Nation branding: telling New Zealand’s story

• Author: Rebecca Smith
• Position: Director, New Zealand Story

So how can that be done? New Zealand’s nation branding experience offers an interesting illustration of what can be achieved with minimal resources to broaden perceptions about a country’s values and capabilities and strengthen its brand value.

New Zealand has a strong reputation internationally for its green open spaces and natural, unspoiled landscapes. International nation brand indexes such as Anholt-GfK and FutureBrand, which rank countries according to their image and reputation among foreign consumers and investors, recognize this.

It is a direct result of the hugely successful 100% Pure New Zealand campaign, which has contributed significantly to the country’s multi-million-dollar tourism industry. Launched in 1999, the campaign tells the story of New Zealand’s unique combination of landscapes, people and activities and how it offers visitors a “100% Pure New Zealand” experience.

That story has by default become the country’s brand. While this was a role it was never intended to fill, it provides a compelling means by which to change perceptions about what New Zealand has to offer.

In the absence of a broader national story, awareness of the value we can add as a country beyond our natural resources is limited. We tend to be seen as a beautiful and friendly country that is particularly good at farming, but not too innovative. This is not the incredibly resourceful and innovative New Zealand that many of us know. And while New Zealand is a world leader in a number of other areas, including ease of doing business and lack of corruption, unfortunately that part of our story is often untold.

As a nation, our economic wellbeing depends heavily on our ability to export. As such, we have to be sure that we stand out among our competitors in international markets. We need to showcase our strengths and build awareness and confidence in New Zealand as a trusted trading partner and a good place to do business as well as an attractive tourist destination. We need to broaden perceptions of what New Zealand has to offer, expand our export base and help New Zealand businesses move higher up the value chain. We need to start telling a broader, more accurate and consistent story about our country and the value that our businesses can add on the global stage.

This is what New Zealand Story aims to do.

Telling the whole story

Launched in November 2013 by Prime Minister John Key, New Zealand Story offers businesses across the economy a framework to...