OTAGO

Otago has a unique culture, there’s no arguing it.

Luke Johnston and his team at Brandaid, a marketing firm in Dunedin, spent a lot of time pondering exactly what that unique quality is as they developed the current Dunedin brand.

The conclusion: “It ultimately comes back to the people and the way they are.

“They are down to earth, straight-talking with a selfdepreciating humour that we enjoy projecting through the Dunedin brand tone of voice.

“When you walk down the street people look you in the eye as there is a high probability they might know you, whereas in bigger cities people never make eye contact.”

He says the straight-talking, no-bullshit kind of attitude is

reflected in the approach local clients take, and clients from further afield find the approach refreshing – especially if they have moved to Brandaid from a big agency.

“There is also a real collaborative approach to business down here, people share information and help each other out.

“A lot of our work comes from referrals, we don’t do any advertising.”

Johnston says more and more creatives are setting up shop in Dunedin, often for the lifestyle of the regions.

Brandaid brings in creatives on a contract basis and Johnston says it often has people from around New Zealand and Australia working on projects, but they will always try to use someone local if they can.

Having a diverse range of clients in different industries keeps things interesting, he says.

“We work with everyone from large national companies to two local builder brothers who have decided to start making peanut butter – which is bloody good by the way.

“We often end up pitching against the big agencies for work on larger clients, being perceived as the underdog is always a challenge we’re happy to overcome.”

Looking at the audience, a third of the South Island's population read three or more newspapers a week. More than 20 percent read more than six magazines in an issue period and a quarter of the population listen to more than 20 hours of radio a week.

Johnston says the Otago Daily Times continues to enjoy a good level of readership and has far less readership decline than most newspapers in the country and puts that down to its connection with locals.

Between 2016 and 2017, the paper's readership grew from 88,000 in 2016 to 92,000 in 2017 (Nielsen National Readership Survey Newspaper Toplines).

Also on the up are the populations of the regions, as liveability in some of the country’s larger cities declines, more and more are flocking to the regions. One of those is Dunedin, and Johnston says he hears the same thing:

“When they get here they always say 'why didn’t I do this 10 years ago?'”

Grant Hyland, managing director of Queenstown-based firm KBR Digital, agrees the south breeds a different culture, saying the Queenstown Lakes district would be one of the more unique in the country.

Having such a large volume of tourists in the region – with the population level swelling by 400 percent some months – can create challenges for people joining the community, he says.

“It can be tough to find the pockets of locals, however, our sense of community is strong once you find your way in.

“We celebrate everything – winter is here, we have a festival, autumn is here, that's right another festival, and the local schools do fundraising like I have never seen.”

Hyland says over the last five years the local population and investment in infrastructure have grown immensely.

“Once upon a time you couldn’t live outside the main mets, this isn't true anymore.

“People are looking to reprioritise their lives in ways big cities just can't cater to.”

He says the strong community approach and desire to live a balanced life manifests in local advertising in a unique way. Given the economy’s emphasis on tourism, 90 percent of businesses are geared towards attracting international money and this means advertising is often geared to an international audience.

Radio is the most predominant local media option, and location targeting for digital publications is helping boost local media options.

“The majority of businesses are looking for international audiences but irrespective, I think smaller towns will generally try and support local businesses so it's important that agencies or marketing businesses appreciate this dynamic if trying to enter smaller towns.”

And quite simply, he says, living in the regions and New Zealand’s smaller towns will grant you more time and diversity, giving you more to focus on than financial gains.