New Zealand: A Guide to Targeting Success in Diversity Marketing
The small island nation of New Zealand is known for its picturesque lakes, rich Māori culture, and recently it’s ability to completely eradicate the COVID-19 virus. This piece of paradise is now becoming the test-run of how a western economy will survive post-coronavirus.
But can the country also serve as a case study for equal and educated inclusion of minority ethnic groups into core advertising planning? In this article, we review some of New Zealand’s successes, failures and learnings on its path to fairly represent all of its people into true Kiwi marketing campaigns.
A 2016 Ministry of Social Development study found that over 80 percent of New Zealand’s population aged over 15 years found it ‘easy’ to be themselves in terms of their identity. This is a reflection of how diversity plays a core part in New Zealand’s identity and how progressive its society is in terms of acceptance of difference.
Brands and agencies in New Zealand have, for the most part, adopted diversity-inclusive strategies in their marketing campaigns, although of course more needs to be done.
Examples of New Zealand’s diverse marketing include: the incorporation of Māori transgender model Te Manahou Mackay into its 2017 fashion week, which was a breakthrough for New Zealand fashion brands breaking gender stereotypes; and Air New Zealand featuring Kiwi transgender rapper Randa and Māori actor Julian Dennison in its on-board aircraft safety video, which went viral with almost 2.5 million unique YouTube hits.
The inclusion of diversity in New Zealand advertising has become such an integral part of many of advertising agency’s strategies that non-diverse commercials really stand out, and are actively called-out by the general public and adjusted. One such recent ad was the female empowerment video by advertising agency Flying Fish, which resulted in it being re-shot due to accusations of a lack of racial diversity amongst the women involved in the video.
Māori Marketing Placed at the Centre
Māori culture is a vital part of New Zealand’s society. The Māori people were the first inhabitants of the country and are therefore the ‘tangata whenua’ or ‘people of the land.’ Despite being colonised by the British, they are slowly regaining their footing to achieve some form of equity with the colonial British system that governs the country; albeit with a long way to go.
The culture and history of the Māori people is intrinsic to New Zealand as a whole and Kiwi brands understand this importance of acknowledging, incorporating and respecting Māori culture in their marketing strategies. Meaningful representation of Māori customs, language or imagery, with consultation and approval by Māori people, can lead to an authentic relationship being formed and a successful national campaign.
Tourism New Zealand recently introduced an interactive piece of experiential marketing debuting ‘Kōrero and Kai,’ which encourages cross-country conversation through a large screen placed at the end of a Māori traditionally-carved table that connects people in a country to both influential and ordinary New Zealanders. The screen also provides picturesque landscapes as a backdrop to these conversations and, whilst conversation takes place, the people can be dining on traditional Māori cuisine.
The initiative promotes both New Zealand as a country and Māori as a culture, by upholding the Māori belief of kotahitanga (unity) and the interconnection of people being of the utmost importance to a fruitful and harmonious society. This is a very culturally sensitive and understanding method of marketing and a highly effective way to market a nation to the world.
Air New Zealand Flies the Flag
Air New Zealand is a nationally owned airline that has a history of incorporating Māori culture into their brand image and advertising, starting with the principle logo of their company; a ‘koru,’ which is a traditional Māori symbol that depicts an unfurling fern frond representing the beginning of life, creation, and the way in which life both changes and stays the same. This unification of Māori symbolism with a national airline of New Zealand holds importance to Māori culture being a source of national pride.
The company has also recently introduced Te Reo Māori (Māori language) as an option at their check-in kiosks. But Air New Zealand has also received criticism for cultural appropriation, and so the steps taken to be inclusive need to be matched with thorough understanding and consultation with Māori people.
New Zealand: A Guide to Targeting Success in Diversity Marketing
The small island nation of New Zealand is known for its picturesque lakes, rich Māori culture, and recently it’s ability to completely eradicate the COVID-19 virus. This piece of paradise is now becoming the test-run of how a western economy will survive post-coronavirus.
But can the country also serve as a case study for equal and educated inclusion of minority ethnic groups into core advertising planning? In this article, we review some of New Zealand’s successes, failures and learnings on its path to fairly represent all of its people into true Kiwi marketing campaigns.
A 2016 Ministry of Social Development study found that over 80 percent of New Zealand’s population aged over 15 years found it ‘easy’ to be themselves in terms of their identity. This is a reflection of how diversity plays a core part in New Zealand’s identity and how progressive its society is in terms of acceptance of difference.
Brands and agencies in New Zealand have, for the most part, adopted diversity-inclusive strategies in their marketing campaigns, although of course more needs to be done.
Examples of New Zealand’s diverse marketing include: the incorporation of Māori transgender model Te Manahou Mackay into its 2017 fashion week, which was a breakthrough for New Zealand fashion brands breaking gender stereotypes; and Air New Zealand featuring Kiwi transgender rapper Randa and Māori actor Julian Dennison in its on-board aircraft safety video, which went viral with almost 2.5 million unique YouTube hits.
The inclusion of diversity in New Zealand advertising has become such an integral part of many of advertising agency’s strategies that non-diverse commercials really stand out, and are actively called-out by the general public and adjusted. One such recent ad was the female empowerment video by advertising agency Flying Fish, which resulted in it being re-shot due to accusations of a lack of racial diversity amongst the women involved in the video.
