The Rise of Brand Rural

Have you noticed how many companies and organisations have "Rural" in their title? This is a good thing. It means we're no longer ashamed to say we lead our careers in the country.

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 There was a time, when I couldn’t tell you about my city credentials quick enough. But a decade after moving to rural Victora, the sentiment has completely flipped and now I put my rural credentials first.

I have written about the concept of ‘geographical narcissism’ – it’s the idea that metropolitan experience is more valuable than rural experience. It’s often reinforced by headquarters of companies and organisations, being based in the cities (so it’s where you go for promotion).

 Then there’s its sinister ‘cousin’: “urbansplaining”. This is a term I recently came across, which encapsulates that feeling when people in the city tell you in the country, what you need. There’s nothing more a farmer loves than a bureaucrat from Canberra telling them how to do their job or what their community needs, right?

 But, here comes “Brand Rural”.

 To be clear, it’s not an actual brand (although, perhaps I should be trademarking it?). It is a term I am using to refer to all the businesses and organisations that have popped up in past decade, and more so the past 5 years,  which proudly wear the “Rural” or “Regional Logo”. These are businesses like GRORural, The Rural Business Coach, and the not-for-profits such as Rural Women’s Day. There are too many to list here (although it would be remiss of me, not to mention my business, Rural Podcasting Co.)  10 years ago, I would never have believed that I would one day brand myself ‘rural’. Not because I didn’t love rural Australia – but because I didn’t think it carried enough credibility.

 So, how did things change?

1.        The ability to tell our own stories.

 When I worked as a reporter in Melbourne in the late 2000s, we would chopper in and out of a rural community in the same day. We told their stories – entirely from a city-centric perspective. But then came the dawn of the digital age, where suddenly, “the people formerly known as the audience” (as New York Professor, Jay Rosen puts it), started publishing their own material. Back in 2010, Twitter was the place where news broke. While we journalists were becoming increasingly horrified by the younger generation, many of whom were getting their news entirely from Facebook.

 As we know, this was only the beginning for social media. Then came the smart phone and online tools that made websites and graphic design easy (such as Squarespace and Canva). This become a game changer. The tools previously reserved for big media and production houses were handed over to the ‘audience’.

 And the rural ‘audience’ has responded. Finally, we can tell our own stories and in a way which resonates with our lives. I think of Sober in the Country Ltd , as an example of this. Alcohol consumption can of course, be problematic for anyone, living anywhere. But founder, Shanna Whan, gets country Australia and its unique lifestyle. She understands the culture and pressures of rural life and how that intersects with drinking. She’s also not going to ‘urbansplain’ it to you. Which unfortunately, a lot of well-meaning services from the city, do.

2.        Covid-19: Rural Australia is a place people WANT to be

 Then, in 2020, Covid-19 happened.  It was awful. But it had a positive side effect for rural and regional Australia. Firstly, it put professionals on a level playing field. We were all working from home. It removed location as a factor. The technology allowed for it, and the pandemic forced organisations to use it. So why couldn’t I be the editor of national publication for instance, while living in a township of 150, 3 hours from a city? No reason. Yet before Covid-19, this was inconceivable.

 Secondly, the city people wanted to come here… and realised how wonderful it is to live in a country community. Remarkably, the number of Australians moving to the country continues to grow. The population flow from cities to regions is about 16 percent above pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest Regional Movers Index. And it’s Sydneysiders and Melbournians who are supporting this trend the most, with most tree-changers settling in regional NSW, followed by regional Victoria.

3.        Rural is different, but equal

 Geographical narcissism leads to the perception that if you have a job in the country, it’s because you couldn’t make it in the city. When I wrote that initial article, I was contacted by rural people in many professions. But the people I heard most from were teachers, doctors, nurses  and journalists. It struck me that these are roles not directly related to agriculture, but no community can exist without (yes, I maintain my bias that journalists are also essential). It makes sense that the best agriculture-related jobs aren’t expected to be in the city, yet for all the other professions, the perception was you must be sub-standard if you didn’t leave the country.

 However, now with more rural people telling their own stories and more people choosing to live in regional and rural Australia… I am pleased to say, 5 years after I wrote that initial ABC article, perceptions HAVE changed. Is it perfect?  No. When I say I live on farm, I still occasionally hear, “that must be tough” from people in the city. But the efforts of so many to show rural Australia how it really is, is starting to work. We are becoming a destination of choice.

 The truth is, rural Australia is different to the city. It’s different, but equally important. And understanding rural Australia or agriculture, is actually considered a form of expertise or specialisation. Most Australians have zero connection to a farm. The agriculture industry (and all its quirks) remains a mystery to many. Despite the recent tree changer trend, Australia is still one of the most urbanised countries in the world (with more than 85% of the population living in the city). So, if you have an understanding of rural communities or farming, you can set yourself up in this field. Not as ‘expert’ (good luck calling yourself that), but just as someone who ‘gets it’. And that’s what Brand Rural is trading on.

 If you change your mindset, everything else flows. That’s what’s now happening in the regions. Admittedly it’s the regional centres that seem to be growing more, but it’s a start. Women especially, have benefited from the changes, being able to create their own flexible businesses or working arrangements around farm life and children. In fact, when I think about ‘Brand Rural’, there is often a woman behind it.

 So, let’s celebrate, Brand Rural… firstly to those organisations who embraced “Rural” and “Regional” well before it was ‘cool’. You led the way, thank you. And finally, to everyone else in Brand Rural, who stands proud …and stands for rural Australia. Let’s keep growing the club.

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