The Marketing of Outrage

Australia Day aftermath. Pic courtesy Courier Mail

Unless you've been under a rock for the last few days you've been hearing, gentle reader, about the controversy regarding Australia Day merchandise and a couple of our leading retailers.

Let's look at what's actually happened, and then examine the blowback.

Woolworths published this statement which was picked up by Channel Seven -

There has been a gradual decline in demand for Australia Day merchandise from our stores over recent years. At the same time there’s been broader discussion about 26 January and what it means to different parts of the community.

We know many people like to use this day as a time to get together and we offer a huge variety of products to help customers mark the day as they choose.

Woolworths and BIG W celebrate the best of Australia every day, and we’re proud to support the farmers, producers, and suppliers who work with us.

When you drill down, they're saying two different things. One is that there has been a decrease in demand for Australia Day merchandise recently, and the other is that the day means different things to different parts of the community.

I can't understand why those statements are controversial. They both reflect reality, and any large retailer that ignores measurable trends affecting their business will rapidly become a small retailer.

Then there's Aldi. 

They're reported as announcing they won't stock special Australia Day merchandise, but you won't find any mention of that on their website.

As you might expect, they're talking about what they are selling, rather than what they're not selling.

The irony is, if you walk into a Woolworths or Aldi store, you'll find Australian flags stocked, it's simply that they're not promoted. Strange but true.

So what is the media outrage all about? Marketing, of course. The various online and print media organisations are marketing the story.

It attracts clicks and sells papers. Outrage always does.

And the politicians extracting every ounce of attention by commenting are generally those who regard the market as sacred.