World famous outside New Zealand

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Posted by maratolja in Big Idea, Community Building, Culture, engagement, Kiwi, New Zealand, Social Networks

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42 Below, Big Ideas, Brand, community, Derek Handley, Expats, Innovation, KEA, Marketing, New Zealand, Social Enterprise, The New Zealand Story

When people ask me where I am from and I say “New Zealand”, a look of awe comes across their face. I am proud to promote my country and everything that comes from there and I am not alone. In a recent survey of over 12,000 expats (by Kea and Colmar Brunton), 98% actively promote New Zealand (NZ) and recommend it as a destination to their overseas networks. The story of the New Zealand brand and their advocates holds lessons for other countries and companies.

The tourism New Zealand campaign of 100% pure has done a lot for the image of New Zealand as a clean, green and adventure filled country. The Lord of Rings trilogy and the adventure tourism promotions add to this. What may have seemed like a difficult market, being as far away as possible from anywhere, many New Zealand companies are taking this image to their advantage as they launch themselves in international markets.

The story of a premium vodka from NZ

One company that pioneered a number of marketing initiatives (many controversial), was 42Below. Their quirky use of the New Zealand brand helped take their vodka global. At a time when New Zealand wine, fashion and movies were succeeding globally – vodka was not a product that came to mind when people thought of NZ. But Geoff Ross did not let that stop him, as he set out to create the purest vodka in the world – from the purest country in the world. He understood that branding was what would differentiate his product from the established vodka brands and that the New Zealand brand would help him do that. Often described as “New Zealand in a bottle”, 42Below pitched itself as The premium vodka to the elite cocktail set. And it worked. 42Below became so popular that in 2006 it attracted an $138 million buyout from Bacardi.

World famous outside New Zealand

Kiwis have a saying – “World famous in New Zealand“. Now associated with the L&P advertising campaign (a drink only well known within NZ), the phrase is used to describe individual products and ideas that could be famous, but have only managed to make it big in NZ. A disadvantage of size and distance for NZ has meant that historically this was a common occurrence, but in the connected and networked world of today it no longer has to be that way. Now, you can be world famous outside New Zealand.

The New Zealand Story

In 2012 the New Zealand government commissioned three government agencies to develop “The New Zealand Story“. This initiative was put together to help local companies compete in the global marketplace by providing a consistent New Zealand narrative, a narrative not exclusively tied to a tourism campaign. Presented in three chapters – open spaces, open hearts and open minds, The New Zealand Story provides assets and story kits to help New Zealanders talk about our unique attributes in a consistent and meaningful way.

What more could we do?

We could stop at helping create a consistent brand for New Zealand to take our products globally – but we could also be braver and go further. Recently I discovered a presentation by Derek Handley’s from 2011. Listening to his Big Idea for how we could come together as a nation and do something that would benefit both New Zealand and the world. How we could be brave and take a leap as a collective to change our world and at the same time provide a platform for talented kiwis to bring their talents back home. This coming together to contribute to a collective action, whether that be to free us of a dependance on oil or something else entirely, is something I know many New Zealanders across the world crave. This talented pool of individuals with a connection to home, want to contribute and want to be a part of this New Zealand Story.

We all know that it is not just visuals and values that make up brand New Zealand. It is the pull that comes from being from a place you are proud of. For 42Below, it was the expats who proudly bought out a bottle of vodka at a dinner party, for Derek’s idea it is bringing together the people who could make a difference towards a common goal. By bringing together this network of connected individuals to share a New Zealand story and spirit, we can impact a change that goes beyond the Pacific and throughout the world.

The easier it is for New Zealanders everywhere to connect with New Zealand and with each other, the more they can act in a purposeful way towards a common goal. You then make it possible to develop more stories like 42 below, or Big Ideas like Derek’s. You make it possible to become world famous outside New Zealand from within New Zealand.

