TURNING INWARDS

On June 8, 2020 New Zealand moved to Alert Level 1 and companies breathed a sigh of relief as business headed into a new normal, one that had border closures, resulting in marketers turning inwards to see where the local market could make up for the inevitable losses forced by an isolationist Covid-19 world.

Seventeen days later, insights and consulting company, Kantar, issued a news release proposing “brands must tap into their ‘New Zealandness’ to stay relevant”.

“A well-articulated and crafted brand will have an emotional core, but it is possible to ‘dial up’ and ‘dial down’ attributes within that. The implication is that brand strategists need to tap into their brands’ ‘New Zealandness’ at a time when supporting local businesses and, by extension, ‘New Zealandness’ as an economic concept is increasingly important,” wrote Kantar executive director Jason Cate.

A return to Level 3 in August, as a new cluster of Covid-19 infection hit Auckland, only served to reinforce this advice.

Similarly, research from Rutherford Labs suggested: “Businesses that want to speed their recovery following Lockdown might want to consider marketing based on their affiliation with local communities - or at least position themselves as a Kiwi business.”

“Brand strategists need to tap into their brands’ ‘New Zealandness’ at a time when supporting local businesses.”
Jason Cate EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KANTAR

As a staunchly Kiwi brand that’s been marketing to Kiwis for generations, Mitre 10’s market focus didn’t change, in that the company has always been committed to the local domestic market. However, “consumer behaviour in the category has definitely changed since Covid-19,” says Jules Lloyd-Jones, Chief of Customer Marketing & Inspiration.

Mitre 10 is the major New Zealand chain of home improvement stores and as Kiwis were feeling the isolation of Lockdown, their homes became even