Selling New Zealand overseas

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32459, 20 November 1970, Page 14

Selling New Zealand overseas

An appraisal of the’ way New Zealand sold itself as a country—-| through the producer boards, as a tourist venue, and as the South Island Promotion Association—was given to the council meeting of the association yesterday by Mr F. A. Reeves, the former general manager of Air New Zealand. Mr Reeves, when invited to speak on the promotion of New Zealand overseas, made the following points. There could not be enough advertising, and it had to be done by experts, not by a large number of persons sitting round a table. New Zealand, unknown by a large number of Australians, particularly new immii grants (now in their second generation), and 99 per cent of Americans, had to be sold as part of a South Pacific: sell. Ashburton could not be sold against Acapulco, and the South Island against: "many South Islands in or| around the North America or I continent.“The South Pacific is easier: to sell than the Caribbean,”' said Mr Reeves. “First catch your fish before you cook it —it is the South Pacific sell for persons flying 10,000 to 12,000 miles—not to see Mount Cook or the Whaka Gate at Rotorua. . . . FULL INITIALS “Thg South Island Promotion Association of New Zealand should use its full initials, not S.I.P.A’., but 5.1.P.A.N.Z.,” Mr Reeves suggested. New Zealand, which spent about $500,000 in the United States on promotion, com- ' Cared with more than sloom y General Motors and down to other “consumer-selling ! firms” spending sBm a year, ' had to sell to the trade rather than direct to consumers.

’ "New Zealand has to selI ect its market, not try to sell :to thp whole of the United States—2oo million people. Therefore the prime target is the West Coast of America, where a lot more people know of the Pacific Basin. New York and Chicago are also good targets . . in the same way the south-east oart of Australia, with the biggest population and the wealthiest people is the prime target. Get them to come into New Zealand via Christchurch, hold them as long as possible in the South Island—with plenty of rest periods—and don't worry about where they leave.” Mr Reeves said that New Zealand promotion overseas had to be honest—far too

: often a tourist from 10,000 miles found that the snow was missing, it was not the Ashing season, the bus would not go because there were not sufficient passengers . . “The word ‘promotion’ or ‘promoters’ has a nasty connotation—although I am not suggesting you are dishonest. But your promotion, I suggest should have footnotes, just in case SCENERY OVER-SOLD “New Zealand has oversold itself on scenery— America has magnificent mountains and thermal activity—although less-accessible. “What we should be selling is the relaxed driving, the light traffic, the people—both

Polynesian and the European. Scenery by itself bei comes boring. See 40 magnifficent historical buildings in I Europe and you are bored stiff. “What we want is involve-; ment . . . dodge the rat-race ... go to relaxed New Zealand ... be involved, see sheep, touch them ... go on farms, don’t go past them. New Zealand is so green in colour, sell the green. Mr Reeves said that the biggest selling point New Zealand had missed was with the primary producer boards. “It is the massive ‘soft-sell’ —telling those overseas where New Zealand is, what its people are, what is its cul-| ture. “How much time the sellers of New Zealand as pro-ducer-boards’ salesmen, asi Air New Zealand, as tourism 1 promoters, would save in explaining where New Zealand i lamb came from, what the country was like, and its ; people, the way of life . . . ! for aircraft passengers . . . for buyers of our produce, ‘ and now manufactured products, for tourists. It is not too iate.”