Catie Low

LOCAL advertising agencies are facing another major client pitch with the announcement that BankWest is keen to talk to the industry ahead of a big push into new markets.

LOCAL publishing outfit Spencer Group Media Pty Ltd (SGM) has been placed in the hands of liquidators following action taken by the group's largest creditor, Vanguard Press.

A FAMILY business in Shark Bay, 750 kilometres north of Perth, is taking on the big players in the pearl industry with a marketing strategy to sell Australia’s first black pearls.

THERE are no certainties in the pearling industry which, like so many primary industries, relies on environmental conditions to deliver a quality harvest.

IT might lack the glamour and mystique of oysters and pearls, but pink algae is a lucrative aquaculture crop in WA, producing a natural colourant and dietary supplement that can sell for more than $2,000 a litre.

BEFORE the tech stock crash, cities like New York were blossoming with dot.com entrepreneurs, men in suits and sneakers who were taking on the world.

A FLEDGLING aquaculture business just outside of Denham in Shark Bay is diversifying into tourism to keep its fish hatchery dream alive.

THE powerful role contemporary art plays in the success of some indigenous artists is highlighted in a collection of works currently on show in Perth.

FOR an increasing number of businesses, keeping up with the news is about much more than catching the six o’clock bulletin on television. These days, monitoring the news is about maintaining a strategic advantage over the opposition.

CHANGES to the State Government’s sponsorship guidelines are set to assist government agencies seeking support from the business community.

SKYWEST is back in the sky and looking to the wide, white sandy beaches of Broome to secure its future.With Ansett no longer flying to the north of the State, Skywest is keen to make inroads into the lucrative tourism market.

WHAT began as a fishing show with a female bent has spawned a full-colour magazine that’s proving a bit of a hit in the angling community.

CAUGHT up in the push for a common badge, business cards throughout all government agencies will conform to a simple design with the new government crest, following recommendations made by the machinery of government task force.

LANDMARK Fremantle pub, the Sail and Anchor, has enlisted the services of Perth’s newest advertising agency, Gatecrasher, to promote a $1.5 million dollar facelift.

BRANDING is about creating an emotional link between a company and consumers.It’s the Holy Grail of marketing and major corporations spend frighteningly large sums of money to maintain brand values.

WHILE artwork on tea towels and fridge magnets is not a traditional path for many contemporary Australian artists, Paul Gullotti and the Cockatoo Galleries are determined to make Helen Norton’s art and business more popular than Ken Done.

SIXTEEN pillars in the Woodside building at number one Adelaide Terrace will undergo a sensational transformation under the creative direction of a team from Awesome Arts.

IF the fairy tale of Snow White taught us anything it was that the best looking fruit is not always the tastiest.

COLES Myer’s sensationally bad year and the collapse of HarrisScarfe may represent more than just a tough retail market in Australia.

THERE’S serious money to be made by using interactive television to enhance existing the high-rating programming, according to local company Burdekin Pacific.

WESTERN Australia’s striking natural beauty has captured the imagination of Japanese car manufacture Nissan, which is financing and shooting a short film in the State.

THE city of Perth will be able to add an international beer festival to its calendar of cultural events if a proposed three-day festival in the Supreme Court Gardens gets the go ahead.

CHANNEL Nine Perth has emerged from tough closed-door negotiations with Kerry Packer’s Nine Network after thrashing out a deal over the cost of television programming.

LOCAL media reacted swiftly to last week’s terrorist attacks in the US with normal programming interrupted on both radio and television to relay the first horrifying details.

COMEDIAN Kevin “Bloody” Wilson’s ambitious Internet Radio station Worldwide FM has been put into the hands of administrators, leaving creditors with little likelihood of receiving a significant return.

A CONSORTIUM of private business people has emerged as a potential saviour of failed Ansett Australia’s regional subsidiary Skywest.

THE fight to secure almost $43 million in funding for drought stricken WA farmers has won the WA Farmers Federation recognition at the Public Relations Insti-tute of Australia, WA Awards.

THE Australian Suburban Newspapers Association expects the recent awarding of its readership surveys contract to AC Nielsen will deliver a compelling case for advertisers looking beyond the major daily newspapers.

THE sixth radio rating’s survey for 2001 reveals a new war smouldering in breakfast, radio’s traditional battleground.

A COMMITMENT to raise the profile of AFL in NSW and Queensland has delivered exclusive coverage of the finals to Network Ten next year.

DAY spas have emerged as an alternative extra-curricular activity for those attending confer-ences in Perth.

THE major players in the local advertising industry are bracing themselves for another blue-chip pitch following HBF’s decision to put its $4 million account up for tender.