformations we are making at our University.
Why are we doing it?
To remain current in a disruptive world.
To establish our reputation for innovation.
You may ask, what difference does a new name or logo really make?
It’s a symbol of our emergence as one of Australia’s most important and innovative universities.
It’s part of our bold, new vision for the next stage of our strategic development.
We want our University to be known for its true value – as a dynamic institution for talented, ambitious people,
with the opportunity to realise their full potential. No matter who they are or where they’re from.
A place that pushes the boundaries of how knowledge is exchanged, a place that is student centred and research led.
A university that prepares graduates not just to get jobs, but to create them.
We’ve already made enormous strides in the 26 years since our foundation.
Worldwide, we now rank in the top 3% of universities.
As such, we are leaders in the most dynamic economic and cultural region in Australia – Western Sydney.
We’re adopting new teaching methods opening up the curriculum to technology-infused learning, all underpinned
by a commitment to quality.
We ensure our curriculum remains relevant through partnerships with our students, industry, business
and government.
Our research program is designed to deliver outcomes that contribute to the economic, social and environmental
wellbeing of our communities.
We believe success is fuelled by strong desire and ambition. With a global mindset we work closely with our
community to unlock the potential of our students as future leaders and change makers.
Welcome to the new Western Sydney University.
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February/March 2016
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Taking the mystery out of managing
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and Cheryl Prats
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EDITOR’S CHOICE
How REA cracked China’s internet
rule book – by Dave Anderson
Contents
Contributors
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Editor
PETER ROPER
FEB/MAR 2016
Publisher
PAUL LIDGERWOOD
Sub editor
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CHERYL PRATS
Page 86
ALICIA MACK
Page 32
ALVIN LEE
Page 92
ANDY LARK
Page 32
CON RASO
Page 82
CON STAVROS
Page 98
DAVE ANDERSON
Page 88
DIEGO LUNARDI
Page 86
DION APPEL
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EFFECTIVE
MEASURE*
Page 40
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Publisher’s Note
JAC PHILLIPS
Page 90
JENNY WILLIAMS
Page 32
MICHAEL BARNES,
FORRESTER
RESEARCH*
Page 48
MICHAEL VALOS
Page 92
MICHELLE
HERBISON
Page 74
PETER STROHKORB
Page 34
Bravery is a quality in all great
leaders and a trait that in
2016 Marketing will identify,
acknowledge, celebrate and
reward.
Are you brave? Does the
business you are in make brave
decisions? What are you planning
to do this year that will set you
apart – and most probably keep
you up at night?
Enjoy The Lead Issue of
Marketing and I hope 2016 is
a great year for you and your
families.
Be brave,
ROB GRANT
Page 14
ROB MORRISON
Page 80
SARA HINGLE,
ILLUSTRATOR
Page 74
SÉRGIO BRODSKY
Page 96
STEVE
SAMMARTINO
Page 94
STEVE TAITOKO,
UNLTD*
Page 72
Marketing would like to recognise and thank the members of its
Editorial Advisory Board for their invaluable guidance, including
but not limited to Dr Michael Valos (chair), Caroline Ruddick, Erik
Zimmerman, Mike Harley, Shannon Peachey, Trisca Scott-Branagan,
Skev Ioannou, Cameron Woods, and Peter Little.
Paul Lidgerwood
Niche Managing Director
Marketing Publisher
Editor's
note
Peter Roper
his morning, as well as
being the day Marketing
goes to print, forcing me
to get this written, is the morning
during which we’ve received the
news about Coca-Cola’s new
global brand strategy. This new
‘one brand’ approach, kicked off
by the ‘Taste the Feeling’ campaign
feels like big news… but I’m having
trouble articulating why. It’s hard to
tell whether the move is brave, or
incredibly risk-averse.
Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero
and Coke Life will stop going their
separate way, and the same creative
is intended to roll out worldwide,
from Japan to Mexico to Italy.
Bear with me as I process
my initial thoughts in this public
forum – which may be risky if I’m
completely misreading some things
at this very early stage – in the form
of a list of questions, in no particular
order.
T
1. How does a ‘one brand’ approach
not completely reject the notion
that a product portfolio is
developed for distinct segments?
