Abstract
In 2002, Sensis Pty. Ltd. was launched as a new corporate brand and company name to replace the Pacific Access Pty. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Telstra Corporation, Australia’s largest telecommunication company. According to the CEO of Sensis, the name of the company, Sensis, reflects the essence of today’s business—keeping people in touch through appealing to the key human senses of sight, sound, and touch, using different media—print, voice, online, and wireless (Sensis, 2002). To strengthen the strategic position of Sensis in online advertising business, the company acquired CitySearch Online and BMC Media Ad Sales, adding new lines of advertising business to Sensis. After 2 years’ operation driven by an aggressive-growth strategy, Sensis has developed into one of Australia’s leading advertising and search companies, offering a suite of print, online, voice and wireless products designed to bring buyers and sellers together any time, anywhere. Sensis Pty. Ltd. has a team of over 3,100 employees, among which 2,300 people are directly employed by Sensis and 800 by its wholly owned subsidiary, the Trading Post Group of companies. Sensis’ products and solutions include: • Sensis Search (www.sensis.com.au): An Internet search engine that utilises some of the most comprehensive and up-to-date product and service listings in Australia, with a much greater emphasis on local and national businesses. The Web site was launched in July 2004 and used by 59% of Australians with over 5 million visitors every month according to a recent Neilsen/NetRatings (Sensis, 2004a). • Yellow Pages®: With over 14 million copies in circulation, the Yellow Pages® print directories are found in virtually every home and business in Australia. • White Pages®: Print and online business directories. • City Search®: Australia’s leading online culture and lifestyle guide, offers tailored Internet solutions. • Whereis®: Whereis® products and services are the location (digital mapping) and navigation brand of Sensis Search. • Sensis1234: With sensis®1234, callers can find a business (and residential listings) through a single number, whether they know the business name or not. • MediaSmart®: Providing consulting services on the best sites and advertising formats to reach your target market. • Trading Post®: A print and online private and classified advertisements directory for goods and services. • JustListed.com.au: A new commercial and residential online real estate portal currently based in Sydney, where its inventory includes over 42,000 rental and sale properties and 1,670 real estate agents. Due to the very successful performance of the portal, Sensis plans to develop it into a national, online real estate portal. As shown above, Sensis Search (sensis.com.au) is a key component of Sensis multiple dimensions of business and plays a central hub role in the interfaces between online and print searches of information. This article focuses on exploring the experiences of sensis.com.au and identifying key issues of its operation. Data for this qualitative case study was collected mainly from two primary sources: (a) a documentary research into Sensis’s business reports, online newsletters, memos, agenda, and other official publications; and (b) an in-depth interviews with a senior manager of Sensis.com.au. The case study focuses on how Sensis has been managed, how it has succeeded, and what lessons can be learned from its experience.