Norsewear Welcomes Buy Kiwi Made Marketing Campaig

MEDIA RELEASE FROM NORSEWEAR NEW ZEALAND LTD

12 March 2007

Norsewear Welcomes Buy Kiwi Made Marketing Campaign

Norsewear Chief Executive Robert Linterman has welcomed the Government’s announcement of a $6.3m marketing campaign for Buy Kiwi Made and defended it against recent criticism.

“As a proud New Zealand manufacturer, we fully support the goal of creating awareness and pride in the quality of New Zealand produced goods. This sends precisely the right message to consumers and local manufacturers who still face many challenges in the marketplace. The proposed voluntary labeling code should also help consumers identify which products have stayed ‘true to country’ and which have chosen to move production off-shore. That is a big plus as far as Norsewear is concerned,” says Mr Linterman.

“I would sound one note of caution though. There is a danger of some brand confusion in the marketplace. Currently there are at least four campaigns running concurrently – Buy New Zealand Made (private), Buy Kiwi Made (government), Made From New Zealand (private) and an as yet unnamed government programme to support service providers and companies which manufacture off-shore,” he says.

“International and domestic consumers can not be expected to understand the subtle differences between these schemes. That is why the country has previously often adopted a unified ‘New Zealand Inc’ approach to marketing. We need to ensure our target audiences are not getting mixed messages from these campaigns,” says Mr Linterman.

“Another positive are the regional events which will provide a real lift to Kiwi manufacturers. We were delighted with the first one at Parliament and Norsewear will be keen to participate in the coming events around the country. It is great that people will be able to see what local companies are doing. They will be amazed,” he says.

“Providing the messages remain focused and positive, Buy Kiwi Made should be a real help to genuine local businesses,” says Mr Linterman.

ENDS

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