2. Are the pillars of Coca-Cola’s
brand positioning universal
enough for a non-localised
approach? (Given it’s basically
the most global brand the world
has ever seen, that’s probably
not even up for debate.)
3. So does that unique
achievement mean that others
can’t follow its lead?
4. Does the assumption that the
marketing brains at The CocaCola Company can do no wrong
still hold?
5. Even if the brand can be
universal, does it follow that
creative can work effectively in
so many markets and cultures?
(Some of the videos are so
cheesy that the brand could
authoritatively start exploring
MARKETING FEBRUARY | MARCH 2016
brand extension opportunities in
the dairy aisle.)
6. Isn’t repurposing creative for
multiple markets old-hat, even
tacky, anyway? (I wonder if
they’ll dub.)
7. I like the use of Bowie and Queen’s
‘Under Pressure’. (Not a question.)
8. Is it just me or is some of the
imagery ‘steamier’ than we’ve
seen from Coke before?
9. On that note, what’s the chance
that in the future the marketing
of sugary drinks will be regulated
as much as alcohol, which in
Australia means it wouldn’t be
possible to link consumption
of the product with romantic
success?
10. Do young people really pour
Coca-Cola into each other’s
mouths on the dance floor?
Peter Roper
Editor
marketingmag.com.au
Editor, Marketing
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“Even multinationals
with a mature
presence in China
make myriad
mistakes.”
– Dave Anderson on
lessons from REA Group’s
successful launch in China,
on page 86.
“Trust, another leadership quality,
is often built on superficial signals
of confidence such as height,
a deeper voice and adorning
yourself with some bling.”
– Sérgio Brodsky writes on the demise of expertise, on page 96.
Lead
/liޝd/
1.
Show someone or something the way to a destination by going in front of or beside them.
2.
Be in charge or command of.
3.
Set (a process) in motion.
Noun
1.
The initiative in an action; an example for others to follow.
2.
Someone or something that may be useful, especially a potential customer, business
opportunity or piece of information.
3.
A position of advantage (first place) or the chief part played in a group, film etc.
Origin: Old English lۘdan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch leiden and German leiten,
also to load and lode.
“A lot of our messaging has
been to break the idea that
electric vehicles are like
glorified golf buggies.”
– Tesla’s local marketing head tells how the brand is leading
the charge towards a petrol-free future, on page 24.
MARKETING FEBRUARY | MARCH 2016
“Don’t confuse
enthusiasm with
momentum.”
– Xero’s Andy Lark is part
of the Brain Trust this issue
dispensing wisdom on things
that would have been good
to know before leading their
first digital change program.
marketingmag.com.au
Adjective
“The main
thing I wish I
understood
better is
how long it
takes people
to ‘get’ what
you are
doing.”
@marketingmag
– HCF’s Jenny Williams is
part of the Brain Trust this
issue dispensing wisdom on
things that would have been
good to know before leading
their first digital change
program, on page 32.
“Example is not
the main thing in
influencing others,
it is the only thing.”
– Jac Phillips writes there
is no leadership trait that
can’t be learned, on page
88.
“The CMO job description
has been described
as ambiguous…
Is this good or bad?”
– Michael Valos and Alvin
Lee ask whether the lack
of clear definition of ‘CMO’
is a necessary evil and
whether it’s holding the
discipline back, on page 92.
“Sales
said that
marketing’s
leads were no
good, while
marketing
claimed
that the
salespeople
were just
lazy or
incompetent.”
– Peter Strohkorb writes
a letter from the future
– a future in which sales
and marketing have a
fantastic and productive
relationship, on page 34.
“I presumed that everyone would
be as excited about the changes as I
was. I was unequivocally wrong.”
– Virgin Mobile’s Alicia Mack is part of the Brain Trust this
issue dispensing wisdom on things that would have been
good to know before leading their first digital change program,
on page 32.
THE LEAD ISSUE
“A total of 839
journal articles
on the topic were
reviewed… and
no clear answer
emerged as to
the existence
of a correlation
between order
of entry into
a market and
measures such as
market share.”
– Our feature-length
look at the concept – or
misconception – of firstmover advantage. Page 14.
“Some brands
have tripped
up by treating
Millennials as
one homogenous
group but
you must use
segmentation
criteria beyond
a simple age
bracket.”
