Marketing insights For Perth-based businesses.

When Anna Wintour took the reins as editor of Vogue in 1988, she began what would become a hugely successful 30-year tenure. At the time, the magazine had grown increasingly niche and was in decline. Her vision was to make it more relevant and approachable. To revive circulation and by extension, advertising revenue, she wanted high fashion to reach working women, not just the wives of wealthy men. So she changed the images. Gone were the static, highly controlled, indoor studio portraits. Models became idealised versions of the women Vogue wanted to reach with shots set in the real world. A woman hailing a cab. Carrying a coffee in heels. Briefcase in hand. Moving with purpose through the city. There was energy and momentum. A sense of life beyond the page. Whatever else is said about Anna Wintour, one thing is undeniable: she understands the power of an image. She knows it instantly signal who you are speaking to, and who you are for. In fact, high fashion mixed with street style is so standard now across the board, it is hard to imagine it was ever groundbreaking. We apply this principle to clients’ work all the time. I’ve lost count of the meetings where executive leaders say: “We need to convey a global presence” “We want more women on the team.” “No one knows how closely we work with Indigenous communities.” “We want the bigger projects we are capable of” You could have fooled me from their website. The images tell a completely different story. They often reflect where the organisation has been, not where it is going. If you want to attract a different audience, your visuals need to catch up. People decide in an instant whether something is meant for them. I’ve watched businesses grind away for years with complex strategies. And I’ve seen others move forward fast, simply by sending the right signals. Change the images. Change the signal. Change who you attract, both staff and clients. Then watch what happens. It’s almost embarrassingly simple. It worked for Vogue and it will work for you.

You’re invited. You head to your wardrobe and pull out the dress: the one reserved for fabulous occasions. You slip it on quickly, just to check shoes and earrings. The zip sticks. Then you realise. It doesn’t quite fit. How did that happen?! When did the weight creep up? At this point, you have only a few choices; and which one you choose depends on three things: time, severity, and money. This calculation takes seconds. If you can’t even get the dress on and the event is getting close, you have no choice but to go up a size. You solve the problem with money. That is, go shopping for a new dress. If it fits but looks tight, and you still have a couple of weeks, the solution is simple. Eat lighter, walk more, try it on again in a week, and you’ll probably be fine. But if you’ve gone up a full size, AND the event is next week, AND you don’t have the budget to buy a great dress—now you have a real problem. You could pull in a favour from a friend, or you could not go at all. There are always options. But what you can’t do is crash-diet on the day of the event and expect to drop a size. And you also can’t walk into a boutique demanding help for a special new dress if you have no money to pay for it. Unfortunately, this last couple of scenarios is where many businesses live. They neglect their marketing for a year or more, leave it until they desperately need leads, and then discover they have no budget. Enter the agency or freelancer who hasn’t yet learned to qualify properly, making promises they can’t keep, hoping enthusiasm will make up for the lack of fundamentals. It won’t. You cannot defy the laws of time and physics. What you can do is make up for lost time with money—through ad spend or external help. But like buying a dress in the next size, this only covers up the problem. It’s a temporary fix. In an ideal world, you do the right things consistently—so when opportunity comes, you’re not scrambling.  You’re ready. And you’re dazzling.

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