The three top entries in the Barnet Award for Best Community Advertising Promotion showed that

the entrants are firmly entrenched in their communities.

All three ticked the major criteria of involvement, leadership and relevance to their respective

markets.

Little separated the winner, the York Peninsula Country Times, from second placed Murray

Pioneer (Renmark) and then The Courier (Mt Barker).

The YPCT’s winning entry, “Cost of Living Campaign”, was a great contribution to its community.

Run over six editions it featured run of press editorial and promotional advertising.

Each of the editions featured a good, clear dinkus and well-written editorial and photographs.

Cost of living is very much in the news and the paper used all the tools at its disposal to localise a

range of subjects including how to cope at Christmas, the cost of clothing, pending increase in

postage stamp prices and even ran budget-friendly recipes.

This campaign showed how the local publication can immers itself in the issues which impact its

community. It also showed that done right, this type of campaign can add value to readership and

help build circulation.

The Murray Pioneer’s 52-page Riverland Rose and Garden Festival Guide is a very professional

publication filled with valuable information which would appear to be a “must have” for anyone

attending the annual 10-day event.

The festival celebrated its 30 th anniversary in 2024 and in addition to the guide, the Pioneer gave

it strong support in run-of-press promotional stories in the run up to the big event, including an

earpiece countdown.

Clearly the organising committee and the Murray Pioneer work well together to ensure this event

retains its strong status in the community.

“Rebuild Stirling” entered by The Courier, ran three two-page spreads to support and raise

awareness of the plight of 15 businesses in the Stirling Centre after a devastating fire at the

shopping precinct. Shop keepers and members of the community would have appreciated the

newspaper’s efforts during Stirling’s time of need.

The incorporation of events such as Christmas and Laneway promotions in the second and third

running of the feature pages added value to the promotion while adding to its readership value.

Joe Italiano

February 2025