– Dion Appel writes
that, while Millennials
are definitely not all the
same, there are some key
characteristics that can
help marketers connect
with this increasingly
valuable market. Page 42.
14 FEATURE
First in,
best dressed?
Few business maxims are as widely known as first mover
advantage, despite patchy evidence of its merits. Rob Grant
examines when marketers should bravely lead from the front
and when it pays to sit in the slipstream.
MARKETING FEBRUARY | MARCH 2016
16 FEATURE
H
“
In markets where no
one player commands
a majority share,
being first can separate
a company from its
peers.
Swings and roundabouts
First mover innovators are heralded in the business press
and presented as case studies of marketing excellence.
Rivals look on as they reap new revenue streams and
steal customers with their shiny new offerings. They are
believed to quickly command market share that is difficult
to chase.
Al Crawford, executive planning director at Clemenger
BBDO, believes that in the right circumstances being first is
a big advantage. “It can give you a huge amount of volume
that won’t be achieved by people coming in second or third.
For a time, you become the default choice,” he says.
By launching early, companies can learn, iterate and,
if necessary, move onto the next thing. The only danger is
when competitors learn too. Proceed quickly through the
development of new ideas and your team members and
capital are not tied up for too long.
Chris Ball works at BlueChilli, where he helps major
brands learn from and work with fast-moving start-ups. He
feels speed of execution is one area in which big brands can
do much better.
Ball explains, “If you’re going to fail, you want to fail fast.
If you’re going to win and do well, you want to do that as fast
as you can and grow as quickly as you can grow.”
Yet, ask anyone to think about first mover advantage
and they will immediately cite classic examples of leaders
usurped by better or bigger followers. Google eclipsed AltaVista and Ask Jeeves. VHS dominated Betamax. Apple’s
iPod made a mockery of existing MP3 players.
In a sense, the linear notion of new ideas being first, then
second, then third… is a little redundant. Every new innovation is different, at least subtly, and has potential to unlock
value in a different way.
Michael Priddis, managing director of BCG Digital
Ventures, consults on innovation to large corporates and
thinks there’s an implied problem with first mover advantage. “There is an assumption of a finite amount of demand
or revenue. I think the lesson of the last 10 years is that
”
there’s almost an infinite ability to innovate and to create
new products and services. Standout brands identify a new
need or new customer opportunity and address it in ways
others have not,” he says.
Even academics are inconclusive on the topic. A
total of 839 journal articles on the topic were reviewed
in the Academy of Management Review (Suarez and
Lanzolla, 2007) and no clear answer emerged. Existence
of an advantage, a correlation between order of entry and
measures such as market share, could neither be supported
nor refuted.
Peter Murmann, professor of strategic management
at UNSW Business School, agrees it’s a topic fraught with
uncertainty. “Is there such a thing as competitive advantage?
The answer is not clear that there really is an advantage
across all industrial settings. It is not always the first mover
that really takes the prize,” he says.
It’s hard to even know who is first and who follows. Innovation – like music trends or fashion styles – often brings
together the best elements of products and services already
in existence. Entirely new ideas are rare, if they exist at all.
In many cases, the so-called first mover is just the brand that
becomes most widely known for a new idea, rather than a
genuine inventor in the classic sense.
A more useful way to think of speed-to-market is as
a scale, rather than a binary case of first or not. In many
circumstances, the fast followers, early movers or even late
entrants are the brands that thrive. Just don’t be last.
If the question is ‘does first mover advantage exist?’
then the answer is a somewhat frustrating ‘it depends’. So
marketers need to understand the factors that influence the
importance of speed to market in order to determine their
strategy.
As with most challenges in marketing, it requires a deep
understanding of the brand you manage, the market you
play in and the company you work for. In many cases, the
driving factors are counterintuitive, the opposite of what
one might assume.
MARKETING FEBRUARY | MARCH 2016
marketingmag.com.au
umans love to be first. It’s a seductive, hardwired notion and the era of social media
brings it the fore. Every minute, of every
day, people claim bragging rights to everything. First to see the latest Hollywood
blockbuster. Ownership of the newest smartphone ahead
of their friends. The discovery of a new, exclusive, backalley bar.
