28 Apr FIGHTING INFLATION – ARE WE THERE YET?; BRANDS: THE PERILS OF TAKING A STAND
FIGHTING INFLATION – ARE WE THERE YET?
Australia’s inflation continues to drop, which is good news for consumers – and may also help those of us with mortgages.
According to official figures, headline inflation is now at seven per cent, a drop from 7.8 per cent in the December quarter.
Mind you, it is still a long way off the Reserve Bank’s inflation target of between two and three per cent.
As economic commentators pointed out, this was the first clear sign in the quarterly data that inflation may have peaked.
It is also consistent with evidence overseas that inflation is cooling as supply chains normalise after the pandemic and aggressive interest rate increases start to restrain economic activity.
BRANDS: THE PERILS OF TAKING A STAND
More brands have weighed in on socio-political topics in recent years, but they might rethink their approaches following Anheuser-Busch’s recent controversy.
The world’s largest brewer partnered with transgender content creator Dylan Mulvaney to promote its Bud Light beer, which resulted in some conservative celebrities and politicians boycotting the brand. In response, the company released a statement which seemed to make things even trickier and drew some further criticism for failing to respond to the anti-transgender backlash.
Marketing experts said that in an increasingly polarising political environment, this purpose-driven marketing could be risky and lead to reputational damage rather than the intended outcome of driving company growth.
GRASS IS GREENER FOR TRADIES
University is a popular option for many students, but a new study by the Australian Industry (Ai) Group claims there may be a better alternative for those looking for full employment, job satisfaction and higher wages.
While nearly half of the 3,000 young people surveyed hold a university degree, they are less likely to be fully employed, have lower earnings and are less happy at work compared with apprentices, trainees and postgraduates.
Despite the greener pastures, barely 10 per cent of young people undertake apprenticeships.
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