Jack Yan: the Persuader Blog: When New Zealand planned a <em>Bright Future</em>

Google, it appears, has stopped indexing this blog, ever since the shift to new Blogger. Ironical, considering Google owns Blogger.
Still, one day, when it gets its act together after I leave Blogger, it may come across this PDF.
It’s the Bright Future document from 1999, when New Zealand laid the foundations for a nation-branding programme and a means to get rid of our tall-poppy syndrome. While it wasn’t intended as a new nation brand, I ﬁnd that the country did all the relevant research and the launch process was handled quite well.
When the National government was voted out that year, this programme was killed off, and, consequently, any solid nation brand that the country could have built on. Instead, New Zealand has a reasonably successful tourism brand, ‘100 Per Cent Pure’, but it is hardly one that enterprises outside the tourism sphere can rely upon.
The document is of academic interest these days. During my last Google search, it could not be found, so I have kept a copy here for those who may wish to research nation branding and New Zealand in future.

Posted by Jack Yan, 07:00 permalink

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Comments:

Thanks for that contribution to history. What did you think of Jake Pearce's take on NZ's national brand - "raw sophistication" - in the last Idealog but one?

It's at http://idealog.co.nz/articles/features-january/february-2007/new-zealand-meet-the-new-you.html

# posted by

Simon: 3/05/2007 08:17:00 AM

Ah...the knowledge wave...
Imagination has become more valuable than knowledge (at least in my imagination).
I find it interesting that there are so many worthy nay-sayers regarding the 100% Pure campaign.
It is referenced widely (internationally) as leading example of 'nation branding'.
The problem for me is that branding isn't about sloganeering and media expenditure. I have embarked on a masters thesis on the topic and have added the document to my background reading.
As for the article in Idealog (which I co-founded), I simply found it irritating - in a good way; hopefully the grain of sand will produce an oyster.

# posted by

David MacGregor: 3/05/2007 10:52:00 AM

I missed the article, Sy. David, I think it is important to distinguish nation branding from tourism branding. A useful journal would be the Journal of Brand Management: there was a nation branding special in 2004, which I contributed to, that also analyses ‘100 Per Cent Pure’. It is successful, but not in the way it is cited.
You will ﬁnd with your thesis that once again, there are a lot of people speaking cobblers out there, and it is advisable to go back to ﬁrst principles on nation branding.
Let me know if you require a referee for the master’s thesis.

# posted by

Jack Yan: 3/05/2007 08:40:00 PM

I would say the story lacks depth from a nation-brand analysis: you could easily use an organizational branding model and apply it to nation branding. I think Jake had his hands tied with being unable to reveal much of the background research, and how the nation brand equity impacts on national goodwill and GDP.

# posted by

Jack Yan: 3/05/2007 08:43:00 PM