Victoria Shines with Record Crowds at the Supershow!

The 2012 Caravan, Camping & Touring Supershow saw 64,355 people come through the gates in excellent weather looking for the latest in caravans, motorhomes, camper trailers and touring gear.

Attendance at the show, the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere, was up 7% from last year, and Caravan Trade & Industries Association of Victoria Chief Executive Officer Robert Lucas said that it was a fantastic result. "The long weekend concept is just perfect," Mr. Lucas said, "Our six day show gets bigger each year, with consumers having easier access to the venue and more time to spend with exhibitors. Great weather throughout definitely sent the right messages to potential buyers, getting them in the mood to be outdoors." "There's no doubt the consumers are doing more research before committing to buy, and that's why having a smorgasbord of over 500 Caravans, Pop Tops, Motorhomes, Campervans, Fifth Wheelers, Tent Trailers and Slides on display provided the best opportunity to assess their needs." Mr. Lucas was also pleased to label the Innovation Gallery, introduced to the show for the first time in 2012, a success. "The Innovation Gallery was very successful with in excess of 300 people a day visiting the site," he said, "It has achieved our object of showcasing how innovative our industry is." This year saw a lot of interest in all sorts of caravans, with smaller vans being of great interest to consumers. As usual, the tourism and destination displays were in high demand, with many travellers keen on visiting outback destinations like Lake Eyre, Alice Springs and Uluru. The motorhome and fifth wheeler villages were very popular in 2012, as in past years, with scores of visitors streaming through and exhibitors attracting many leads to follow up, including test drives and factory tours, after the show. Camper trailer and trayback exhibitors reported not just higher numbers of visitors through the gate, but a lot more people looking for something different. Several recorded solid sales throughout the weekend across the budget range. And one of the largest growth areas in recent years, 4WD touring accessories, again proved very popular. Everyone intending to explore Oz is keen on aftermarket accessories for their vehicles, including driving lights, front and rear bars, fridges, winches, storage solutions and heaps more. "Overall this was another very successful show," Robert Lucas said, "With the biggest range of RV products in Australia, as well as aftermarket accessories and tourism information all in one place over a long weekend, it proved once again the determination of more and more Australians to enjoy life and explore this country in style and comfort."

Final Visitor Numbers
2012 - 64,355

FPV creates a disturbance online with its new, high performance website.

To coincide with new model upgrades FPV has launched an all new, supercharged website. Developed by Wilson Everard the site is faster to navigate, delivers significantly upgraded content and provides quick links to FPV Dealers and social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

“Performance enthusiasts love the sound of our GT’s supercharged 335kW Boss V8, so we’ve also included a button on the site that lets them give it a rev!” said FPV boss Rod Barrett.

For further info please contact Nick Hickford, CEO Wilson Everard (03) 9867 5100.

New campaign drives Drummond Golf forward.

Australia’s biggest golf retailer is set to roll out a series of new TVC’s over the coming months. The latest in an on-going campaign featuring golfer Brett Ogle, the TVC’s promote Drummond Golf’s superior range, advice and technology along with sale events. “Wilson Everard has created a campaign that continues to create a disturbance and grow both our sales and the Drummond Golf brand. Golfers have really responded to the humour in the commercials and the fact that they’re different in the category” said Drummond Golf Marketing Director Ravi Abeyaratne. For further info please contact Nick Hickford, CEO Wilson Everard (03) 9867 5100.

Wilson Everard launches the ultimate tool box!

Using the theme line “Hard working underwear”, Wilson Everard has launched a new campaign for Tradie by Sojo.

“We needed a campaign that would appeal to both sexes as women often buy the underpants for their men” said Sojo marketing manager Ben Goodfellow. “And judging by the response we’ve been getting the cheeky campaign is working its pants off!”

The launch campaign includes the Herald Sun and Daily Telegraph, bus backs in Melbourne and Sydney and EyeShop panels outside BigW stores in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane.

For more information please contact Nick Hickford on 03 9867 5100.

After 21 Years, A new Boss!

This week there is a new face at Wilson Everard - Nick Hickford has arrived to take up the role of CEO.

David Mattingly has been urging us for at least 10 years to get one so we’ve finally taken his advice.

As you would expect, it has taken us over 12 months to find the right bloke and convince him to make the move.

Nick was previously in a similar position for almost 9 years at The Bridge - a highly successful marketing and advertising consultancy here in Melbourne.

Prior to that he was in brand management at National Foods, Eveready Energizer and Sanitarium before ending up as Berri’s Director of Marketing.
Originally from the client side as you can clearly see, Nick describes himself, somewhat self effacingly, as a “marketer who knows advertising”.

At Wilson Everard, Nick will be very “hands-on” as he can conduct workshops with client marketing teams, mentor client and agency staff and advise on marketing strategies, their implementation and ultimately, ad campaigns.
We think Nick will be the “Yin” to the Wilson Everard “Yan” and will ultimately make this agency an even better business partner for our clients.

You can contact Nick on 0411 698 438 or at nick.hickford@wilsoneverard.com.au

Wilson Everard help Ted's Cameras capture life!

Ted's Cameras general manager Nic Peasley has announced a major rebranding initiative, accompanied by a return to Television advertising. In his new role heading up Ted's following the retirement of Richard Robertson, Nic Peasley said “We have spent 12 months researching and modelling a new brand position with our partners at Wilson Everard and have commenced the rollout this month.” “Research showed that brand recognition for Ted's is extremely high, in fact the highest of any camera retailer in Australia, as is the trust factor in terms of product knowledge and making the right recommendations.” “We need consumers to see and feel how the right choice of camera combined with a full suite of photofinishing options will help them capture life the best possible way.” Ted's TV campaign is supported by extensive catalogue distribution and national press.

Wilson Everard goes Solar!

In another new business win, Wilson Everard is helping Akora Energy create a disturbance in the green power market with their new campaign for solar.com.au. The TV commercial which started running on Sunday features a power meter spinning in reverse and is supported by an online search campaign with ReachLocal to help generate leads.