Business has had its challenges too, and, like the people of Canterbury, we need to reflect on what has been and move on. To do this it’s helpful to look back over what has changed in local business.

Click here to read Greg’s latest press article ‘You know you are doing business in Chch when…’

Political marketing and communication is all about emotion – pushing subjects they perceive voters have strong feelings about. We are all  influenced by many  different  things including our family, friends and upbringing. What somebody perceives as important, someone else might not care about.  Political marketing is similar to consumer marketing, the only difference between the two is that one seeks sales, the other seeks votes. Just like consumer marketing, political communication involves the entire marketing process, from market research to targeting a specific sector.

Click here to read Owen’s latest Press article on the subject.

An approach these Kiwi exporters could do is to start by targeting ‘nobodies’ instead of doing what most companies do and targeting anyone and everyone.

The trouble with focussing on ‘everybody’ is that it is usually a very competitive space and Kiwi companies are usually too small to challenge the multinationals head-on.

To succeed you need to start somewhere and a good way to do this is to enter the market by focussing on a small group of customers.

Click here to read Greg’s latest article from Export News

New technology is like a drug for business people, offering the chance of quick hits and a fast payback.

We are all vulnerable to the allure of technical innovation, that big idea that will change an industry and earn its owner billions of dollars.

With the election coming up it’s also a drug politicians find highly addictive too, with the promise of growing the economy and increasing jobs.

John Key recently announced an investment in the tech sector, creating a ‘high-tech HQ’ called Advanced Technology New Zealand. This new entity will be focussed on converting these high tech ideas into commercial realities.

Click here to read Greg’s latest Press article to find out more.

One company that has done something different and taken a huge risk to stand out is Air New Zealand.

The airlines edgy promotions include furry friend to the stars, Rico, a fuzzy potty-mouthed puppet and the “Bare Essential” in-flight safety video featuring staff wearing nothing more than body-paint.

Many firms are too afraid to take the kind of risks needed to really stand out, but if Air NZ can build its brand against huge odds, other Kiwi companies competing on a global stage should take a note out of their book.

Click here to read Owen’s latest Press article on the subject.

Being successful as a Kiwi tech exporter is about doing the weird stuff, he wrote recently.

Sir Paul says New Zealand firms will be successful by picking small, unexploited niches and being the best in the world in those segments.

The importance of this sort of market focus comes through strongly in the 2011 Market Measures survey, an annual study of the sales and marketing activities of New Zealand’s hi-tech companies.

While the study gathered a broad range of data, the most exciting insights it offers are what marketing ingredients are likely to produce high growth.

Click here to read our latest Press article on the subject.

The third annual Market Measures Survey of over 150 successful technology firms shows that a focussed approach to sales and marketing is most likely to deliver results for New Zealand’s hi-tech companies.

Click here to read Owen’s latest Export News article for more information about the key findings in the survey.

The ability to create and publish content, both traditional and online is a huge promotional opportunity for Kiwi exporters.

It gives companies the ability to build their brand and can reach large audiences at minimal cost.

Producing compelling content isn’t easy, and requires a good understanding of your market. But having this in place also allows you to drive a traditional PR programme, which can be very powerful in export markets where you are battling much larger competitors.

Click here to read our latest NZTE article

Andy Lark, Chief Marketing Officer at Commonwealth Bank of Australia recently spoke at the Canterbury Software Summit, where he painted an interesting picture of marketing best practice.

He spoke about how over the last couple of years we have moved from traditional marketing strategies, to a new ‘internet marketing’. The internet has grown from an information platform, used by a handful of people to a widespread, common way of connecting the world – both socially and in business. Internet marketing and social media is completely changing what marketers do and how they do it. We now have all sorts of tools, from websites through to social media like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.