Influencing your community to go from good to great

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Posted by maratolja in Community Building, engagement, New Zealand, Social Networks

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Alumni, community, community building, Influence, Influencer Model, KEA, Sources of Influence

In my previous blogpost, I wrote about KEA (the Kiwi Expat Assoc) and their mission to turn brain drain into “brain circulation”. It’s a group of 200,000 expatriates from New Zealand and I’m proud to be among them. But while I like the success stories and the sense of connections to home, I always thought such a group could do even more. Here are some examples.

Tapping into the 6 sources of influence
The book “Influencer” by Kerry Patterson, et al. explains how, by focusing on 6 sources of influence it is possible to change specific vital behaviours in a way that scales. This approach has been used in a number of very different applications, from eradicating Guinea worm to changing behaviour in prisons. And in the case of KEA, I believe it can be used to transform 200,000 expats into a powerful network of ambassadors that can help each other and the country as a whole.

Applying this to KEA
Each one of KEA’s members has the ability to “bring work home”, connecting their personal networks and skills to people and organisations in New Zealand. Whether that is promoting NZ people and products, assisting with the growth of NZ start-ups or partnering with NZ firms. We want every member to connect their networks and skills to ties back in New Zealand. By looking at these 6 sources of influence, we can start to create a strategy for linking members to contributions and increasing the brain circulation of New Zealand.

1. Source: Personal Motivation
Ask: Do I want to?
Action: Make the undesirable desirable. How: Consciously connect to value

This is where we look at someone’s personal motivation for contributing. Why would somebody want to connect their networks or skills back to New Zealand? What intrinsic motivators can be called upon to motivate people to do this?

The obvious motivation in this example, would be to tap into each members want to keeping their connection with New Zealand strong. Linking this action with a person’s sense of self – of who they are and who they want to be. A kiwi, a New Zealander.

2. Source: Personal Ability
Ask: Am I able?
Action: Surpass your limits. How: Demand Deliberate Practice

Are Kiwi Expats able to link their networks and skills back to New Zealand? Have we made it easy in this network to connect these dots? Often we assume that we just need to motivate members to connect, however we also need to ensure that members know how. This involves breaking the behaviour down into smaller chunks and ensuring every member has the ability to contribute.

With an organisation like KEA this could mean breaking down the businesses/people to promote in easy to target chunks. e.g. KEA could provide targets by industry. Do you know people in small businesses? Here are the top ten New Zealand products for small businesses. Then make it easy to share this knowledge within my network. By providing members with a simple structured way to connect their network or expertise, you enable every member to contribute.

3. Source: Social Motivation
Ask: Do others motivate?
Action: Harness Peer Pressure How: Pave the way. Enlist the power of those who motivate. Seek the support of those who motivate

Are other members just like me doing this? Who are those in my network that would encourage me to participate? Highlight these people and recognise them. Sharing stories of successful New Zealanders giving back to the network is a great start to modelling this behaviour, but we also want to show that every member has something to give back. Share stories of a range of expats and use peer comparisons. e.g 3 out of 10 expats like you do X. People are more likely to change their behaviours if people in their peer group are doing the same, not necessarily their leaders and if people feel praised and encouraged by those around them they are more likely to contribute.

4. Source: Social Ability
Ask: Do others enable?
Action: Find strength in numbers. How: Pave the way. Enlist the power of those who motivate. Seek the support of those who motivate

Where can members go to get support from their peers to contribute? We know that peer groups can help reinforce and guide people. e.g. Lean-In circles or weight loss groups.

With KEA there are already networking events in each country, and these could be altered to more purposeful and focused on support for contribution. These gatherings can be a place where members are able to help each other and vital provide support mechanisms.

5. Source: Structural Motivation
Ask: Does the environment/Do “things” motivate?
Action: Design Rewards and Demand Accountability. How: Link rewards third and in moderation. Link rewards to vital behaviours. Use rewards that reward.

