Advertising

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There has been an overall decline in job ad volume, down -33.9% year on year to March 2020, according to the latest SEEK Employment Report.   The industries contributing most significantly to the overall decline in job ads are Trades &amp; Services, Information &amp; Communication Technology and Hospitality &amp; Tourism.   SEEK also acknowledges the rapid decline of the labour market throughout March. In the last month, national job ads declined significantly week on week compared to the same week last year. Since the beginning of March, national job ads have declined by;  
<ul>
<li>12.6% in week ended 8 March.</li>
<li>17.3% in week ended 15 March.</li>
<li>41.3% in week ended 22 March.</li>
<li>64.6% in week ended 29 March.</li>
</ul>
Kendra Banks, Managing Director, SEEK ANZ commented, "the coronavirus pandemic has caused widespread disruption to the labour market and SEEK is seeing a range of industries respond in very different ways.   "Hospitality and Tourism was one of the first sectors to be impacted by the pandemic. Job ads declined week on week throughout March, starting at -13%, then -26%, then -69.2% and by the final week of March, down -84.1%. SEEK saw employers and business owners looking for roles within the sector, such as bar staff, housekeeping, guest services, tour guides, airline staff and travel agents, cease or stall their plans completely, which is a direct result of the restrictions imposed by authorities such as international borders closing and social isolation measures."   "However, while still in decline, the Community Services &amp; Development and Healthcare &amp; Medical sectors are showing some pockets of activity, as governments and service providers aim to meet community demand. Roles in aged care and disability support, and child welfare, youth and family services have remained steady as have nurses practicing general medical and surgical, as well as critical care and ICU" "We know that employers are either scaling up or winding back their recruitment needs at a rapid pace, and there are far greater applications per job ad than what we typically see across almost all sectors."   "Our advice for jobseekers is to keep your SEEK profile up to date and follow the application process. Employers have been inundated with applications so standing out and being competitive by tailoring your resume to the job ad, being clear about your skills and experience which directly align to the job you’re applying for throughout the recruitment process is vitally important."   "As the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, we continue to watch the movements in the labour market very closely to understand how each sector is responding with regards to hiring intentions and business activity”. Figure 1: National SEEK Job Ad growth by state (March 2020 vs March 2019)
<img src="https://mcusercontent.com/3e29690342dff21ae5a0e2255/images/c2d86dac-3b7f-4c44-9bc7-2f5a5baa45ea.jpg" data-imagetype="External">
Figure 2: National SEEK Job Ad growth by industry (March 2020 vs March 2019)
<img src="https://mcusercontent.com/3e29690342dff21ae5a0e2255/images/f49d5868-7efe-46a4-a29e-55b79fad83d4.jpg" data-imagetype="External">
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Job advertisements down 34% in COVID-19 pandemic: SEEK

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As promotion for the launch of its new product ANZ Sell Ready™, ANZ recently conducted a competition where owners of a residential property for sale in the Sydney area could win a prize of billboard advertising.
The winners had to be creative with their pitch for selling their home and write a caption which was then promoted. 
There were 12 winners, with the winners getting advertising on a major billboard or on the back of scooters, driving around your local neighbourhood to help sell their home.  
The competition ran between February 29 and April 8.
<a href="https://www.anz.com/personal/home-loans/forms/sell-ready-competition/?applyPath=https%3A%2F%2Fapply1.anz.com%2Frof" target="_blank">The winners</a> included:
Jacquie and Geoff, Bella Vista NSW (who have their five bedroom- listed with a price guide of $1,285,000 - $1,350,000); 
Amr, Greenacre NSW (who has sold, with price not disclosed); 
David and Amy, Thornleigh NSW (who townhouse is listed for $830,000)
and Natalia and Alex at West Pennant Hills NSW (whose five-bedroom house, has price expectations not disclosed).
The campaign by ANZ suggested selling a property can be stressful, besides the fact that one has to have access to the knowledge and tools to sell wisely.
ANZ Sell Ready™ has been promoted as an all-in-one product, from helping prepare your house for sale to ensuring your sale proceeds work as hard as possible for you.
Its features include an exclusive bonus interest rate offer on sale proceeds; selling tips; and ANZ Property Profile Report and the possibility of bridging finance. 
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Billboard space to help sell your home: ANZ prize

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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has begun an investigation into the outdoor advertising sector.
The goal is to assess whether the use of rebates and discounts are breaching parts of the Competition and Consumer Act (CCA), according to a report on Mumbrella.
Numerous businesses and organisation have had information requested regarding discounts in specific areas or regions.
Under the CCA, corporations with a large degree of power are not allowed to operate in a way which would lessen competition in the market. 
The Act also prohibits corporations from giving or allowing discounts, allowances, rebates or credit on their services, on the condition the person will not acquire the same services from another competitor.
Investigations of the first assessment kind take roughly three months, after which it will be decided whether a full investigation is required.
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ACCC launching investigation into outdoor advertising

