Seven West Media – one of Australia’s leading integrated media and content creation companies recently confirmed its investment in Starts at 60, one of Australia’s fastest growing media brands.
Seven West Media has secured a 33 per cent shareholding in the business for an undisclosed seven figure sum
This investment will support further expansion of the independent business in content, tech and operations and see them launch a range of brands and service offerings that go beyond media over the coming months.
What is the story behind Starts at 60?
Before starting Starts at 60 in 2013, founder Rebecca Wilson, a nationally respected marketer and social entrepreneur, ran her own marketing consultancy called Stretch Marketing for more than 10 years.
She found passion in guiding other business leaders and leadership teams in their marketing strategies as an external adviser, driving implementation and making businesses achieve success in both market penetration, and earnings growth.
Rebecca trained teams, structured plans and drove their success. In doing so, Rebecca learned an enormous amount about people, processes, implementation, leadership and money and worked with an awesome collection of clients nationwide.
“Starts at 60 is the brand I truly represent,” she told us, about the inspiration behind her business.
“I watched my parents and in-laws hit 60 years of age and trigger themselves into a phase of life which was possibly their best years yet. And yet as they did so, they were looking around for things to read that “normalised” their journey, where they could find information, be served trending and groovy media and bring them things they need and found “nothing”… almost anywhere in the world.
“As the most affluent generation in history, the most story-rich and the most interesting people I know, I felt this was a travesty and a massive missed opportunity. These are people who consume media more than any other generation.
“And they are also people in the greatest period of change in their life ever, reimagining themselves to have a fulfilling healthy, financially secure period into retirement and beyond when their fear of missing out on the good bits of life are at their greatest.
“The offerings in the market, both from corporations targeting the Baby Boomer and media speaking to them was condescending, “old” and filled with funeral ads, a disappointing reality for anyone over 50 that I wanted to break open.”
“In building the site I also found that advertisers misconceptions of the generation are rife and that the whole world of the Baby Boomer is poorly misunderstood with people putting 80 year olds and 60 year old in the same bucket, assuming they can’t and won’t use technology, social, online purchasing and seek out change in their lives.”
“At 60, people are in the most exciting part of their life yet, and that’s what our brand represents… the time when you should seek out the best bits,” Rebecca stated.
“We are enormously passionate about serving baby boomers as the young, vibrant, energetic people they are with regular, inviting, respectful and engaging content. Our team is proud to be breaking the mould of sixty being old that is so well entrenched in the media industry,” she said.
“Seven shares our values on this, which we are delighted about. Seven’s investment brings enormous synergies to support our growth in Australia, and the funding will be used to create the best media and service offerings we can for this generation that has embraced us online.”
“The partnership formed between Seven and Starts at 60 reinforces our position as the number one digital mature brand and the voice of the over 60 which it has become online and we’re excited by what comes next,” Rebecca remarked.
Why has Starts at 60 attracted this investment?
Starts at 60 now delivers more than 1.5 million unique browsers and hit five million pageviews per month globally in January, chiefly centred in Australia and New Zealand.
In addition, it offers a diverse array of content far exceeding engaged-like ratios of almost all popular digital media brands in Australia, with 275,000 subscribers across Facebook and email.
Starts at 60 already has advertising partnerships in place with brands like Australian Super, AAT Kings, Dymocks, Connect Hearing and Hachette and a solid track record of both audience and revenue growth. Seven West Media plans to build on these and sell across multi-platform.
Tim Worner, CEO and Managing Director of Seven West Media, said they are delighted to partner with and support the growth of Starts at 60.
“It is a great business in a growing, influential and affluent market and expands our connection with our audiences and delivers those audiences to our advertising partners,” he remarked.
“Starts at 60’s young, energetic style, and invigorating outlook for the emerging Baby Boomer generation is something we also embrace across our television and magazine brands.”
Commenting, Clive Dickens, Seven West Media’s Chief Digital Officer, said, “We are pursuing opportunities to build our company through key strategic investments in new ventures which can grow rapidly with the benefit of aggressive promotion and Starts at 60 is right in that category.”
“Our media assets are increasingly forming an ecosystem where broadcast television and our publishing content are the cornerstones as we use to expand and commercialise new platforms. Consumer behaviour and content engagement and consumption is changing. Television will continue to be the cornerstone for engaging with mass audiences and will underpin our plans to further engage with our audiences.
“Starts at 60 underlines out commitment to build beyond those strengths and allow us to have 1:1 conversations with our audiences. Starts at 60 is building a true online community with powerful channels that connect with the audience in a way that has become rare in today’s media. Rebecca and the team really care about this generation, and that connection is special and we’re excited to invest in its growth.”