It’s no surprise then that so many businesses strive to be
leaders in their markets. Innovation is the cornerstone of
most strategic plans and there is an implicit understanding
that being first is crucial. But is it?
Situations in which
being first (or early)
is an advantage
Markets where brand is a key decision driver,
over features.
Messaging, when the subject is new and topical.
Networked industries, where value rises exponentially
as users grow.
Product categories (with long development cycles) –
more so than services.
Sticky markets, where once a customer is acquired
they are slow to leave.
Fast moving technology markets, where advantages
are short-lived.
@marketingmag
Slow and steady growth markets, where new
adopters are not plentiful.
hard to copy. Murmann explains, “There’s strong evidence
that when a brand is an integral part of making the decision, moving earlier rather than later matters. If you move
too late, somebody else will have established a brand around
that idea. It will be hard for you to move in.”
For brands, being first is not just about products and
services. The first brand to own a particular message or
product claim can render the promise useless to competitors. Provided when they broadcast they go out big. Recently
in Australia, the hormone-free beef campaign by Coles was
a good example. Once it owned this point of difference, a
competitor copying with the same promise would seem like
a fake. Crawford explains that this advertising practice dates
far back. “In America, in the early 20th century, there was
a beer that said, ‘all our bottles are washed with steam’. As
it happens, everybody’s bottles were washed with steam. In
markets where there is lots of parity, being first to say something matters,” he says.
Marketers in brand-driven categories must be first-tomarket or close behind any leading competitor. Move too
late and a rival will own the new space in the hearts and
minds of the consumer. From this position, it’s hard to
catch up.
Corner the market
Corporates that position themselves as dynamic
leaders.
Smaller companies, with a need to be radically
different to stand out.
Challenger businesses that aim to break existing
business models.
Bring it back the brand
Beyond the obvious revenue benefits of early-to-market
innovation, arguably the richest bounty lies in the benefits to the brand. Clearly it’s important not just to be first,
but to establish strong awareness of your new offering.
Consumers will then typically choose market leaders
simply because they are the best-known choice. Crawford
thinks brand salience is a major driver of purchase and
being first helps establish a presence. “If you are first, you
can become the default choice in the category. The first
brand is more likely to be salient and more likely to be
bought as a result,” he says.
Brands can own new ideas for longer, and so create a
durable advantage, when brand itself is more important
than rational product features in the decision-making
process. If a brand can emotionally own a new territory, it’s
Certain types of market – typically new and disruptive
ones – demand first mover advantage. Networked industries, which connect people in some way, are the most
extreme example as their value grows with a multiplier
effect the more people join. Facebook, eBay and Airbnb are
all good examples. Murmann explains how they benefit
from being early to market. “Any time when the value of
using a certain technology goes up with other people using
the same technology, then early mover advantages play a
greater role,” he says.
Whether you sell products or services also impacts the
need for speed. Perhaps surprisingly, there is a greater need
“
The first brand to
own a particular
message or product
claim can render the
promise useless to
competitors.
THE LEAD ISSUE
”
18 FEATURE
Genuine first movers
eBay – leader in networked market
Airbnb – leader in networked market
LinkedIn – leader in networked market
Dyson – industry disruptor
Uber – industry disruptor
OzForex – industry disruptor
Nespresso – category creator
Red Bull – category creator
iPad – category creator
Up&Go – category creator
“
A total of 839 journal
articles on the topic
were reviewed…
and no clear answer
emerged.
Get down to business
”
At a company level, the importance of speed to market is
partly dependent upon your overall corporate strategy
and culture. Ball believes the business itself can provide
the impetus to be first. “How do they want to be perceived
in the market? What sort of player do they want to be? Do
they want to be aggressive, get out there, set the terms and be
known as a brand that is innovative and a leader?” he asks.
Being seen as the leader can provide benefits, beyond
revenue and market share, to relationships with suppliers
and retailers, employee engagement and investor relations.
Like bees to a honey pot, leading companies – large and
small – tend to attract talent and funding.
