Thrown Under the Bus

This story about ARCC, has received one of the biggest responses to any story in The Daily Telegraph for weeks.

Big Brand Theory worked with our client, ARCC, to tell this story and pitch it to the Tele, and I’m glad they ran it because this is the exact problem facing so many Aussie manufacturers.

You’ve got a Western Sydney business that’s spent years building a world-class zero-emissions bus, proven it on the road, won Australian Made at the manufacturing awards… only for the NSW government to then order:

- 3 buses from them
- 126 from China

What the actual F*

And then we all stand around wondering why local manufacturing struggles.
We tell companies like ARCC to innovate, invest, prove it locally, create jobs, win awards.

They do all of that.

Then procurement rules quietly say: “come back when you’ve got 10 years’ history or $10m lying around.”

That’s not a “valley of death”, that’s a moat filled with crocodiles.

This is why I bang on about branding and storytelling for manufacturers and high-tech startups. Not for pretty brochures – but to give companies like ARCC enough visibility, proof and pressure that ignoring them becomes the risky option.

If you’re a local manufacturer or tech business reading that article, thinking “that could be us”, this is exactly the fight BBT wants to be in with you.

Author: Grant Belcher, Head of Strategy, Big Brand Theory