Author: info@magnifydigital.com.au

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Key things to help you everyday Latest industry developments

Have some fun. Bring the proven joy of karaoke singing to your residents.

Have some fun. Bring the proven joy of karaoke singing to your residents with Mobydisc hire: $220 per event to $450 for one month.  Laugh and the world laughs with you!

Why not have some fun by hiring a Mobydisc jukebox for a resident event – Friday night drinks, Xmas in July, village birthday or just a party?

It is being taken up by villages across the country, creating happy residents who engage their family and friends. It’s also a great sales tool.

The jukeboxes arrive pre-loaded with 10, 000 songs and 2,000 karaoke songs (with lyrics) plus speakers, amp, flashing lights and two microphones to belt out the tunes.

Mobydisk can design special programs as well like ABBA nights, 50’s rock and more.

Mobydisc give residents the experience of a premium event without breaking the bank. Mobydisc charges only $220 for 24 hours of hire and also offers the option for you to hire the jukeboxes for a month for only $475.

To find out more call Mobydisc on 1800 100 606.

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What the research tells us

Private Vs Not For Profit villages – what do residents think?

One of the most common phone enquiries we get here at DoComeMonday Media is the question of whether Not For Profit villages are better than villages with Private operators.

We asked AOR to explore this in our villages.com.au National Resident Survey 2018, where we had 30 Private and 25 Not For Profit operators participate. Here is a direct quote from their report:

With an understanding now of the different segments, it is useful to compare the Private and Not For Profit sectors and how they fall out.

Residents living in Not For Profit villages are more likely to be in the ‘Couldn’t be happier’ segment, at 28% compared to 22% of those in Private villages.

This reflects the relatively higher proportion we saw earlier of residents who gave a rating of ’10 – very satisfied’. However, at the same time, Not For Profits also have a higher proportion in the ‘Generally unhappy’ segment, at 15% compared to 11% of those in Private villages.

This relatively higher polarisation suggests that where the Not For Profits deliver on the promise, they deliver well. But where the delivery falls short, the shortcomings are numerous.

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What the research tells us

Are village managers rewarded for the job?

Above is one of the summary conclusions by the leading market research firm AOR, who we commissioned to survey the residents of 557 villages – yours might have been one. Nearly 20,000 residents completed it.

Like all good research, it tells you what you already know. Being a village manager is a tough job.

What we did not know was the high turnover – 50% of managers moved on in less than three years.

This means one of several things. Village managers are not enjoying the work (not supported by the research). You are not getting the support you expect from HO or the owners (this is supported by the research). This goes to variability in training. And the fact that the job is demanding and, as suggested by the researchers, underpaid for the skills, responsibility and hours.

How much do village managers earn? Most sit between $55,000 and $90,000. You will have an idea if that is just reward.

Over the coming issues, we will discuss this further and the other findings of the research. (If your village participated your organisation will have a full report – you could ask to see it. Fascinating and very beneficial.)

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Key things to help you everyday Latest industry developments

Retirement Living Council announces industry image campaign

Content here.

Next Sunday it will be 11 months since the airing of the Four Corners program titled “Bleed Them Dry Until They Die”.

Many residents were unsettled by the theme of the program – that they had made a terrible mistake joining the village. Had they been foolish?

Sales enquiries and sales were impacted, and some still are.

We hear nearly all prospective residents are now being accompanied by their children on inspections and contract discussions (which is a good thing).

The Retirement Living Council President (and CEO of RetireAustralia), Alison Quinn, states that the village sector has to ‘rebuild trust’.

Now the RLC is funding an image campaign.

Its Executive Director Ben Myers (pictured) said last week:

“Members of the Retirement Living Council have agreed to coordinate and fund the development of an industry image campaign, to educate the wider market of the benefits of retirement community living”.

“A member-led campaign committee is working with a leading creative agency to create the campaign material, which will undergo rigorous focus group testing before being developed in the next few weeks. It is proposed the campaign will begin early in the new financial year”.

They are looking at TV, radio and press.

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Key things to help you everyday Latest industry developments

Village sales still ‘subdued’

Content here.

Eleven months after Fairfax/Four Corners, retirement villages are a two-speed market. Hands-on village operators are enjoying good sales but they are leaving no stone unturned and are aggressive in their marketing. Private and Not For Profits.

The public companies give the best insight. Aveo has left no stone unturned (understandably) and has caught up its 19 weeks of sales pain last July-December. By June 30 they will be down on target for Established village homes (they have to sell 1,200 a year) but up on new home sales.

Stockland has done OK but its result is behind – ‘subdued’ they call it. Lendlease – no clear answer but at Christmas they were 30% behind.

Across the three they missed over $40m in net DMF income July-December.

With the exception of WA, assuming no more negative media, sales should be back to normal by Christmas.