An excellent article in the AFR today on Yellow Brick Road's remarkable brand-building efforts, which have been creative while preserving shareholder funds...
"Yellow Brick Road the real celebrity
28 Nov 2011 PRINT EDITION: 28 Nov 2011
John McDuling
Mark Bouris says it would take $50 million and a lot more time to build the profile Yellow Brick Road is enjoying following his starring role in the Nine Network’s Celebrity Apprentice...
“I really don’t think you could build a national brand in such a short period with a relatively small dollar spend,” he says.
“You would probably have to spend $50 million and it would probably take you the best part of a year and a half. And we built it in five weeks,” he says.
That brand recognition is beginning to translate into more demand for Yellow Brick Road’s services, which include financial advice, home loans and term deposits.
“Our business has gone through the roof,” he says. “Our inquiries are 200 per cent of what you would normally expect.”
The Celebrity Apprentice gig came just months after Nine Entertainment took a 19.99 per cent stake in Yellow Brick Road Holdings – in which Bouris is the major shareholder – for about $13 million in September...
“Originally it was proposed that [an equity stake] would go to Ten. But David heard that I was going to do something and rang me up and said, ‘mate, we’ll do the deal’. Then there was a bit of arm wrestling [on price] of course,” he says.
Yellow Brick Road had a ubiquitous presence on the program, which screened during spring and regularly won its ratings time slot.
The exposure picked up in the finale where contestants were tasked with creating marketing campaigns for Yellow Brick Road, including two 30 second commercials screened twice during the episode."
