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engaging with New Zealand and Australian influencers. It goes back to the audience’s value. It’s about finding the right talent in Australia who have a really strong New Zealand audience and can also sort of keep in line with the New Zealand humour.”
Clark echoes this, saying brands need to keep New Zealand content authentic.
“Audiences here are very quick to call someone out if the partner- ship isn’t authentic,” she says.
“Because there are examples of people who might have aligned with a supermarket and then they’re seen shopping some- where else. Our community is way too small for that kind of thing to happen.
“That authenticity is super crucial.”
Williams also notes the com- petitive pricing in New Zealand but doesn’t think it’s significant enough to deter brands from the market.
“In New Zealand, the main interest came from agencies, PR, advertising, production and media, and brands in the alcohol, beauty, health and wellness spaces,” she says.
“We have had a number of Australia brands book through The Right Fit to find New Zealand- based talent for shoots, such as some fabulous content shot in the snow at Queenstown for a fashion brand, and New Zealand inf lu- encers to promote products to the local market there.
“It’s been strongly adopted by marketers in Australia who look after Australia and New Zealand as part of their remit but are based in Australia so don’t have as good of an understanding in the talent space in New Zealand — who’s cool, what models are available, where to start, etc.”
Inf luencer and content plat- form Vamp client partnerships director Gemma Shuttleworth says the agency’s influencer community in New Zealand has been growing steadily during the years, connecting brands from Estee Lauder, Nasty Gal and Rafferty’s Garden.
“I think it’s growing in New Zealand for the same reasons it’s
“I think it’s growing in New Zealand for the same reasons it’s growing in the rest of the world — the pandemic saw New Zealanders spending more time on social media”
Vamp client partnerships director Gemma Shuttleworth
(Above) The Inspired Unemployed.
growing in the rest of the world — the pandemic saw New Zealanders spending more time on social media so brands knew they needed to meet their customers where they were,” says Shuttleworth.
“There’s also a feeling of influencer marketing having ‘proved itself’. Thanks to more sophisticated tracking and insights, it’s easier than ever to show real return on investment and that has helped brands grow their confidence — and budgets.”
Shuttleworth also doesn’t see the high prices in New Zealand as being a major deterrent for brands.
“Our clients usually find that if they run collaborations through our platform they can achieve scale and efficiencies that offset that price difference,” she says.
“It’s also worth noting that you don’t always need a New Zealand influencer to reach New Zealand audiences. New Zealand audiences follow international influences. Brands just need to look at the audi- ence demographic of an influencer and ensure it contains enough of their target audience.”
The platform recently worked with Clinique to promote its Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator in New Zealand, connecting the brand with 12 New Zealand creators. The influencers created instagram Reels and Stories to direct people to Clinique’s website via swipe-up links. The campaign achieved 1.2 million impressions and more than 100,000 engagements with a CPE (cost per engagement) of $0.07.
For brands that are thinking about expanding into New Zealand, Shuttleworth says getting in early can be advantageous.
“Creators that are up and coming, with smaller followings, will often have a more engaged and invested audience,” she says.
“By supporting local, emerging talent, brands will not only benefit from access to these engaged audiences, but gain the kudos of being early adop- ters. Not to mention micro-influencers tend to be more cost effective.”
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