Australian Telco Markets To Silver Online Users in New Campaign

December 17, 2009 | By Kim Walker

Telstra (Australia’s leading telco) BigPond internet business is turning its attention to ageing Australians in a bid to convert them to broadband in the company’s first dedicated pitch to lure the “grey” market online.

The company has just launched the seventh episode of the popular, award winning BigPond TV ad series – But this time Daniel’s grandad has joined their adventures.

The new campaign centres on the theme ‘Don’t let your family grow apart’. This builds on the original campaign which focused on the dangers of your children being left behind in their education.

The ad highlights that there is a whole section of society that hasn’t fully embraced all the internet has to offer and is missing out on being able to use online services such as email, sharing photos and videos or social networking on Facebook to stay in touch with loved ones.

Researcher, Roy Morgan, estimates there are 2.9 million households in Australia without broadband and only 35 per cent of the over 60s are broadband users, presenting a sizeable target audience for the new ad.

This second version (15 sec) makes the direct sell to grandad about the benefits of connecting via internet. Clever strategy.

Telstra research indicates grandparents, empty nesters, older singletons’ and older parents now feel an increasing sense of isolation, with children or grandchildren moving interstate; changes in jobs or retirement; they might be single, and come home to an empty house; and have limited contact with neighbours or other loved ones.

In developing the campaign, Telstra found that contrary to popular belief, fear is not a great barrier to people embracing the online world. Most want to be part of the digital revolution, but need a helping hand to get started. In this campaign there is a strong ‘how to’ component, where step-by-step instructions and simplicity are emphasised. It suggests that if grandpa can be part of the great online community, anyone can.

Amanda Johnston-Pell, executive director of the Brands and Marketing Communications unit at Telstra, told Media that late adopters were a significant market that had yet to fully embrace broadband, and that Telstra would speak to them on the basis of “belonging”.

This includes homes that are on dial-up plans and are low users of the internet, and include large numbers of older customers who may have signed up to the internet early but have seen the shift to broadband as too hard and expensive.

At the same time the penetration of broadband for people over 60 years of age has risen from 25 per cent to 35 per cent in the last two years. The campaign will be accompanied by new subscription rates to attract price-conscious retirees.

As part of the strategy BigPond will target TV during off-peak periods when retirees predominantly watch the medium. Telstra will target its existing customer base with direct mail.