Creating a scalable path for SMBsto access Fairfax audiences
Combining Fairfax’s reach with Google’s ad technology to win back SMBs.
Fairfax, one of Australia’s largest and most trusted media publishers, partnered with Google, the global leader in digital advertising technology, to explore new ways of serving small to medium businesses (SMBs), which make up two-thirds of the economy. Despite their scale, few SMBs were choosing Fairfax’s digital channels, instead turning to global platforms with simple, scalable self-service tools. With Fairfax missing out on this fast-growing market, Craig Walker was engaged to research SMB needs and prototype a solution that combined Google’s AdWords technology with Fairfax-specific targeting to reconnect with this overlooked but valuable segment.
Learn More
The project in numbers
66Percentage of Australian businesses are SMBs
6Weeks
2New growth opportunities
From research to prototype in six weeks
Over six weeks, Craig Walker worked with Fairfax, Google Ads and small business owners to design a way forward. The team ran in-context interviews to understand SMB needs, scanned competitors to see what worked globally, and rapidly prototyped concepts that could be tested with businesses ranging from sole traders to 100+ employee firms. This design-led process allowed us to strip away assumptions and focus on the minimum viable service required to give SMBs simple, scalable access to Fairfax audiences.
Designing the next chapter of Fairfax’s digital advertising
Craig Walker developed a concept for Fairfax’s first self-service advertising platform, built on Google’s AdWords API with Fairfax-specific targeting features. The platform gave SMBs control over budget, placement and audience segmentation, with a clear value proposition, intuitive language and optional advanced tools that built trust without adding complexity. The working prototype opened Fairfax’s digital inventory to smaller advertisers for the first time and identified two new growth opportunities for the publisher to explore. Beyond the prototype, the solution created a blueprint for how Fairfax could continue evolving its advertising offer and reimagine its role in a fast-changing digital market.
