Source: Taxpayers Union
‘Messages from New Zealand’ campaign appears to be pointless
21 JULY 2020FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is questioning the value of the ‘Messages from New Zealand’ ad campaign which doesn’t appear to advertise anything at all.Union spokesperson Louis Houlbrooke says: “This collaboration between five different government agencies has resulted in an ad campaign so vague and unfocused that it is impossible to know what is being advertised.””The flagship video features New Zealand actors and celebrities urging overseas audiences to ‘listen carefully to each other’, ‘go to the library’, ‘always be a good boy’, and ‘seek the treasure of your heart’.”“‘Messages from New Zealand’ is an untargeted marketing scheme created by Tourism NZ, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, MPI, Education NZ and NZ Story (whoever they are). They justify the campaign on the basis of promoting Kiwi food, beverages and digital content overseas.””With borders closed for the foreseeable future, this campaign doesn’t pass muster as a tourism initiative. It doesn’t showcase any New Zealand products or educational providers. In fact, the only business we recognised in the video was the taxpayer-subsidised Rocket Lab.””The agencies behind the campaign claim that it will create a ‘halo effect”, hoping that some people somewhere will gain some vague sense of goodwill towards Aotearoa. Perhaps this is a concept understood by overpaid marketing executives, but there is now way for the Government or taxpayers to measure any positive results.”“Surely, in the midst of COVID-19, government agencies have better things to do for taxpayers struggling tourism operators.”