Bigger companies, with their unwieldy structures,
complex processes and low appetites for risk, are generally slower to innovate than smaller ones. When a large
company is a significant market share leader, it also lacks
the impetus to be first. With a strong distribution network,
customer loyalty and brand equity, it can often copy the
ideas of more agile upstarts before the newcomer commands
significant market share. In some cases, they may even
buy them. The Coca-Cola Company regularly adopts this
approach. Powerade, Coke Zero, Mother and Barista Bros
were all considerably later to market than competitors, yet
they command high market share due to the might of the
parent company.
“If you’re an existing company and you have the distribution network, do you want to be first mover? Probably
not. You need to monitor the market very carefully and see
whether the product gets enough traction. Once it does, use
your existing brand, distribution network and organisational capabilities to roll out to the market,” says Murmann.
In markets where no one player commands a majority
share, however, being first can separate a company from
its peers. Indeed, in cases where the first mover can build
significant supply chain economies of scale, the advantage
may prove terminal for competitors. The first mover can
offer lower prices or command greater margins.
For challenger companies the situation is a little
MARKETING FEBRUARY | MARCH 2016
marketingmag.com.au
for speed if you market products, as once you establish the
new offer there is reasonable time thereafter to milk the
benefits. With services, you can more easily be copied overnight, especially in the digital space.
Priddis says, “Australia is principally a service economy.
And when you think about service innovation versus new
product build, the period of sustainable differentiation is
only months. I put an app out and the next guy launches one
that’s the same. It can be done very quickly.”
The stickiness of the customer relationship is another
key consideration. Somewhat paradoxically, it’s more
important to be fast when customers are slower to move.
Priddis explains this tricky notion, “If a product is particularly sticky, like a retail bank account, then speed matters.
It’s not so much being first with the product, but first with
that sticky relationship. Once you’ve got a bank account,
you don’t want to change it.”
Murmann expands on this idea by looking at the pace
at which new consumers enter markets. “When consumers
are entering the market very quickly there is no such thing
as first mover advantage, because when new players enter
there are new customers always arriving. On the other hand,
when the adoption is slow, only the incumbent firm can grab
them.”
Most would assume being first is more important in fastmoving technology markets. But the contrary is true. When
new innovations occur rapidly, the advantages of being first
are short-lived. Do you know who was first with LaserDiscs?
It doesn’t matter, we moved on.
Theoretical
foundations
FMA
enablers
• Resource-based view
of the firm
• Strategic
management
Firm-level enablers
(micro aspects of FMA
theory)
Firm's resources
and capabilities
• Micro and industrial
economics
• Consumer
behaviour
Isolating mechanisms
• Technology
leadership
• Switching costs
• Resource preemption
• Technology
management
• Industrial organistion
• Consumer behaviour
• Strategic
management
Environmental enablers
(macro aspects of FMA
theory)
• Pace of market
evolution
• Pace of technology
evolution
@marketingmag
Adapted from Suarez, F & Lanzolla, G 2007,
'The role of environmental dynamics in building
a first mover advantage theory', Academy of
Management Review, Vol. 32, No. 2, 377–392.
FMA
“
There is an implicit
understanding that
being first is crucial.
But is it?
”
different, though being first is still not essential. Many
brands, especially start-ups that create new business models
in established industries, do achieve success by stealing the
mark on the big guys. Challenger brands of this type build
being first into every aspect of their business approach.
Dyson aims to be first in categories, from vacuum cleaners
to hand dryers, which are ripe for innovation. In doing so, it
leaves the incumbents gasping for breath.
Other upstarts are happy to be early movers, but ones that
improve on the original or offer it in their own unique way.
It’s hard to think of Google as a follower. But this is what it
has consistently been, first in search engines, then in email,
browsers and content services (video, music, games).
Then there are companies that will simply copy an idea
and do it more cheaply, through a more efficient supply
chain or distribution model. Aldi’s successful launch
of a budget coffee pod machine, after Nespresso spent a
fortune to establish the market, is a great example. The
communication even mocks the pretensions of the originator. Crawford explains, “There are those brands that say,
actually my role is to follow you, annoy you and do it more
cheaply.”
For every frantic hare that wins race honours, there is
a plodding tortoise that takes a little more care and steals
the glory. Armed with an understanding of what drives the
advantages of being first, marketers can plan the type of race
they should run.
THE LEAD ISSUE
20 SURVEY PARTNER: SSI
Survey says…
Marketing and its survey partner SSI polled 1000 Australians in December 2015 to ask
about their views on whether they look for and purchase innovative or market leading brands.
