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ROADSHOW: SOUTH AUSTRALIA not the house of house brands. “I really describe generics as parasites because all they do is copy what somebody else is doing. They don’t put money back into the community.” Roger, however, admits there is still a need for generics, catering to a particular group of consumers driven by price. “It’s not what I live and die by \\\[though\\\],” Roger said. “I live and die by brands because that’s where the future is. Coles and Woolworths are just the opposite, so we’ve got to have a point of difference ... We’ve got to be famous for something.” Supporting local Drakes continues to support local, which John-Paul says the business is “very passionate about”, whether it be in terms of suburb, state or country. “If we’re not \\\[passionate about local\\\], then who is?” he said. “It’s about what we do. We love it, we’re passionate.” Getting social Social media, particularly LinkedIn, is an important platform for John-Paul. In fact, thanks to his strong presence on LinkedIn, he was named as one of its ‘Top Voices in Australia’ last year. But why exactly did John-Paul establish this presence online? He says Drakes found miscommunication was a frequently occurring problem in regard to its operations. “There was a lot of ‘\\\[Drakes\\\] can’t do it’,” he said, referring to matters concerning the direction the retailer was taking. Secondly, John Paul says, Drakes wanted to get a message out to the industry. “You know, to have two players \\\[Coles and Woolworths\\\] in this country ... no one in the world has a duopoly like that,” he said. “America’s got the right model: they cap them at 20 per cent \\\[share\\\]. It’s the perfect model. “Here, it’s just a free-for-all, and people underestimate how powerful Coles and Woolies are. They’re exceptionally powerful. With ALDI \\\[now established in Australia\\\], I think it’s a good thing, because it’s actually aligned \\\[Coles and Woolies\\\] a little bit better. But Kaufland not coming? Other than the 200 people that haven’t got a job, it’s the best thing ever.” So, John-Paul and a small team set out to create ‘Retail Wraps’ and other video content. They decided on LinkedIn as the most suitable platform for sharing it. “I thought, I don’t mind talking in front of the camera, I feel comfortable,” John-Paul said. “And I have a pretty good insight on most of what I talk about, so we decided to produce the content.” While some may merely see it as social media, John-Paul says his use of these platforms is “technically Drakes trying to set up as a media company where we sit there and control what we do and what we say”. “No one can say Drakes better than we can,” he asserted. MAY, 2020 RETAIL WORLD 31