Three industry associations unite
The Australasian Catalogue Association (ACA) has announced it will be merging with TSA Limited and the Australasian Paper Industry Association (APIA) to form a strong and united industry position.
Following over a year of review, the three Associations engaged with 127 stakeholders, hosting workshops in Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland, to develop the new strategy, purpose and brand: The Real Media Collective.
“Real media pays homage to the physical and tactile nature of print and ‘real’ connecting with real results, return on investment, engagement and activation,” announced Kellie Northwood who will take the role as CEO of the new entity.
The merger was inspired by already established synergies between the three Associations and a common vision – a commitment to the growth and sustainability of the industry.
It makes sense, Northwood has sat over the ACA, TSA Limited and APIA for some years. With a common management team and Board members. They have recently formed an industry coalition writing a list of demands from Industry to Australia Post which includes ACA, TSA, APIA, Visual Connections, FIA and Publishers. It could be argued, that an informal partnership has existed for some time and this is a natural progression.
“Formalising this partnership will offer greater resources, unity and benefits to ACA, TSA and APIA members providing them opportunity to gain from each other’s strengths. We see ACA bringing its close connections to customers, TSA with its strong marketing campaigns, and APIA being our largest raw materials provider – an important group to work closely with,” furthered Northwood.
The merger will see Members benefit from a range of resources, initiatives and Government lobbying opportunities. They will also have access to lecture series events, the inaugural Awards program, Roy Morgan Research data (case studies and content showing the power of print compared to other channels), PORTATM (an industry metrics dashboard that provides reports of the industry’s size and value across multiple print sectors), as well as international partnerships with the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and the United States.
“The ACA has been working closely with TSA Limited and APIA for some years now providing support and funding for TSA’s three campaigns. The ACA Board believed a merger would form a united front promoting the print and paper industries. We saw that consolidating our learnings, thinking and approaches would appropriately represent all sectors,” commented Kevin Slaven, CEO, PMP Limited and Chairman of The Real Media Collective.
The Real Media Collective Board packs a powerful punch with Kevin Slaven, CEO of PMP Limited as Chairman. Matt Aitken, COO from IVE Group as Deputy Chairman. Rebecca Lowde from Salmat as Treasurer. John Wanless, Bambra Press and Craig Dunsford, PMP Limited have been newly appointed to sit on the board alongside David Webster, Salmat, Mark Roberts, Australia Post and Bernie Roberts, Webstar NZ.
“Being on the Board for TSA Limited has provided excellent insight into the dedicated work they are producing as an industry organisation. I look forward to continuing my involvement with such reputable Associations as a Board member for The Real Media Collective,” commented John Wanless, MD, Bambra Press.
Northwood is committed to a seamless transition for Members. “For TSA Limited Members, all campaign material will continue to be provided, Member subscriptions will remain the same and funding for the campaigns prioritised. This is more of an opportunity for Members to be a part of a stronger, unified entity,” commented Northwood.
“Our commitment is to continue our improvement and build an Association that is committed to the sustainability of strong and performing media channels across letterbox, magazine, direct, print marketing, fibre-based packaging and more for today and tomorrow. They all work together which means we are now in an even better position to support, promote and ultimately grow demand for the valuable products and services our industry has to offer,” concluded Northwood.
Taken from The Real Media Collective media release 10 September 2018
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