NZTE chief executive Peter Chrisp says the Made with Care campaign represents a unique, broad collaboration between trade, food, beverage and tourism entities, providing promotional material that companies can access “off the shelf” for their own business.
“There has never been a better time to leverage the positive global sentiment being felt towards NZ and to raise the international profile of the NZ brand in key markets in a time when we can’t visit our key markets and they can’t visit us,” he said.
The campaign has linked producers, their environment and their products together in a series of promotional videos, influencer marketing and social media “tiles” including the hashtag NZMadeWithCare on Facebook and Instagram.
Over the coming six months, several specific marketing, promotion and retail initiatives in key priority markets will enable businesses to participate using the materials now available.
Chrisp says collaboration between sectors would ensure the campaign could dovetail into existing promotions, including Beef + Lamb NZ’s Taste Pure Nature brand campaign running in China and the United States.
He acknowledged NZ was riding a reputational high throughout the world at present on grounds of its covid control success.
“But we are increasingly being known as a country of firsts. That includes standing up against nuclear ships, the global stance we took after the Christchurch massacre – our global reputation for doing the right thing is being noticed.”
“We are increasingly falling into that cluster that includes the Scandinavian countries like Denmark, Sweden (and) to some extent Norway, Finland, as well as Ireland and Singapore. Small countries on the progressive edge with their democracies,” he said.
Meantime, NZ’s food and beverage sector was also being noticed for this country’s efforts to be out on the innovative edge.
The global covid crisis has pushed awareness of healthy, sustainable eating to the fore for many consumers.
Peter Chrisp | October 28, 2020 from GlobalHQ on Vimeo.
“Our Manuka honey, for example, has gone nuts, and many of the sales are through pharmaceutical outlets,” he said.
“The sustainability story is on the rise too. It is seen in two lights: with Asian consumers people believe sustainably produced food delivers a healthier product. And, with the likes of German (and) United States’ consumers, they seek sustainable food to protect the environment. We are at the holy grail.”
The target markets of US, Japan, UK, China and Australia have already been primed by a Tourism NZ campaign Messages from New Zealand.
Tourism NZ chief executive Stephen England-Hall says connecting global audiences to NZ’s values and identity through its food and beverage exports has an immediate economic benefit and lays the pathway to influence NZ as a destination when visitors can return.
Chrisp says the campaign will also help NZ food and beverage businesses that have had to adapt quickly to ecommerce platforms to start, maintain or grow their sales to markets personnel may no longer be able to visit as easily. Adding the amount of companies seeking digital advice and starting ecommerce platforms has really accelerated in recent months.
