Inside New Zealand's Regional Marcomms Industry
According to Nielsen Consumer Media Insights (CMI), more than half of Kiwis live outside Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch – that’s 51 percent of our population or 1.96 million New Zealanders.
In a 'Life beyond the big smoke' study conducted by Nielsen on behalf of news media booking and advocacy company News Works, 86 percent of those living in the regions said they “felt very positive about life”. Eighty-six percent of people also said although they “may not earn as much as those in the big cities, they had a better lifestyle”. They noted a sense of community, plenty of time to spend with family and friends, and a low cost of living – in turn a nice home – as key reasons the regions suited them.
And that lifestyle hasn’t gone unnoticed by city-dwellers and foreigners who are moving to the regions and oftentimes bringing development, diversity, culture, and entertainment.
Brian Hill, CEO of News Works, says the importance of New Zealand’s regions in terms of population and GDP is possibly overlooked by brands, marketers and advertisers in the big cities.
“Also, we perhaps underestimate that their perspective and use of media is different to urban areas,” he says.
“Those in the regions definitely have more time. They have a lower cost of living so they seem to be more likely to be renovating their home or planning purchases, and they have a slightly slower lifestyle with more time to engage with newspapers and other traditional media.”
The Nielsen study showed those living in the regions between the ages of 25-69 years are less reliant on mobile phones than those in the cities and spend more time reading newspapers and less time online. They are also less likely to use social media and more likely to be influenced by newspapers and TV than radio when making purchase decisions.
And with 35 percent of the country’s GDP coming from the regions, and job creation, housing and tourism all on the rise, plus the Government’s $130.2 million commitment for economic growth projects across a number of sectors in regional New Zealand, it’s a hot market.
Hill says although subtle, there are differences in how audiences consume media across the country.
Across the regions, residents hold a strong sense of community and pride for the places they live, and data shows 63 percent of those who read a newspaper do so to feel in touch with their community.
With 1.02 million newspaper readers in the regions – 52 percent of the regional population – residents are
