WE CHAT CAMPAIGN CLINCHES AWARD An NZTE online marketing campaign using WeChat in China has been awarded the Best International Social Media campaign at the 2017 New Zealand Social Media Awards. SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT Taste NZ is an annual food and beverage programme run by NZTE in a number of selected channels within Asian markets, aiming to raise the visibility of New Zealand products in local supermarkets, drive in-market sales and provide an opportunity for Kiwi companies to get closer to consumers and connect with supermarket decisionmakers. In early 2014, NZTE hired UMS (United Media Solutions), a digital marketing company based in New Zealand and China, to create and run a WeChat campaign for Taste New Zealand in China. NZTE regional marketing and communications manager for Greater China Maxwell Shi says the aim was to create a group of people with the potential and interest to keep purchasing New Zealand products. “Every consumer who purchased a New Zealand product online during the promotional period received a voucher with their products. That voucher included a QR code that consumers could scan using their WeChat account,” Shi says. “Every consumer who scanned the QR code received points that could then be used while shopping for other New Zealand products. Users earned points every time they purchased New Zealand products, and they were kept active through regular competitions and prize draws.” The programme has built a database of 70,000 members, from which UMS has been able to collect and analyse consumer insights from to promote other New Zealand brands and products. “This database is our asset, and our aim is to increase this and further promote New Zealand companies and products to that database of consumers,” Shi says. “We’ll do this by leveraging the database with incentives to buy New Zealand products.” NZTE is using the Taste NZ platform to conduct surveys and questionnaires to gain greater customer insights. These surveys are helping the organisation to collect information on consumer attitudes and opinions of New Zealand brands, products and general category data. Shi says NZTE is planning to grow the programme to 100,000 active consumers over the next two years. “We want the programme to be sought after by New Zealand companies and consumers alike. But this campaign is just the tip of the iceberg when you look at the potential of how digital channels like WeChat are part of doing business in China. I’d encourage all New Zealand companies exporting to China to consider digital campaigns as a way to really engage with consumers.” For more information on the award, go to New Zealand Social Media Awards. www.foodtechnology.co.nz 9
FT-Annual Directory 2018-eMag
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