Commercial advertising to commence this week
30/04/2013
Commercial advertising will commence on the Bureau’s website this week following a tender process in which Digital Network Sales was appointed to conduct advertising sales.
This is an important milestone in the Bureau’s delivery of the one year commercial advertising trial announced by the Government as part of the 2012-13 Budget.
The Bureau of Meteorology website is one of the most popular websites in Australia. It is the number one government site, and also the number one site for weather information.
Chief Operating Officer, Vicki Middleton, said last year’s Munro Review of the Bureau of Meteorology’s capacity to respond to future extreme weather and natural disaster events had identified that demand for the Bureau’s services continues to grow.
“The Munro Review identified that demand for the Bureau’s services continues to grow, and the commercial advertising trial is a potential revenue stream to assist the Bureau in meeting increasing demand for essential frontline services and flood forecasting systems,” Ms Middleton said.
“Many commercial entities and media organisations use Bureau data in the delivery of weather information, and generate revenue from these activities. It makes sense for the scientific body responsible for this data to benefit directly.
“While the Bureau is the first Australian Government agency to carry commercial advertising on its website, meteorological service providers in other countries, including the UK Met Office, already carry commercial advertising on their website.
“Maintaining the Bureau's high quality services to the public remains paramount. These services include providing weather, climate, water and environmental information, in addition to warnings for severe weather events and natural disasters.
“Throughout this process the whole-of-government steering committee has put in place a range of measures to mitigate the impact of advertising on the Bureau’s services,” she said.
Key factors considered by the steering committee in preparing for the trial included:
• A redesign of the homepage following extensive user testing;
• Development of an online advertising policy that excludes any advertising deemed to be offensive or inappropriate; and
• No placement of advertisements on warning pages.
