Australia faces widening ‘productivity gap’

Australia’s productivity gap – the difference between productivity expectations and action – has widened from 29 per cent in 2009 to 34 per cent this year, according to new Telstra research.

Underlining the findings of the Government’s Intergenerational Report, the Telstra Productivity Indicator research found that improving customer service and productivity are the key priorities for Australian organisations, ranking 78 per cent and 76 per cent respectively

The Productivity Indicator also found that only 42% of decision makers measure productivity, have a target and know what that target is compared with 49% in last year’s report.

The Telstra Productivity Indicator was the brainchild of Howorth and sister agency Parker&Partners and is now in its second year.  The report has already received widespread media coverage in Australia.

For more information please visit http://www.interactivemediarelease.com/back/productivity

Golden Targets PR awards winners revealed

The winners of The Golden Targets, the Australian PR industry’s main awards event, were announced this week at the national conference in Brisbane.

Having picked up two awards from the New South Wales event earlier in the month, Howorth was once again picking up more accolades. In the Business to Business category, we were Commended for Identifying the Gap: The Telstra Productivity Indicator commissioned by Telstra Enterprise & Government.

In the Health Organisations category, we were Highly Commended for Social Network is Livewire for Sick Kids commissioned by Livewire.

Our trophy cabinet just got a whole lot bigger. Next up are the PR Week Awards in November, where the Telstra campaign is a finalist once again.

The Telstra Productivity Indicator

What are the opportunities and gaps in business productivity? The Telstra Productivity Indicator sought to provide insights into this question. Howorth’s strategy of selected top tier media pre-briefs under embargo paid off in nearly 30 pieces of quality coverage for the launch of Telstra’s groundbreaking research on business productivity in Australia.

Coverage highlights included:

•    An interview on Sky News
•    A fifteen minute podcast on BNet
•    Full page article in the Australian Financial Review
•    The Australian IT section
•    iTNews
•    The Age
•    The Sydney Morning Herald online
•    Business Spectator
•    Communications Day
•    CIO

The successful strategy

Howorth’s strategic approach involved inviting senior, key media to interview lead Telstra spokespeople under embargo, one week prior to the launch:
•    David Thodey, group managing director of Telstra Enterprise and Government
•    Geoffrey Sims, chief economist.

Importantly, this helped journalists gain a deeper understanding of key Productivity Indicator drivers and implications before results were revealed to all media.

This approach facilitated Telstra’s priority journalists taking ownership of the report and covering it.

Bridging the productivity gap to reach your productivity potential

Telstra commissioned an independent study that was conducted by Sweeney Research, in an effort to find out more about business productivity in Australia. The report surveyed 300 Australian directors, senior executives and managers of medium to large organisations. It found that while 78 per cent of Australia’s largest organisations say improving productivity is a high priority, only half have any systems in place to measure improvements or set targets.

Addressing this ‘productivity gap’ and understanding Australian organisations’ productivity potential involves accurately measuring and managing productivity, as well as leveraging ICT tools to deliver benefits, according to Telstra’s report.

Summary

Howorth successfully bridged the ‘media gap’ by securing superior coverage of a landmark study into business productivity through a strategically planned campaign.