Māori Marketing Placed at the Centre
Māori culture is a vital part of New Zealand’s society. The Māori people were the first inhabitants of the country and are therefore the ‘tangata whenua’ or ‘people of the land.’ Despite being colonised by the British, they are slowly regaining their footing to achieve some form of equity with the colonial British system that governs the country; albeit with a long way to go.
The culture and history of the Māori people is intrinsic to New Zealand as a whole and Kiwi brands understand this importance of acknowledging, incorporating and respecting Māori culture in their marketing strategies. Meaningful representation of Māori customs, language or imagery, with consultation and approval by Māori people, can lead to an authentic relationship being formed and a successful national campaign.
Tourism New Zealand recently introduced an interactive piece of experiential marketing debuting ‘Kōrero and Kai,’ which encourages cross-country conversation through a large screen placed at the end of a Māori traditionally-carved table that connects people in a country to both influential and ordinary New Zealanders. The screen also provides picturesque landscapes as a backdrop to these conversations and, whilst conversation takes place, the people can be dining on traditional Māori cuisine.
The initiative promotes both New Zealand as a country and Māori as a culture, by upholding the Māori belief of kotahitanga (unity) and the interconnection of people being of the utmost importance to a fruitful and harmonious society. This is a very culturally sensitive and understanding method of marketing and a highly effective way to market a nation to the world.
Air New Zealand Flies the Flag
Air New Zealand is a nationally owned airline that has a history of incorporating Māori culture into their brand image and advertising, starting with the principle logo of their company; a ‘koru,’ which is a traditional Māori symbol that depicts an unfurling fern frond representing the beginning of life, creation, and the way in which life both changes and stays the same. This unification of Māori symbolism with a national airline of New Zealand holds importance to Māori culture being a source of national pride.
The company has also recently introduced Te Reo Māori (Māori language) as an option at their check-in kiosks. But Air New Zealand has also received criticism for cultural appropriation, and so the steps taken to be inclusive need to be matched with thorough understanding and consultation with Māori people.
New Zealand: A Guide to Targeting Success in Diversity Marketing
The small island nation of New Zealand is known for its picturesque lakes, rich Māori culture, and recently it’s ability to completely eradicate the COVID-19 virus. This piece of paradise is now becoming the test-run of how a western economy will survive post-coronavirus.
But can the country also serve as a case study for equal and educated inclusion of minority ethnic groups into core advertising planning? In this article, we review some of New Zealand’s successes, failures and learnings on its path to fairly represent all of its people into true Kiwi marketing campaigns.
A 2016 Ministry of Social Development study found that over 80 percent of New Zealand’s population aged over 15 years found it ‘easy’ to be themselves in terms of their identity. This is a reflection of how diversity plays a core part in New Zealand’s identity and how progressive its society is in terms of acceptance of difference.
Brands and agencies in New Zealand have, for the most part, adopted diversity-inclusive strategies in their marketing campaigns, although of course more needs to be done.
Examples of New Zealand’s diverse marketing include: the incorporation of Māori transgender model Te Manahou Mackay into its 2017 fashion week, which was a breakthrough for New Zealand fashion brands breaking gender stereotypes; and Air New Zealand featuring Kiwi transgender rapper Randa and Māori actor Julian Dennison in its on-board aircraft safety video, which went viral with almost 2.5 million unique YouTube hits.
The inclusion of diversity in New Zealand advertising has become such an integral part of many of advertising agency’s strategies that non-diverse commercials really stand out, and are actively called-out by the general public and adjusted. One such recent ad was the female empowerment video by advertising agency Flying Fish, which resulted in it being re-shot due to accusations of a lack of racial diversity amongst the women involved in the video.
Māori Marketing Placed at the Centre
Māori culture is a vital part of New Zealand’s society. The Māori people were the first inhabitants of the country and are therefore the ‘tangata whenua’ or ‘people of the land.’ Despite being colonised by the British, they are slowly regaining their footing to achieve some form of equity with the colonial British system that governs the country; albeit with a long way to go.
The culture and history of the Māori people is intrinsic to New Zealand as a whole and Kiwi brands understand this importance of acknowledging, incorporating and respecting Māori culture in their marketing strategies. Meaningful representation of Māori customs, language or imagery, with consultation and approval by Māori people, can lead to an authentic relationship being formed and a successful national campaign.
Tourism New Zealand recently introduced an interactive piece of experiential marketing debuting ‘Kōrero and Kai,’ which encourages cross-country conversation through a large screen placed at the end of a Māori traditionally-carved table that connects people in a country to both influential and ordinary New Zealanders. The screen also provides picturesque landscapes as a backdrop to these conversations and, whilst conversation takes place, the people can be dining on traditional Māori cuisine.
The initiative promotes both New Zealand as a country and Māori as a culture, by upholding the Māori belief of kotahitanga (unity) and the interconnection of people being of the utmost importance to a fruitful and harmonious society. This is a very culturally sensitive and understanding method of marketing and a highly effective way to market a nation to the world.
Air New Zealand Flies the Flag
Air New Zealand is a nationally owned airline that has a history of incorporating Māori culture into their brand image and advertising, starting with the principle logo of their company; a ‘koru,’ which is a traditional Māori symbol that depicts an unfurling fern frond representing the beginning of life, creation, and the way in which life both changes and stays the same. This unification of Māori symbolism with a national airline of New Zealand holds importance to Māori culture being a source of national pride.
The company has also recently introduced Te Reo Māori (Māori language) as an option at their check-in kiosks. But Air New Zealand has also received criticism for cultural appropriation, and so the steps taken to be inclusive need to be matched with thorough understanding and consultation with Māori people.