CEOs hit the street to sell the Big Issue magazine.
Conducting presentations is all in a days’ work for the Outdoor Media Association’s CEO Charmaine Moldrich, but her sales skills were put to the test today when she took to the streets of Sydney to help launch The Big Issue’s 2010 outdoor media campaign.
Workers in Sydney’s CBD were treated to a sight as six of the city’s media movers and shakers took a break from the boardroom and stood on Sydney’s rainy streets this morning, to sell The Big Issue magazine.
Within half an hour Ms Moldrich and her co-sellers had all experienced firsthand the trials and tribulations of being a vendor.
“What a tough gig, selling a magazine on a street to a wall of faces who are armed with their coffees, marching to work and caught up in their own daily bubble,” Ms Moldrich said.
“It was difficult to just be acknowledged at times let alone make a sale! “Lucky I had Vendor Robert here to help.”
The other OMA members that took part in today’s event were Steve Luck (Product Development Director at Adshel), Mike Tyquin (CEO EYE), Steve O’Connor (CEO JCDecaux), Brendon Cook (CEO oOh!media) and Matthew Byrne (Director ROVA Media), who all agreed at the end that they had formed a new found respect for The Big Issue’s hundreds of vendors, who every day stand on street corners around Australia selling the fortnightly magazine.
“The experience was more daunting and frustrating than I thought it would be,” Steve Luck from Adshel said.
“After 20 minutes without a sale I became increasingly frustrated to the point that I just wanted to grab people and ask do you know what I am selling and why?
“Then my first sale lifted my spirit and a renewed energy and faith was restored by the generosity of one person.”
The Outdoor Media Association and its members are long standing supporters of The Big Issue, providing an annual pro-bono outdoor media campaign to the Street Magazine Enterprise and its hundreds of vendors across the country.
In 2009 the campaign yielded amazing results for The Big Issue increasing sales by 20% during the outdoor media display period. Research showed increases in attitude shifts, and awareness of The Big Issue advertising, grew to 44 percent following the campaign.
MOVE analysis showed the five market campaign reached two out of three people, with a frequency of nine times.
The creative for the campaign was once again developed pro bono by Melbourne agency, the blue group, who also engaged with internationally renowned photographer, Chris Budgeon.
This year’s campaign titled Just like the magazine highlights The Big Issue vendors’ wonderful traits that many members of the general public may not be aware of, just like The Big Issue magazine. The creative also continues the theme from last year’s campaign explaining the vendor model further with “from every $5 issue,
vendors earn half.”
At a separate breakfast session this morning for over 40 of OMA’ s members at the Justice and Police Museum in Sydney, CEO of The Big Issue Steven Persson paid tribute to the support of the OMA and its members.
“With more than 100 000 people homeless in Australia every night reducing homelessness is everyone’s responsibility,” Mr Persson said. “This is an issue that requires action from all levels of government, business, the not-for-profit sector and the community, and I commend the OMA and its members for their ongoing support of The Big Issue and all of our vendors.
“By allowing us to show who our vendors are as people, and tell their stories, we are able to break down stereotypes associated with homelessness and draw attention to the great work these guys do in helping themselves, each day, all around Australia.
“We would never be able to have our story so widely told if it wasn’t for the support of our partners, such as the Outdoor Media Association.
“Their ongoing generosity is an investment in our society and is absolutely vital in allowing us to continue to provide opportunities to homeless and marginalised Australians to be actively included in society and earn a living.”
Since 1996 The Big Issue’s vendors have sold more than 6 million magazines, with over $10 million going into the pockets of Australia’s homeless and unemployed.
Authorised vendors buy the magazine for $2.50 from The Big Issue and sell it on the streets for $5, keeping the difference.
Outdoor Media Association of Australia
www.oma.com.au
