Melbourne City

Marketing Strategy
2013-16
not an
ordinary
CITY
Unlike many other cities that can be
admired for their natural beauty or
grand monuments, it is Melbournes
fine grain experiences and stories
which must be experienced to be
appreciated.

Introduction
City marketing is about promoting city strengths that form
the citys character, such as natural, heritage, purpose-built,
or man-made. Its also about place management and providing
access to services and amenities that facilitate a visit.

The City of Melbourne crosses both areas in its municipal and

capital city role.

The Melbourne City Marketing Strategy 2013-16 outlines the

strategic direction for destination marketing of the municipality.

This strategy aims to leverage city strengths in a way that

inspires Melburnians to choose the city and its neighbourhoods
over a different area in Melbourne.

Context
This strategy is an output of the City of Melbournes four year
plan, Council Plan 2013-17, specifically Goal 3, Prosperous
City. The aim of this goal is to boost the profitability of local
businesses which will help facilitate the long-term prosperity
of its people.

Melbourne City Marketing Strategy 201316 1

 Vision
Melbourne City is the top of mind destination for
shopping, dining, cultural events, sport, live music, arts
as well as emerging strengths in recreation, leisure and
intellectual nourishment. Melbournes promise is that
every visit will leave you with a story worth sharing.

Mission
We will increase visitation to the city by inspiring those
Melburnians who seek and use interesting experiences
as social currency. We will achieve this by promoting
Melbourne City offerings and experiences that are the
antidote to ordinary and routine.

2 CITY OF MELBOURNE
Objectives
1
We will become the most trusted and reliable source of fresh
and comprehensive content through marketing campaigns, our
destination website and social media channels.

2
We will use and share rich and current content in a way that
reflects Melbournes promise and highlights traditional and
emerging destination strengths.

3
We will develop a consistent marketing identity, synonymous
with the M-brand, that will span across all destination
marketing opportunities.

4
 e will help local businesses participate in the Melbourne City
W
Marketing Strategy through a digital marketing mentoring
program.

Melbourne City Marketing Strategy 201316 3

Melbourne
What makes Melbourne City far from ordinary
is the unexpected, interesting, unpredictable
and often unconventional way that everyday
activities are experienced.

We call these experiences Melbourne

Moments because they are everyday activities,
experienced in a far from ordinary way.
They create unexpected enjoyment worth
sharing with others, who are in turn inspired to
visit Melbourne City. There is no other area in
Melbourne or Victoria with such an abundance
and diversity of this type of offering.

4 CITY OF MELBOURNE
Everyday Dining Independent arts Shopping

Caf culture Cultural events & Markets

experiences festivals
Bars & night life Sports
Live music

Specialised
product/service
usually custom-made
Pop-up, temporary or Vintage button shop,
mobile hospitality and sporting precincts
retail experiences
Taco truck

Reflecting the trades

that may have inhabited
Melbourne in the past
Cobbler, hand-made
mens shoes
What makes
them far from
ordinary
Unconventional spaces
repurposed beyond
their original use
(above, below or at
street level) Trend setting
Empty parking lot, experiences
a derelict building, a Night markets
rooftop with skyscraper
views, a laneway or an
underpass, a basement

Reviving the past such

as original architecture
and features
First of its kind
technology or innovation Pressed metal ceilings,
Two or more offerings large arched windows,
Waste-free restaurants within same experience deco light features,
architraves, original
Retail and art; dining/ fireplaces
drinking and fashion

Melbourne City Marketing Strategy 201316 5

MELBOURNE
CITY MARKETING
CAMPAIGN
The new Melbourne City Marketing campaign will be
about inspiring discovery in the city through a series
of Melbourne Moments.

Our message will be regardless Traditional vs Our aim is to reclaim the space
of the occasion, the mood you content marketing as the most trusted source
are in, or the people youre with, of current information about
there is a Melbourne Moment Until recently, print and Melbourne City by:
to be discovered in the city or television advertising dominated
its neighbourhoods. In between the marketing landscape. Increasing our event and
the layers of the city there are However, the adoption of digital business listing offering with
boundless hidden places to be communications continues to continuous current content
found and special moments to change the way consumers want sourced directly from businesses
be created. Each will leave you to receive information. and those experiencing the city.
with a story worth sharing.
In 2007-08, the City of Melbourne Reviewing the investment
The aim will be to provide was the leader in providing across bought, owned and
inspirational alternatives to current and trusted information earned media in a way that
everyday activities. about what was happening in builds return visitation.
Melbourne City. Since then, with
We will source this inspirational the proliferation of social media Improving our current website
content directly from local and digital platforms, many so that it is mobile and easy
businesses and the very people alternative sources of information for local businesses to submit
who experience them. We will have entered the marketplace. their content.
share and promote via a number
of digital and campaign channels. While we have started shifting
our traditional marketing
The campaign will be campaigns into this new digital
synonymous with the City of landscape, our aim is to further
Melbourne and is always featured adapt our digital assets to a
side-by-side with the M-brand. content marketing approach.

