Boomtown, the media collective representing the 10 million people living in regional Australia, today announced leading independent out-of-home provider Gawk has joined the collective as its latest member.
Gawk is the 10th media organisation to join the collective, which also includes long-standing media owner members SCA, WIN, Seven, ARN, ACM, Nine NBN, 10 Regional, News Corp Australia and Imparja.
Founded in 2018 by brothers Luke and James Course, Gawk is a 100% regional Australian out-of-home company, with nearly 600 large-format static and digital billboards spread across regional Victoria, NSW and South Australia.
Since its inception, Gawk’s high-impact billboard network has rapidly expanded, recording 267% inventory growth in the last two years alone.
In regional Victoria and South Australia, Gawk holds an estimated 80% share of roadside out-of-home. Gawk has built regional NSW’s dominant and largest digital out-of-home network from scratch to become the region’s second largest out-of-home operator.
The company was named on the AFR Fast Starters List in 2022, amid rapid network and business expansion, which now includes a team of 47 and offices in Erina in NSW, Sydney, Melbourne and Geelong in Victoria.
Commenting on the partnership, Gawk Director, Luke Course, said: “For us, joining Boomtown isn’t a media buy – it’s a statement about where we stand and who we stand with. While the big out-of-home players have quietly retreated from regional Australia, we’ve done the opposite. Regional is what we do and all we do – we are proudly one of the only out-of-home companies in the nation that is 100% regional, 100% of the time.
“We started this business because regional Australia deserved better than whatever was left over once the big end of town had been served first. Boomtown gets that too. The 10 million people living outside the capitals aren’t an afterthought, they’re a genuine reason to advertise, not a box to tick once the metro budget’s spent.
“Agencies have spent years trying to plan regional out-of-home campaigns by stitching together whoever happened to have a billboard in the right postcode. We’re offering something better than that, one partner, one network, one credible option across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. No stitching required.”
Boomtown Chairman, Andrew “Billy” Baxter, said: “We are proud to announce Gawk as the newest member of the Boomtown collective. From its inception, Gawk has believed in the true value of regional Australia. Gawk’s deep commitment to regional media, its significant presence in regional markets and its passion for contributing to regional economies makes it the ideal partner for Boomtown and our ongoing mission to champion regional Australia to national advertisers.
“The strength of Boomtown lies in bringing together organisations that understand the power of regional communities and local connections. That understanding represents a significant opportunity for brand growth, along with the fact that regional Australians contribute $250 billion annually to the national economy and significantly outspend metro residents in a range of everyday categories*. That kind of spending power cannot be ignored. We look forward to the fresh ideas, collaboration and impact set to be delivered through Gawk’s insights and out-of-home network with the collective.”
Since launching in 2019, the Boomtown collective has been dedicated to showcasing the power of regional advertising for brands and agencies, while working to dispel common myths about the nature and spending habits of regional consumers.
The collective has successfully grown regional Australia’s share of the national advertising dollar to a peak of 18.3%, marking a 35% increase in national media budget share.
Boomtown is one of the largest and fastest growing markets, now representing a third of the national population.
For more information on Boomtown, visit https://boomtown.media/
Source: * Boomtown Spend Snapshot report