Cutting-edge Data, Technology At Forefront Of Effort To Lure Ex-pat Kiwis Home, Buy Property

With the expected wave of Kiwis returning home for good in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, one of New Zealand’s leading creative and media agencies is putting cutting edge technology and data at the forefront of reaching those Kiwis living abroad.

And, Auckland-based Contagion knows better than anyone about why it’s important to help Aotearoa win.

Contagion was founded by Bridget and Dean Taylor in 2009 with the backing of Tourism New Zealand when it needed an integrated creative and media agency to transform their brand from analogue to engaging brand stories in new media channels.

“We have been Tourism New Zealand’s agency ever since, and now we’re putting our experience in digitally targeting Kiwis who are interested in anything about New Zealand globally to focusing on reaching Kiwis who want to return home,” Dean said.

“We have incredible digital technology and data at our fingertips that means not only can we reach Kiwis anywhere in the world, but we can also reach other people who might be looking to settle in New Zealand.

“That data shows us there are thousands and thousands of Kiwis who now want to come home for good because they feel safe here, they know their family will be safe, and the global job market is still accessible from our shores.”

Contagion is working with numerous businesses – including real estate agents and property developers – to help them target expats via their web behaviour.

“We can see how old they are, what they earn, how many kids they have, where they have lived, what their favourite websites are. For the property market in particular, this means we can serve up New Zealand properties that are exactly in their price bracket and fit their lifestyle,” Dean said.

“Kiwi real estate companies can serve the ads and video content to people even if they are looking at their phone while they’re hiking in Scotland or drinking coffee in Seattle. They can sell people real estate before they even get here.”

And Dean says that while these tools seemed like science fiction a decade ago, now it’s business as usual but is incredibly helpful to both the businesses using the technology and the people being served up the content on their mobile phones.

“It all helps in making sure we help Aotearoa win. This is what really matters particularly during these times. That’s the big opportunity for us all.

“Just this week our team saw UK-based Kiwis viewing the livestream tour of a property in Devonport. The agent held the camera so the couple could see it and hear the commentary live – that’s an incredible selling tool that smashes distance and makes this kind of marketing effort really effective.”

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