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Recent debates about prominent advertising in Melbourne and Sydney have highlighted public concerns about the commercialisation of public space. The sense that our cities have become increasingly vulnerable to commercial forces is premised on the assumption that advertising has no place in our cities.
However, historical images of our cities challenge this view. They reveal advertising and commercial signage to be an ever-present part of our cityscapes and urban life.
A recent controversy in Melbourne over a proposed billboard has echoes of 19th-century debates over billboards occupying prominent city sites. Projections of animated images onto the wall of 231 Swanston Street will turn it into one of the largest advertising billboards in the city. Described as a “<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/visual-clutter-mega-billboard-approved-for-swanston-street-20190327-p5185w" target="_blank">mega-sized 305 square metre display</a>”, its size is a key issue, but the controversy does not end there.
Melbourne City Council had at first rejected the sign, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/visual-clutter-mega-billboard-approved-for-swanston-street-20190327-p5185w" target="_blank">arguing</a>: "[…] digital billboards beaming high-rotation advertisements into the public realm are creating an unprecedented level of visual clutter that detracts from our city streets."
Lumen Billboards challenged the decision through the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www6.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/vic/VCAT/2019/308" target="_blank">VCAT upheld the appeal</a>, deeming that the sign’s size and illumination was appropriate for the site and that it had little impact on the area’s heritage.
Some see VCAT’s decision as yet another example of big business overriding public interests. <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/mega-billboard-on-swanston-street-will-add-nothing-and-only-take-away-20190403-p51aav" target="_blank">Writing in The Age</a>, Nicola Philp attacked the perceived commercialisation of public space. Readers’ comments echoed her sentiments. One reader lamented: "Melbourne is becoming an advertisers [sic] paradise with gaudy flashing signs everywhere. The beauty and elegance that Melbourne once had is slowly being eroded."
Another took aim at advertising, fuming: "I hate the idea of more intrusive advertising being forced down our throats."
Concerns about the commercialisation of public space were similarly expressed in response to the use of the Sydney Opera House as a billboard to promote the Everest horse race last October. The Opera House’s chief executive opposed the highly controversial decision by the New South Wales government. More than <a href="https://www.change.org/p/defend-our-opera-house-support-louise-herron-9a97d417-bb75-4737-b572-049aaf357ccf" target="_blank">310,000 people signed a change.org petition</a> against the decision.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5-2OHyHCZJA?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" width="440" height="260"></iframe>
The use of the Opera House to promote a horse race triggered public protests.
Such numbers did not deter the state government, which had several prominent figures supporting its decision. Among them was Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who described the iconic building as “<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-07/pm-says-sydney-opera-house-biggest-billboard-sydney-has/10348398">the biggest billboard Sydney has</a>”.
The PM’s crude description is, strictly speaking, correct. Despite its policy forbidding “logos, corporate identities or colours”, the Opera House sails have been regularly used for promotional purposes. Unofficially, it has also served as a canvas for various protest slogans. However, the Everest uproar was as much about commercial promotion as it was about the power of the city’s political elites.
Concern about commercialisation is an old one
Concerns about the commercialisation of city streets and landmarks are nothing new. In 1880, Brisbane’s Telegraph newspaper took aim at billboards “occupying two of the most prominent sites in the city”, labelling them “terrible eyesores”. Sydney’s lord mayor expressed similar sentiments in 1907 when he was <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article112641786" target="_blank">reported as saying</a>: "It was an outrage in a civilised community that every square inching of land abutting on the public streets should be made hideous by posters."
Significantly, one of the first items printed in Australia was a playbill from 1796 promoting a theatrical performance. Like government orders, the playbill and other commercial notices were posted in prominent locations in city streets. Retailers added their mark to city streets by employing signwriters to adorn their premises and promote their wares.
The significance and impact of such commercial signage was formally recognised in 1830, when the governor of New South Wales <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2195232" target="_blank">decreed</a> that it was illegal to “keep up any Sign, Writing, Painting, or other Mark, on or near to his House or Premises” that falsely gave the impression a house was licensed.
As commerce duly grew, so too did the amount of advertising on city streets. By the early 20th century, commercial signs and advertisements were an entrenched and inescapable aspect of urban life. They permeated walls, hoardings and all parts of public transportation systems. Electricity and neon lighting extended outdoor advertising’s reach into the night-time hours.
In recent times, sports grounds have added another commercial layer by selling their naming rights. Melbourne’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docklands_Stadium#Naming_rights_history" target="_blank">Marvel Stadium has previously been known as Colonial Stadium, Telstra Dome and Etihad Stadium</a>. More confusingly, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_Sport_and_Athletics_Centre" target="_blank">Brisbane</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_Australia" target="_blank">Sydney</a> have both been home to ANZ Stadium (formerly known as QE II and Stadium Australia/Telstra Stadium respectively).
And then there are the signs we love
Our relationship with commercial signs is not static. Some signs have taken on a life of their own. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_billboard" target="_blank">Coke sign in Sydney’s King’s Cross</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skipping_Girl_Sign" target="_blank">Skipping Girl in Melbourne’s Abbottsford</a> have become a part of the respective cities’ cultural heritage.
The interest generated by the uncovering of a long-hidden <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/the-new-ghostly-attraction-in-wynyard--catch-it-before-it-is-spirited-away-20170917-gyizkj" target="_blank">“ghost sign” for Peapes menswear</a> near Wynyard Station in Sydney similarly reveals that commercial signs and advertising are less utilitarian than critics suggest.
Commercial advertising is a part of our city’s fabric and heritage. While the VCAT decision certainly raises legitimate concerns about processes and the values we apply to public space, the approval of the giant billboard is entirely consistent with our past.
Whether or not we like it is, of course, a different question.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/114972/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Robert Crawford, Professor of Advertising, RMIT University
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/selling-out-the-city-to-advertising-nothing-new-to-see-here-114972" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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