THE SAMPLE
n = 1000
When you are planning to purchase a
product or service for the first time, do
you look for companies that implement
new innovations first?
More respondents said they look for
companies that implement new innovations
than didn't, and males (56% said yes) seem
to be slightly more interested in innovation
than females (51% said yes).
Thinking about the brands you own or
services you use, would you say most of
them are ‘innovative’ companies?
More than two-thirds of all surveyed
consumers said that brands they own
or services they use were 'innovative'
companies. Males were more likely to say
yes (72%) than females (66%). Of the age
groups, the 45-and-over group were more
likely to say yes (73%) than the 30-44s
(64%) and the 18-29s (70%).
Thinking about the brands you own or
services you use, would you say most of
them are market leaders?
Slightly more consumers described the
brands they own or services they use as
market leaders compared to those who
described them as innovative. State-by-state,
people from New South Wales were most
likely to say yes to this question (75%) while
people from the Northern Territory were
most likely to say no (60%).
Discussion questions
Does the perception of market leadership correlate strongly with innovation?
Are the perceptions shown here strong enough to influence strategy?
What does this data say about the people’s own perception of themselves?
MARKETING FEBRUARY | MARCH 2016
SSI is the trusted global leader in
survey and research solutions for
market research firms, B2B and B2C
companies. Visit surveysampling.com
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INSIDE THE TALENT MARKET
Attracting and retaining the best marketers, with the right skills, culture fit and way of thinking is
fundamental to achieving your company's goals and objectives. Here are the key findings from
a survey exploring the current state of marketing in Australia in 2015, conducted by CIM in
partnership with Australian College of Marketing and Hays Australia.
IS MARKETING A FIRST CAREER CHOICE?
First
job not
marketing
related
48%
HOW WOULD
YOU DESCRIBE
YOURSELF?
First job
marketing
related
Intended
to work in
marketing
52%
41%
Didn't
intend to
work in
marketing
56%
KEY FACTORS THAT ATTRACT JOB SEEKERS TO MARKETING
■ General interest in marketing
■ Your personal skills
7%
32%
What first
attracted you to
marketing?
24%
■ I fell into marketing without planning to
■ The potential for career development
■ The credibility of the profession (2%)
■ Earning potential (2%)
■ A particular role that was advertised (2%)
■ Job security and stability (1%)
26%
77.4%
■ Other (3%)
GENERALIST
■ Diversity of what's involved in marketing
■ I just like what I do
■ The opportunity to move around
and experience different roles
5%
4%
5%
8%
What motivates
you to stay in
marketing?
■ Salary
■ I wouldn't – I'm looking to
move out of marketing
22.6%
■ Other
SPECIALIST
MARKETING FEBRUARY | MARCH 2016
20%
57%
WHAT'S AFFECTING AUSTRALIAN
MARKETERS' CAREER PLANS?
WHAT ARE PEOPLE LOOKING
FOR IN THEIR ROLE?
61%
76%
60%
55%
52% 51%
45%
26% 25%
31%
22%
18% 19%
16%
13%
3%
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■ The need to invest more time in training
■ My marketing skills are not up-to-date
■ I can't picture where my career is going
■ Need to change my employer
■ Need to change my role
■ My career plans have not been affected
■ No answer
Sense of purpose
Salary package
Personal development/training
Good working environment
Strong ethical employer values
Working from home
Job security
Hierarchical company structure
Prefer a market leader company
MOST IMPORTANT CRITERIA INFLUENCING CHOOSING A NEW EMPLOYER
1st
The position you
applied for
6th
Compatability
with boss
2nd
Salary/benefits
7th
Location
3rd
Company culture
8th
Company and
job security
4th
Work environment
9th
The management
structure within
the company
=
4th
The potential for
growth within
the organisation
10th
Company
status
CIM, Hays Australia & Australian College of Marketing, 'Australian marketing talent' survery report.
THE LEAD ISSUE
24 BRAND STORY: TESLA
Leading the charge
As the vertically integrated automotive company leads the
charge towards an all-electric future, Tesla Motors Australia’s
Heath Walker talks Peter Roper through the brand’s
quest to get Australia on the grid.