A Practical Guide to Marketing in Australia

For US and Canadian marketers entering a market that looks familiar but works differently

A few weeks ago, my former colleague Phil from Sid Lee Montreal introduced me to Jessica, a fellow Canadian who’s moving to Sydney. She asked about the Australian market – what’s different, what to watch for, the usual questions you get when someone’s making the jump. As I started answering, I realised how many of these cultural and strategic differences just don’t get talked about in any formal way. This guide came from that conversation and the years I’ve spent watching international brands work out what clicks here (and what doesn’t). Thanks for the nudge, Phil and Jessica.

Australia’s 27 million people represent genuine opportunity. The audiences here are engaged, digitally savvy, and ready to spend – but the market has its own rhythm and rules. I’m based in Melbourne, I’ve worked with enough brands on both sides of this to know where the traps are, and I’m writing this because I’d genuinely rather see you succeed than watch you stumble.

Legal Stuff Worth Knowing Upfront

Look, I’m not trying to scare you, but it’s worth understanding the legal landscape before you launch anything. The consequences can be expensive if you get it wrong, and the rules are genuinely different here.

Email and SMS: Australia’s Spam Act 2003 requires proper consent before you send commercial messages. CAN-SPAM opt-out language won’t cut it. You’ll need clear opt-ins, a named sender, and a working unsubscribe link. Cold texting mobile numbers? Yeah, that’s not really a thing here.

ACCC (Consumer Protection): The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission takes consumer protection seriously and prosecutes publicly. They go after misleading claims, fake discounts, and hidden fees. If your sale says “was $99, now $49,” you’ll need to show it was genuinely sold at $99 for a reasonable period. Those surprise fees at checkout? They’ll get you fined.

Comparative Advertising: If you’re naming competitors in side-by-side comparisons, be careful. That tends to invite complaints here. If you go down that path, make sure your claims are watertight and well-sourced.

Health and Finance: The TGA (health claims) and ASIC (financial products) both set pretty strict standards compared to North American regulators. If you’re in either of these spaces, it’s worth budgeting for legal review early.

Influencer Partnerships: Paid content needs clear labelling – #ad or #sponsored, obvious and upfront. The ACCC has gone after hidden sponsorships, and audiences here call it out quickly.

Return Policies: Australian consumer law is straightforward about returns. Those “buy now, return anytime” policies you might see in the US aren’t common here. Be fair, but you don’t need to over-promise.

How We Talk to Each Other (and Why It Matters)

Australians generally don’t love being told what to do. There’s a bit of an anti-authoritarian streak that runs through the culture, so prescriptive language can create resistance.

Instead of commanding, try inviting:
– “You MUST try this” → “Worth a look if you’re interested”
– “You need to sign up now” → “Available if it’s helpful”
– “Download our guide today!” → “Here’s a guide if you’d find it useful”

Hype tends to create scepticism here:
– “Revolutionary” → Just show what changed
– “Epic” → Give the actual outcomes
– “Life-changing” → Back it up with specifics

For example, instead of “This app will revolutionise your morning routine,” you might say “This app cuts planning time from 20 minutes to 3.” The second one lands better.

Urgency works when it’s genuine:
Australians have a pretty relaxed attitude about urgency – a bit of a “she’ll be right” mentality. If something’s genuinely limited, explain why. Manufactured scarcity and countdown timers? Most people here just ignore them.

Finding the Right Tone

Australian communication sits somewhere between British understatement and American optimism. It’s pretty straightforward, specific, and comfortable with reality.

Self-promotion can feel awkward:
There’s this cultural thing called “tall poppy syndrome” – basically, loudly declaring you’re the best tends to create pushback. It’s not that success isn’t respected; it’s more about how you talk about it.

Instead of “We’re Australia’s #1 platform,” try something like “Trusted by 40,000 Australian businesses.” Let your customers tell your story through testimonials and outcomes.

Show what you’ve got, don’t just promise:
Demos work better than declarations. Specifics beat superlatives. If your product’s good, prove it with outcomes rather than adjectives.

Just write like a person:
Be conversational, but don’t force Australian slang. “G’day mate” from a brand feels pretty awkward. Clear communication and treating your audience with respect goes a lot further.

Creative Approaches That Usually Miss

These tend not to work here:
– Big manifesto-style brand films about “changing the world”
– Overly produced purpose campaigns that feel hollow
– Aggressive sales scripts with hard closes
– Patriotic “we’re number one” energy
– Culture war positioning or deliberately polarising takes

What tends to work better:
Product demonstrations, customer outcomes with real numbers, a bit of dry wit, and modest confidence.

Market Size Shapes Your Approach

North America has 310 million people. Australia has 27 million.

Ultra-segmented campaigns that work brilliantly in North America often don’t have enough audience here to scale. You’ll usually need broader appeal with tighter targeting. Hyper-niche positioning can struggle.

Pricing and Being Upfront

All-in pricing is pretty much expected:
Show the full price upfront. Surprise costs at checkout kill trust and conversions. Either build shipping and fees into your pricing or call them out clearly from the start.

