Editorial

By Matt Cooney, May 4, 2009 @ 9 am

“Having a quality product is only part of the equation; you have to find a way to sell it. There are 150,000 new book titles released every year, but unless you get on Oprah or find a point of difference, how many great books will sit on shelves unread?”

That’s Phil Keoghan, Amazing Race face, talking to Lauren Bartlett about marketing. Keoghan is a natural-born marketer: outgoing, involved, tireless, encouraging and even inspirational. I’m no devotee of reality telly—it started and ended with the peerless Sylvania Waters, so far as I’m concerned—but I admire Keoghan’s ability to get excited about a subject and explain so clearly why it’s a big deal. Pleased, too, that he’s willing and able to use his celebrity to help Kiwi brands crack the US market (it turns out that Keoghan has, in fact, been on Oprah—five times.) Lauren’s story is on page 56.

Keoghan, of course, is marketing himself too; he is his own brand. That’s also the case for Michael Campbell, the Kiwi golfer still best known for his historic win in the 2005 US Open. Cambo’s commercial value has unfortunately slipped a bit since then, as his sterling efforts for charity and education in business affairs haven’t been matched by results on the green. Campbell isn’t deluding himself, as he tells Andy Kenworthy on page 52; his focus is results.

Elsewhere in this issue, Mike Booker takes a close look at Mountain Buggy, the Lower Hutt buggy manufacturer that went into receivership earlier this year with millions in debt. On paper, Mountain Buggy had it all: a much-liked brand, an authentic New Zealand story with offshore appeal, an export focus, an established distribution network, and marketing that emphasised design, quality and reliability. How could it all go so horribly wrong? Mike has talked to management, insiders and informed observers and shares his answers on page 46.

They include a suggestion that Mountain Buggy lost its authentic Kiwi message when it rebranded last year. If you’re thinking about your brand message, head to page 66, where Jamie Cullinane mulls the effect that steadily rising IQs and a more demanding pop culture will have on the marketplace. If you thought everything you needed to know could be found in Grand Theft Auto and The Sopranos, good news: you’re on the right track.