A quarter of a million Kiwis claim Indian descent and are one of the fastest growing ethnicities in New Zealand. A recent report put their contribution to the NZ economy at $10 billion and counting. Kiwi Indians form part of nearly every sphere of activity in NZ – from information technology, health, academics and the sciences to management, governance, politics – and business.
Kiwi marketers have recognised the value and vibrancy that Kiwi Indians bring to the growing diversity of life in Aotearoa New Zealand. In recent times, there has been a steady growth in communication and messaging directed specifically at the Kiwi Indian customer.
Indian Weekender recently caught up with Jules Lloyd-Jones, Chief Marketing Officer, Mitre 10, to find out how one of NZ’s most recognised and respected brands sees the Kiwi Indian market, having embarked on a Hindi campaign in the Indian weekender coinciding with Diwali.
Is this the first time that Mitre 10 targeted a campaign at the Indian diaspora in NZ through an Indian media channel like Indian Weekender? How and Why did Mitre 10 arrive at this decision?
We recognise that New Zealand’s population dynamic has evolved significantly in the last few years, particularly in our urban areas. Our store teams are reflective of the diversity within their communities, as our customers, and it’s important to us to recognise and embrace the many cultures that make Aotearoa such a great place to live. We believe it’s important to connect with our customers, new and existing, in the places and media they prefer. We’ve been producing content and promotions specific to different audiences for some time and, while its early days, we’re also broadening our language capabilities. This campaign is the biggest we’ve created for Indian media channels and the first time we’ve communicated with Indian customers in Hindi. It’s an exciting milestone.
Given that most Indians are quite comfortable with their knowledge of English, what was the reason for choosing Hindi in the messaging?
We wanted to acknowledge the importance of Diwali by respectfully adopting Hindi to communicate with Kiwi Indian communities at this special time.
Has Mitre 10 had ethnically-focused campaigns before ethnic events or festivals?
We’ve been celebrating events, festivals and occasions that are meaningful to our customers for some time, although Covid has brought challenges and disruption this year and last. Diwali is obviously a very important cultural event for the Indian community, and we wanted to recognise that. We’ve also celebrated Chinese New Year, Matariki and Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori this year.
How important do you see Kiwi Indians as a customer segment for tailored advertising and promotions going forward?
The Kiwi Indian community is very important to us. We are working to develop content and promotions tailored to many different audiences, but it’s important we get it right so we’re trying new approaches, testing and learning, and asking our customers for feedback to help us improve. We want to be relevant and we want them to know we’re with them all the way on their DIY journey.
All of our customer segments are growing... Many Kiwi of different ethnicities and backgrounds have embraced DIY and gardening, especially since the pandemic began. Some are beginners, some are DIY winners – regardless of skill level, we’re looking to inspire all our customers to love where they live, work and play.
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Anne Casey of agency Marketing Minds and Garry Gupta of Media Solutions worked together with Mitre 10 to make this special campaign for Indian Weekender possible. This campaign reflects the fact that Kiwi Indians now form a significant segment of the Kiwi consumer world.