< Previous South Australia in the World The media and South Australia Given these perceptions, we wanted to also explore what influenced respondents. Beyond direct personal experiences (roughly 40% of participants had visited or lived in South Australia), their core source of information was traditional and social media and the internet. With this in mind, we wanted to test respondents’ recollection on what, if any, South Australia stories they could remember learning about via the media, and through which channel. Responses here were concerning. A substantial number of respondents did highlight Tesla’s arrival in the state. And this correlates with the global media coverage on the news at the time. The story delivered blanket coverage in Europe and the US, while the narrative linked to innovation and renewable technology reinforced global perceptions of South Australia becoming a renewables leader and innovator. Yet beyond this issue, other references to global media stories were scant. Indeed, a void in global media coverage on the region was starkly demonstrated throughout the research. References to media stories on other issues were raised but these were sporadic. There was no discernible trend in recognition amongst respondents on media coverage of South Australia. Three respondents did highlight stories on the defence sector in South Australia. Two respondents highlighted wider issues-based stories related to climate change while two separate respondents did also highlight stories on the Australian Space Agency’s move to Adelaide. Yet this was the high point of the feedback. When asked the question, the majority of respondents could not recall any global media stories focused on or related to South Australia at all over the past two years. When interviewing journalists for our research, their responses were also telling. An interview with a Sydney- based correspondent of a global news organisation reflected feedback received from this cohort more generally: “I rarely get information about South Australia to be honest and it’s also very difficult for me to persuade my editor to allow me to do a South Australia story. I did go down there to cover the Tesla battery but that’s about it. “I’m aware that there’s stuff going on there on defence and ship building but I don’t have much detail and we always follow OD [Olympic Dam] but I rarely get contacted. I also have a huge beat covering the whole of APAC so there’s not much space to go looking for stories. I need them to be flagged to me.” Several non-journalist participants also commented on the lack of media profile for the state. “Before our call, I did a quick Google search on Adelaide. I didn’t know much about it to be honest, the only stories in the media tend to be about Melbourne or Sydney. Until you told me, I didn’t know the space agency was there – that’s really exciting but I have seen nothing about it.” “I think I saw a story about a heatwave there. I also remember a story about the wine industry but really you don’t hear about South Australia in the media.” The above insight on media coverage should be put in context. Respondents tended to qualify their responses by noting that global media coverage of Australia more generally was limited. Compared to other OECD economies, Australia doesn’t garner the level of global coverage that other markets do. This is not purely a South Australian issue. Yet the lack of understanding of and attention on South Australia is certainly more acute according to our research. 11 South Australia is associated with the end of heavy industry. But it has exciting new industries emerging, not least renewables and battery storage. The wine industry is also huge of course. South Australia in the World what can be done to close the gap This report is not about operational issues. Organisations including Deloitte, through its excellent ‘Make it big Adelaide’ research, have outlined visions for what needs to be done to strengthen South Australia’s economy and the levers which can be pulled to achieve this. In contrast, this report is purely focused on how South Australia can begin to move the dial in terms of national and global perceptions of the state to enhance investment and trade. When asked their opinions on how to close the SA knowledge and perception gap, research participants were quick to offer their thoughts. The core takeaway was simple: more and better engagement with the global media, analysts and opinion leaders. When pushed as to what this means in practical terms, respondents called for more clarity and consistency on the narrative around South Australia, especially when it comes to messages around trade and investment. As discussed earlier, there was some recognition of the work of Brand SA and the positioning of the state as a hub for world leading wine and food. Several respondents also remarked that messages around quality of life were cutting through amongst middle-aged professionals. “I can’t remember who, maybe the Economist, but I saw a ranking that Adelaide is one of the most liveable cities in the world. From what I know, I would completely agree with that.” “South Australia seems like a great place to live. From what I’ve seen online, it seems like a really liveable city. It’s also going the right way on green energy.” But, as has been highlighted earlier in the paper, respondents wanted a clearer, more coherent message on what it is that Adelaide does well. The messages on lifestyle that have achieved cut-through were not seen as enough if the end goal was to draw long-term capital, business and young professionals to the state. “Energy and commodities, space and defence, ag innovation. I wouldn’t go further than that. Pick some winners where you can also highlight real leadership and differentiation. Rather than stories on a whole range of unrelated things, stick to two or three key industries.” “You’ll maybe hear something. The space agency or something. But there’s no follow-up. Start to build a suite of material and stories about one or two defining sectors and hammer them in marketing and PR.” “Tesla was eye-catching. It was a world first, which made it newsworthy, but it also fed in to the wider narrative about renewables. Adelaide should be looking for more stories like this.” Linked to this was a sense that Adelaide should begin to be more assertive and dynamic in promoting the reality of the city and the state as it is today. “Rather than trying to be a bigger player to other centre[s] that have a lot of qualities but a down side as well. There’s a sense of civic pride that comes with not worrying what you used to be, and not worrying about how you compare with others, but just standing on your merits – relishing and really embracing those points of differentiation.” “Adelaide shouldn’t be looking at Melbourne or Sydney. They should be looking at Portland or Austin. These are cities which have concentrated on one sector and become a leader in it. In turn these cities have managed to position themselves as vibrant, interesting places to live. As genuine alternatives for young professionals.” This sentiment was further enforced when we asked a portion of respondents – those with a business or finance background – what the key factors are when a company looks to open a new regional HQ or operations facility in a new market. Concerns around cost of living and quality of life were important. Indeed they ranked higher than issues linked to governance and regulation. But what was seen as most important was access the presence of well qualified local labour, an established industry ecosystem, and a supportive environment for R&D and innovation. 13 what are the most important drivers for multinational businesses and investors when making local decisions?* *A health check. Respondents were asked to weight each criterion by its level of importance. Yet respondents repeatedly qualified their answers by commenting that they were based on the fact that there is little differentiation internally in developed markets linked to issues such as regulation and operational costs. In essence, if you are picking between a group of Australian cities you are looking for areas of differentiation beyond the core criteria. It is not that regulatory issues or operational costs are not important. It is that the differences in these areas between states are marginal. Stable regulatory environment Strong infrastructure Supportive and strong approach to R&D and innovation Established industry eco-system linked to the business in question Competitive real operational costs Strong, well qualified local labour force Cost of living and quality of life On a practical level, respondents also felt the state should be getting on the front foot and being more proactive in engaging global audiences. When, periodically, it came up as a discussion point, the views towards the closure of Brand SA were mixed. But one area respondents did agree on was that Brand SA tried to do too many things. There was also a sense that while the Brand SA and ‘Made In South Australia’ brands and messaging had led to some profile raising, it was not targeted or consistent enough. It also came across solely as a consumer-focused campaign and didn’t really have any influence on a global business-to-business or investor level. “If you look at some of the work the other states are doing globally, it’s just more hard-nosed and more strategic. They are targeting specific markets, and specific sectors and building a real buzz around their state.” “The record to date has been pretty poor. But I have a lot of faith in the new State Government, and the state’s Chief Entrepreneur. They seem to be taking a new, more strategic approach to bringing money and business to the state.” 15 South Australia in the World T: 08 8412 4100 E: central@hughespr.com.au | www.hughespr.com.au Level 1, 187 Rundle Street, ADELAIDE SA 5000 ////Next >