It’s been really interesting seeing John Key’s visit to the US unfold over the last couple of weeks. Courtesy of the many and varied ways we can access our news, we’ve seen every move and heard every sound bite as our Prime Minister has represented us amidst an enormous gathering of world leaders. Among other things we were even able to hear that he made a mercy dash to Kevin Rudd’s hotel room when his hot water ran out.
As well as all that he seemed to strike a rapport with President Obama and his wife, both of whom (as well as being taller than everyone else) seem to have a genuine interest in our country. This has to be a positive thing.
Once of the big events of John Key’s trip was to appear live on the David Letterman show and, via a five minute segment, promote New Zealand to a worldwide audience of millions. This is the the kind of free airtime you dream about, especially if you consider that a 30 second paid spot on Letterman costs in the millions of dollars. It’s impossible to measure the true result of these things as, with all communication plans, individual efforts make up the sum of a total programme and you moniter things as you go. One interesting result is that the YOUTUBE clip has had over 130,000 hits which in itself is a big number. It will also be interesting to see how many Americans take up John Key’s offer to pick them up at the airport! As an aside I thought this was a great touch.
What has been amazing is some of the feedback and criticism Key has had for his efforts. I am in the camp that says good on him for fighting to get his country’s name out there at a time when our tourism industry is in the doldrums and there is worldwide competition for the tourist dollar. Further to this, I also believe he did a good job of representing us. He was full of good humour, didn’t take himself too seriously, was confident but not brash, didn’t get intimidated and answered the questions clearly and in good Kiwi style. All the things that we like to think about ourselves. The 10 reasons to visit New Zealand were put together by the Letterman script writers so I guess his role was to do a good job of delivering them, which he did in my opinion.
But in typical New Zealand style, there has been a fair amount of negative feedback. If you read some of the comments on the YOUTUBE site you will see a range of views from the complimentary to the abusive. Really surprising given all he was doing was trying to raise the profile of our country and help our tourism industry. Some of our high profile comedians have also joined in and given the whole thing a fail mark. Gary McCormick and Jeremy Corbett both had negative things to say from the scripting to the delivery to the motivation behind the effort. It’s very surprising.
Given how the media now works and unbelievable range of options to get your message out, from paid media to viral marketing and social networking you have to take opportunities to get free mileage with both hands and put yourself out there. Our Prime Minister didn’t do the Letterman show because he wanted another appearance on television. He was fighting for our country and trying to portray us in the manner that befits us. Good on him; he did a really good job. Let’s hope it results in a flood of visitors.
But most of all, let’s celebrate the fact that we were represented to a very good level on one of the toughest stages of them all. We live in a global community, we have to get used to this and New Zealand, like every business, has to punch above its weight to be heard. And anyone who is doing his or her level best to deliver to a worldwide audience deserves all our support and encouragement. |
