Your guide to essential marketing, advertising and media matters in New Zealand.
The Brand Issue
Bang on brand, branded, brand identity, branding, Russell Brand.
There are so many brand-related words, all with slightly different meanings. What then does it mean to be on-brand? You can’t create on-brand content, without knowing your brand.
Branding is an extremely important part of running a business. There’s no dispute about that. Without branding you run the risk of confusing or being confused yourself about your messaging, your design and your overall image. But once you’ve developed your brand, how do you know if you’re staying on brand?
Many brands have had to pivot in their offering during such uncertain and volatile – Covid-19 induced – times, this in an effort to keep their customers engaged and their offerings viable. Take for instance some of New Zealand’s biggest brands: Mitre 10, Air New Zealand, University of Auckland and Spark, to name a few, have all revisited their marketing efforts during Covid-19 in a ‘Turning Inwards’ exercise so to appeal to new markets and their Kiwiness.
Similar trends have occurred within the experiential and events sector as marketers are looking at novel hybrid-style offerings that allow them to reach their respective markets in new ways. Spark and its virtual store offering is a good example, a nice pivot in a time when ecommerce is seeing a rise, but also on brand with its core telco offering.
And, often what comes out of times of pivot – when businesses remain authentic and on-brand – is something truly great. Something that results in increased customer buy-in and ultimately a stronger brand.
With the pushing out of the Marketing Awards, NZ Marketing has taken the decision to produce a fourth issue this year. Something we would not have done prior to Covid-19, but something (possibly forced) that could result in new and exciting opportunities going forward. Onwards and upwards.
Also inside this issue of NZ Marketing
We enlist the help of a few top marketers and creatives who offer some much-needed branding advice to politicians ahead of the national election. Our Breaking Down the Silos feature explores the pros and cons of marketing ‘bubbles’, as the PM would refer to them as. Also, going ever further in the digital direction, we ask how important is it to be design-led in both your online and offline offerings.
Plus, all our regular features including: our Up & comer Ellen Fromm (Colenso BBDO); Horse’s mouth, Matthew Davison (Google); and thought-provoking opinion pieces by Gemma Ede and Ian Howard on lessons in branding during the pandemic.
So, be sure to get your hands on a copy of our award-winning magazine. To subscribe to NZ Marketing magazine, click here.
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