6 CITY OF MELBOURNE
Engagement monitoring

BOUGHT
Review bought print ATTRACT MORE
advertising, television,
banners, radio, sponsorships,
Strangers
media deals, paid search.

OWNED
Improve owned websites,
search engine optimisation, BUILD
email, widgets/apps, social Customers
network pages.

Earned
Self created/User generated
/Collaboration
Increase search engine optimisation,
CONVERT
Facebook, Digg, YouTube, TO FANS
comments, Twitter, Flickr,
opinions, blogs,
forum, email.
Melbourne City Marketing Strategy 201316 7
Target
audience

8 CITY OF MELBOURNE
Melburnians who live near
the city (within around
20km radius) or who work
in the city and who:

Agree with these statements: We call these people the curious class because
they dont define themselves by age, but rather
I frequently search for information about products, by what they choose to do outside of their usual
services and activities Im interested in. routine of work, study or raising a family.
I often go out of my way to find products, services With that time the curious class like to seek new
and activities that are new. experiences, keep their social lives interesting and
unpredictable. They derive intellectual nourishment
I frequently experiment and try new things because
from discovery. They are always on the lookout for
Im curious.
what is next. Comfort and routine of daily life is their
W
 hen I find a product or experience that I really barrier to discovery.
like I have to tell others about it.

Im a social person who enjoys frequent catch-ups

with friends.

Melbourne City Marketing Strategy 201316 9

10 CITY OF MELBOURNE
Business Pathways
We will provide assistance to local businesses so they can best leverage
from the City of Melbournes destination marketing and digital offering.
A digital marketing program will be developed to coach and educate
local business owners about digital and social media communications
via workshops, seminars and one-on-one mentoring.

Action Plan

201213 201314 201416

 evelop new Melbourne City
D Evaluate digital marketing Implement new digital
marketing campaign that links mentoring program. enhancements to Melbourne
with City of Melbourne brand City marketing campaign.
and replaces Thats Melbourne.

Develop and commence digital Continue with seasonal phases Review and expand digital
marketing mentoring program. of destination campaigns. marketing mentoring program.

Enhance destination website Finalise 2013-14 digital Review digital enhancements.

to house new rich content. marketing mentoring program.

Stakeholder briefing event. Plan for further digital

enhancements to
destination website

Launch new Melbourne City Extend content reach with new

marketing campaign with a partnership opportunities.
focus on business participation.

Melbourne City Marketing Strategy 201316 11

Melbourne City
Marketing Strategy
2013-16

Vision
Melbourne City is top of mind destination

Promise
Every visit will leave you with a story worth sharing

Mission
Increase visitation by highlighting how everyday activities
can become inspirational experiences the city
is the antidote to routine

Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4

Become the Use and share Create a consistent Enable businesses
number one most content that marketing identity to leverage
trusted source of reflects Melbournes which links all marketing
city content promise destination opportunities via
marketing and is business pathway
synonymous
with the M-brand

12 CITY OF MELBOURNE
 Audience Marketing promise Deliverables

Curious Class City is the CREATE, CURATE AND

Consumer

S
 eek interesting antidote to SHARE CONTENT
experiences and use routine Highlight Melbourne
as social currency Visiting Melbourne Moments through
Define themselves by City will leave you with bought, owned and
experiences outside of experiences worth earned media channels
daily routine sharing. We call these
Melbourne Moments

1. Year-round offering (365 days): Whats on website & Social Media

2. Scheduled Marketing Campaigns held during quieter non-event periods:
Includes TRADITIONAL AND CONTENT MARKETING

Small businesses Business Pathway Content Sharing

Businesses who offer Workshops Share current news
experiences that are Seminars and content that matters
Business

Melbourne Moments to the curious consumer

Mentoring

Audience Enable & Upskill leverage CITY marketing

Melbourne City Marketing Strategy 201316 13

CONTACT US:
[email protected]
melbourne.vic.gov.au/enterprisemelbourne

FOLLOW US:
melbourne.vic.gov.au/inbetween

twitter.com/thats_melbourne

facebook.com/thatsmelbourne

youtube.com/melbournecitycouncil