Manawatū Version 2.0
My LinkedIn feed popped up with a new promo for Manawatū region. After the previous disastrous Palmy campaign I confess to clicking on the link with a fair amount of trepidation.
Marketing is a fickle game. Get it right and you can go viral with tens of millions of views and people taking action. Get it wrong and the impact can be incredibly damaging for your brand, alienate your supporters and create division.
I live in “Palmy”. I tell everyone that I am privileged to live in the best city in the world. It leads to wonderful discussions. While some people challenge my sanity, there are so many wonderful aspects of the city I get to call home, that it makes for engaging, lively discussions. I was a huge fan of the #Palmyproud slogan. I even had the badge and wore it pinned on a bag with pride.
As many of you know, I was very vocal over the last Palmy campaign. I felt it missed the mark and did a huge disservice to the region. In an attempt to be clever it plastered billboards showing people enjoying the region with the word “boring” across it. The message was that the region was not as boring as people might perceive but this was lost in poor design. Driving along a highway, focusing on the road, the vibrant pictures shouted Palmy and boring. I was relieved to see this campaign stopped and the Palmy Proud brought back.
On this backdrop the “Round 2” attempt did not enter the stage with favourable odds. Manawatū is much more than Palmy. It is all encompassing of a region that is the transport hub of New Zealand. A region that has strong rural and family focus. A region that is growing and attracting people and businesses. The PR team did a great job getting national media attention by shutting down the Manawatū website for 24 hours. Using the marketing guideline of AIDA - get Attention, stir Interest, create Desire and then call people to Action - they certainly ticked the first “A” box. They had people's attention.
Then the “Version 2.0” launched. The tag line says it is “heaps better” than version 1 and judging by comments online, it has stirred interest. It is delightfully quirky while showing a wide range of what the region holds. Looking through the posters that support the campaign there is still a strong leaning towards being clever with words and ideas. It works. I am concerned that the ‘action’ part of the messaging is not clear. The weakest point in most marketing is a failure to have a clear call to action. Take a look at your marketing material, your website, your flyers etc - do they clearly state what you want people to do now that they have seen your message?
Marketing a region is complex. It tends to be slower and needs to create a ground swell of interest that, ideally, results in people coming to the region. I will be watching, with interest, to see how the campaign unveils, trusting it is not a damp squib and hoping it builds to a display that has people visiting and being wowed by our amazing piece of paradise!
