Q&A with SCA’s CMO Nikki Clarkson: The Brand New World of marketing through the pandemic
Media business Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) finds itself at an interesting crossroads, with radio’s advertising revenue declining, marketing budgets shrinking and listener behaviour changing as lives are reshaped by the pandemic.
SCA’s chief marketing and communications officer Nikki Clarkson, however, says it’s the perfect time to be monitoring consumer habits and promoting the relevance of your brand. She speaks to Mumbrella’s Vivienne Kelly about how the Hit and Triple M Networks are marketing their brands throughout the pandemic, and why SCA has launched Brand New World, a marketing podcast in a market full of marketing podcasts.
INTERVIEW:
Nikki Clarkson, chief marketing and communications officer, Southern Cross Austereo (NC)
Vivienne Kelly, editor, Mumbrella (VK)
VK: What has been the biggest challenge for you and your marketing team during this time?
NC: I think the biggest challenge is making sure that our marketing strategies are continuing, but that we’re looking at them through the lens of this unprecedented time. So by that I mean continuing to support our brands, but adjusting and topping up those messages in market with relevant and timely messages, so that the brands maintain their importance and their share of voice, but also their relevancy, in that we’re supporting what the broader business is doing from a content point of view, with those relevant and timely messages.