Tipping prompts don’t really fly:
Australia has different wage structures. Adding tip screens tends to create friction rather than goodwill.

Be honest about delivery:
Australia’s geography means things take time, especially to regional areas (about 40% of the population lives outside major cities). Realistic timeframes work better than over-promising. “Free shipping in 10-14 business days” beats “Free shipping” that actually takes three weeks.

Think carefully about your discount strategy:
Constant heavy discounting can train people to wait for sales and erode your perceived value. Modest offers, value bundles, and loyalty programs often work better than aggressive couponing.

Seasonal Calendar (This Catches Everyone)

Summer here runs December through February. Christmas happens during school holidays when it’s hot. Back-to-school is late January to early February. Our financial year ends in June (EOFY), which is a major sales period. Winter is June through August.

If your campaign’s built around Northern Hemisphere seasons, you’ll need to properly rework it – not just swap the dates around. Australian calendar variants should be part of your core strategy from the start.

Social Proof That Actually Works

Testimonials from New York or Toronto don’t carry much weight in Melbourne or Brisbane.

What tends to land well:
– Australian customer case studies with specific outcomes
– Recognisable local company logos
– Mid-tier Australian influencers with genuine expertise in your category
– Recent, specific numbers like “Trusted by 50,000 Australian businesses since 2022”

What usually misses:
– “North America’s favourite”
– “Billions served globally”
– Big international influencers flown in for a paid post
– Testimonials without Australian context

Data, Privacy, and How You Personalise

First-party data matters here:
Data scraping and enrichment tactics that are common in the US can carry real reputational risk in Australia. Focus on consent-based marketing and give people a clear value exchange for signing up.

Localise properly:
Using US cultural references in your personalisation feels tone-deaf. Use Australian examples, suburb and state nuances, and if you use local slang, use it lightly.

Media and How to Reach People

Media concentration is high:
News Corp, Nine, and Seven dominate the landscape. For earned media, you’ll want local PR folks who actually have relationships with journalists and editors. Press release spam doesn’t really get pickup.

TV is significant but expensive:
BVOD (broadcast video on demand), YouTube, and out-of-home advertising near retail tend to deliver better ROI for most brands.

LinkedIn works differently:
Daily posting can feel pretty aggressive here. Quality over quantity tends to work better – think data-led case studies with Australian context rather than generic motivational content.

Cold outreach has lower tolerance:
Warm introductions, referral programs, and community building usually work better than cold calling.

Regional Australia Matters

40% of Australians live outside capital cities. If you’re only targeting Sydney and Melbourne, you’re missing a fair chunk of the market.

Regional audiences notice when brands actually consider their needs. Be honest about delivery times and service availability. They’re often underserved and respond well when brands include them.

Sport and Culture

Sport is genuinely regional:
AFL dominates Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. NRL owns New South Wales and Queensland. Cricket’s national. If you’re doing anything around sport, it’s worth knowing which code matters where.

Sydney and Melbourne compete:
These cities have a friendly rivalry going. National campaigns need to feel balanced rather than favouring one city over the other.

Indigenous culture deserves proper respect:
If you’re considering Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander art, stories, or references, you need to work properly with Indigenous artists and communities. Pay fairly, credit clearly, follow cultural protocols. There aren’t shortcuts here, and getting it wrong causes real harm.

Australian Made has value:
Especially post-pandemic, local provenance matters to people. But it’s certified and regulated. If you’re claiming it, make sure it’s legitimate.

Things to Check Before You Launch

Before any campaign goes live, it’s worth asking yourself:

• Can I back up every claim with evidence?
• Is all my pricing transparent with no surprise fees?
• Am I inviting people rather than commanding them?
• If I’m creating urgency, have I explained why it’s urgent?
• Am I using Australian examples and social proof?
• Have I adapted properly for Australian seasons and calendar?
• Could this get torn apart by Betoota Advocate?

That last one’s a decent litmus test. Betoota Advocate is basically Australia’s version of The Onion. If you can imagine your campaign being satirised in one headline, it might be worth rethinking.

What Actually Helps

Bring in Australian writers and strategists early. They’ll save you time and money by helping you avoid mistakes upfront.

Start small and learn. Your biggest North American campaign might not be your biggest Australian success. Test, see what works, then scale.

Adapt strategy, not just spelling. Rewrite your offers, references, and proof points. Real localisation is strategic work.

Invest in relationships. With customers, media, partners – Australians value genuine connection. It’s worth building.

Give yourself time to learn. Every market has a learning curve. What matters is approaching it thoughtfully and being willing to adapt as you go.

Why It’s Worth Getting Right

Australia offers genuine opportunity. Digital adoption is high, purchasing power is strong, and audiences here are engaged when brands get it right. You don’t need to be Australian to succeed – you just need to respect that it’s a distinct market and invest in understanding what matters here.

Thanks again to Phil and Jessica for the conversations that sparked this. And if you’re working on an Australian launch and want to talk it through, feel free to reach out. I genuinely enjoy these conversations and helping people get this right.