Qantas and Swisse partner to bring Ellen Down Under

by Marketing ON 11 January 2013

First Oprah visited our shores, and now Ellen will come Down Under in a deal brokered by Qantas and Swisse to bring the American comedian to Australia in March.

The visit was announced by DeGeneres and Swisse Wellness global ambassador Nicole Kidman in an episode of the comedian’s self-titled show filmed today that will be watched by a global audience of more than 16 million people.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show will film numerous segments around Melbourne and Sydney in March that will air in April to around 60 countries around the world.

During the in-studio announcement in Los Angeles, the show’s audience each received a free return flight on Qantas between the United States and Australia. Unlike when Oprah visited however, they will not be required to use their ticket to coincide with filming and will not be part of the segments filmed.

And also unlike Oprah’s visit, Tourism Australia has not backed the deal. The rift between the national tourism body and Qantas appears to be still in place after Qantas suspended the pair’s $50 million marketing deal in November last year over claims the tourism body’s boss, Geoff Dixon, was involved in a consortium to takeover the airline.

CEO of the Qantas Group, Alan Joyce, says bringing the show to Australia was a fantastic opportunity to market the country to a massive worldwide audience. “This is a great coup for Australian tourism,” Joyce says.

“The Ellen DeGeneres Show is one of the top-rating shows in the United States and screens in several key source tourism markets, making it a great platform to profile what Australia has to offer as a holiday destination.

“Ellen is a household name and her unique brand of fun and optimism is a perfect match for the relaxed Australian culture.”

The United States is a key source market for visitors to Australia. The show also screens in other key source markets including the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Japan.

The announcement comes in the same week as Qantas’ Spirit of Australia party in Los Angeles.

Qantas suspends $50m Tourism Australia partnership over sabotage

by Marketing ON 28 November 2012

Qantas has suspended its $50 million marketing deal with Tourism Australia over claims the tourism body’s boss, Geoff Dixon, is involved in a consortium to takeover the airline.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce wrote to Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson yesterday to put its 40-year partnership with the federal government’s tourism body on hold, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Joyce claims Dixon, a former Qantas CEO, is deliberately trying to sabotage the airline, tried to block the airline’s deal with Middle East carrier Emirates and was “agitating” behind the scenes to remove Qantas’ management.

A spokesperson for Qantas confirmed the split between the long-term partners to Marketing. “This conflict has arisen from the involvement of Tourism Australia’s chairman with a syndicate that is actively canvassing fundamental changes to the Qantas Group strategy, including the proposed partnership with Emirates,” the spokesperson said. “Qantas cannot continue to collaborate with an agency whose chairman is a member of a syndicate committed to unravelling Qantas’ structure and direction.”

In the letter sent to Mr Ferguson, Joyce is believed to have cited an “untenable” conflict of interest on the behalf of Dixon amid claims he was leading the consortium to buy out the airline.

The group is reported to have been buying up shares in Qantas, with a view to potential takeover, and has been scouting for global investors, according to aviation sources. It’s reported retailer Gerry Harvey, media investor John Singleton, former Qantas executive Peter Gregg and venture capitalist Mark Carnegie are part of the group, which recently bought 2% of stock in the national carrier.

Joyce is understood to have voiced concerns to the government in the past over Dixon’s involvement in the scheme. The Qantas chief claims Dixon could not act impartially as a government-appointed chairman while privately seeking to undermine the carrier.

In the meantime, Qantas said it will redirect the marketing spend to state-based tourism bodies. In a statement, the airline said, “Qantas remains committed to supporting Australian tourism. Not one dollar will be removed from tourism marketing as a consequence of this decision. Rather than providing this support through the federal agency, Qantas will instead look to do so through the states.”

The suspension includes both Qantas and Jetstar, barring some key initiatives already underway to avoid impacting on the tourism stakeholders involved.

Qantas chief named most influential business figure for 2012

by Marketing ON 13 February 2012

Alan Joyce has been name as the most influential person in business for the coming year in The Australia’s ‘Top 50/2012’ list of the most influential people in business.

Selected by The Australian’s editorial team, the list identifies business figures anticipated to wield the most power in Australia and explains why.

The publication has released the list behind its pay wall, with access only available to premium subscribers at $2.95 a week.

Included in the list are key influencers from sectors such as aviation, telecommunications, health, investment, mining, retail and gaming. The CEOs of two banks – ANZ and NAB – and leaders from two media organisation – Kim Williams from News Ltd and Kerry Stokes from Seven Holdings Group – made the list.

The top 10:

A breakdown of the list reveals that the average age of the Top 50 is 55, with a gender split of 86% male and 14% female. Most key influencers reside in NSW.

The list also looks at people with the potential to make a significant impact on the nation this year, giving a separate Top 20 people to watch in 2012.

Editor of The Australian, Clive Mathieson, says, “Everybody with an interest in business will have their own view about who should be in the Top 50 and the order in which they should be listed. We hope our list will stir debate and get people talking.”

Qantas to slash 1,750 jobs

by Marketing ON 14 April 2009

Australian airline carrier Qantas has announced plans to cut 1,750 jobs from various sections of its operations.

This decision couples with the airlines plans to defer delivery of superjumbo A380s and other aircraft in a desperate attempt to steer its way through the worst aviation downturn in years.

Qantas will cut up to 1,250 staff and 500 management positions from its 34,000 workforce, three weeks after it cut 90 management roles and laid off 1,500 workers in 2008.

The airline has revised its pre-tax profit guidance downward from about $500 million to between $100 million and $200 million for the full year. Qantas will also slash the capacity on its international and domestic routes by a further 5%.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, indicates the airline’s international services and freight operations were bearing the brunt of the global economic crises.

“Market conditions have deteriorated, especially in our international business. We are experiencing significantly lower demand, particularly in premium classes, and considerable price pressures with extensive sales and discounting by all carriers,” explains Joyce.