The New Zealand Story offers a tool kit containing thousands of high-quality images. By Elaine Fisher.
Humans understand stories better than anything else which is why a well-told, intriguing story is a powerful way to engage consumers, The New Zealand Story chief executive David Downs says.
And NZ has some of the best stories to tell.
“New Zealand’s tourism proposition is around our beautiful landscapes but that’s only part of our story,” David says. He is among the speakers at the Primary Sector Marketers Forum in Wellington in February 2022.
“Internationally people regard New Zealanders as reliable, trustworthy and friendly and during the Covid pandemic, we have seen that globally, the positive perception of New Zealand has gone up.”
Marketers who leverage brand New Zealand as part of their marketing strategy achieve a premium for their products, because of the positive perceptions and emotional responses consumers have to anything associated with the country.
‘To combat any negative perceptions, we need to highlight the positives of our Covid-19 response, and how that demonstrates the core values others admire in us; our care for people, and our willingness to make tough decisions to do the right thing.’
This is borne out by research The New Zealand Story conducts into international perceptions every three months. Research conducted by One Picture in August and September 2021, showed NZ continued to be perceived as progressive, inclusive and decisive by the majority of key international markets including Australia, China and the United States.
However, some markets including Germany, Dubai and Japan were forming perceptions that NZ was isolated, unfamiliar, unprepared, and closed.
David says there is a huge opportunity to leverage the positive attributes the world sees in NZ. However, businesses need to address and combat some hard truths starting to emerge in select markets.
“Being closed in a pre-vaccine world earned us respect. However, with the world starting to re-open, vaccination rates and re-opening strategies are becoming the new measures of success.
“It’s the perfect time for New Zealand’s largest sectors to show the world we’re still open for business. They can leverage the evidence that the world cares about who we are, how we live, and how we treat others. We can see from this research that global perceptions continue to evolve and widen.
“To combat any negative perceptions, we need to highlight the positives of our Covid-19 response, and how that demonstrates the core values others admire in us; our care for people, and our willingness to make tough decisions to do the right thing.”
Launched in 2013, The New Zealand Story helps companies gain competitive advantage by building a strong, consistent profile for New Zealand in international markets. It is a platform on which other businesses in a wide range of sectors can build their marketing programmes.
The New Zealand Story offers a tool kit containing thousands of high-quality images and information graphics which are free for marketing companies to download to use as part of their campaigns.
That widely used material is regularly updated. “This is part of protecting the brand by ensuring consistent, positive and clear messages about what the brand stands for so that the perception of New Zealand is enhanced.”
David says for New Zealanders, an image of a cow grazing in lush open pasture is nothing special, but it is regarded as remarkable in many other countries where animals are kept in feedlots or barns.
“We have a lot to be proud of in this country. We have an incredible environment and amazing people who are good at growing high quality products.”
While the world generally has high regard for NZ’s primary producers, Kiwis can be hard on them, but David says his personal view is that those negative perceptions are unfounded. “Without farmers and our agricultural sector, economically, we would be a shadow of ourselves.
“It may not have been the case 50 to 60 years ago, but today farmers are at the very forefront of moves towards sustainability and protecting the land. Their entire livelihood depends on the land. They are in tune with nature and understand and work to reduce their impacts on it.
“When the New Zealand Story takes our stories to the world, we don’t claim we are perfect in everything we do but that we are learning and making good progress.”
Authenticity and trust are becoming more and more vital for both consumers and distributors. The FernMark Licence Programme, launched in 2015 to help promote and protect New Zealand products on a global scale, has become the single most recognised New Zealand symbol internationally, David says.
“It is better recognised than the New Zealand flag or the kiwi symbol.” The programme gives licensees the right to carry the FernMark as a simple way to authenticate their connection to New Zealand and at the same time, leverage the positive reputation associated with New Zealand for their product or service.
David is scheduled to present his address – ‘New Zealand’s brand values, understanding New Zealand’s story being told on a global scale’ on February 22 at the Primary Sector Marketers Forum in Wellington. To find out more about the forum go to: https://www.brightstar.co.nz/events/primarymkt
