International expert says significant export revenue lost

International expert says significant export revenue lost by national brand identity confusion

New Zealand is missing out on millions of export dollars by not having a unique identity in our international markets, says New Zealand-based international management consultant Graham Vaughan-Jones.

As a New Zealand-based international management consultant with experience in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia-Pacific, Vaughan-Jones says: “It’s essential that we adopt the proposed flag to build and secure an international profile that uniquely identifies us and supports what should be a well-focused, well-directed, intense, better targeted marketing effort”.

“Currently a significant part of our competitive advantage is lost by confusion with our primary industries competitor Australia and the link to Britain muddies identity and location,” says Vaughan-Jones.

“For example, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been in a supermarket in the Middle East Gulf region and seen New Zealand products promoted under an Australian flag or the distinction is unclear,” he says. “We lose the competitive edge that our high-quality, green New Zealand name has abroad”.

“Based on data I’ve seen, with the right initiatives, we could be getting five to 10 times the net economic return for primary products if we were smarter at our export marketing and product presentation, built around and requiring a unique image such as the flag, so we can extract the New Zealand margin,” says Vaughan-Jones.

He says observation and direct feedback from the markets he’s worked in, confirms there is confusion with Australia, and that sometimes distributors and even retailers themselves aren’t clear where the products have come from.

“Thus in some product lines we lose a very important marketing edge,” he says.

“We are more readily recognised by symbols like the silver fern, with its long-established profile through international events and exposure, so we need to correct the position and use what is absolutely central to effective collateral, a unique flag,” he says.

This is particularly relevant with the exports focus in the release of the Business Growth Agenda Export Markets Refresh and its inclusion of the ‘The NZ Story’ to assist our marketing.

“The New Zealand story must be underpinned by a unique visual identity, it would be a tragedy if we don’t take the opportunity to establish this by adopting the proposed flag in the March referendum,” he says.

ENDS

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