Using rewards is something that should be done in moderation. The focus instead should be on the intrinsic motivations. If rewards are to be used, it is important that they are linked to the behaviours rather than the results. This may seem strange, but the results will take care of themselves.

A shout-out from an influential New Zealander for a number of contributions from a member, or a free flight home for someone wanting to start a business or creating a successful connection are some example of rewards that could be used for KEA.

6. Source: Structural Ability
Ask: Does the environment/”things” enable?
Action: Change the environment. How: Use the power of space. Use the power of data and cues. Use the power of tools.

Finally, does the environment help or hinder members? What is the physical environment like? What reminders or visual cues are there? Changes to the environment could be physical changes, online changes, policy or structural changes.

With KEA, this could involve changes to the online presence or community spaces, or changes to the structure of the organisation, or the networking events. Look at the biggest barriers to expat contributions or to brain circulation and start from there.

Taking a successful organisation like KEA, that already has 200,000 members wanting to be a part of “home” and giving them purposeful things to do as a part of that community, creates a very powerful network of relationships and ambassadors.

But what applies to KEA applies to other communities too. Whether that be your own community, organisation or alumni. Connecting your members together is a good first step, now what?

To read more about the Influencer model the following two blogs provide more indepth information.

The journey to becoming the most globally connected nation in the world

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Posted by maratolja in Community Building, Culture, engagement, New Zealand, Social Networks

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adoption, community, Culture, Engagement, Expats, influencers, KEA, networks, New Zealand, participation, social networks

My social media feeds were all a buzz recently with the success of Lorde at the Grammys. People I am connected with were proud to see another NZ success story. For such a small nation, I find that New Zealanders have a strong sense of belonging and pride.

In a recent survey it was found that expats are just as included in the pull of “brand New Zealand” as those back home. So how can New Zealand as a country benefit from this want from people across the world to be a part of the New Zealand success story?

One organisation that aims to help New Zealand become the “most globally connected nation in the world” is KEA (Kiwi Expat Association). And with 1 million expats you can see why they would want to. KEA was founded by Sir Stephen Tindall and Professor David Teece in 2001 and has quickly grown to be a vital link for expats to “home”.

The vision we developed at KEA was for New Zealand to operate as a globally connected nation of 5 million people, rather than a geographically isolated country of 4 million. It’s a vision that favours the “brain circulation” over the “brain drain” argument where expats are concerned; that an engaged network of expats could be part of the “soft infrastructure” on which New Zealand builds a globally competitive economy. And there was always a belief that embracing our expats in this way would help bring many of them home sooner rather than later, with a good number of highly productive years left in the tank.

Ross McConnell
http://www.kinfolk.co.nz/blog/a-battle-for-the-ages/

The organisation hopes to reach and motivate expatriate Kiwis to increase their contribution to New Zealand. And why wouldn’t they? Just as alumni of large Ivy League universities work together to benefit each other – why not a country?

The upside for New Zealand as an alumni network, as a country, if you like, is that there are hundreds of thousands of Kiwis that have done incredibly well overseas that really do want to help the country, want to help these folks that are trying to network into different parts of the world. We really need to reach out to them more and do the Yale, Harvard thing and use the power of our networks.

Craig Donaldson (Current KEA Interim Global CEO)
The power of networks transcript

But how do you engage such a large community?

In the KEA report in 2009, it was interesting to see that initiatives such as mentorship and job boards did not have the impact that was anticipated. What would influence people to move beyond passive participation in an online network, to active participation?

Since the report, KEA has been actively using the power of social networks to increase their membership. Increasing their numbers from 30,000 members in 2012 to over 200,000 in 2014. And with the search for a new CEO, the focus of the organisation is shifting too; moving from adoption of members to more commercial outcomes. It is all about the “possibilities of harnessing the strength of a globally connected New Zealand and achieving Kea’s greatest imaginable challenge: 1 million Kiwi advocates, champions and story-tellers by 2016.”

Having this expatriate advocate network connecting through storytelling is very powerful.

…storytelling is not just about the transfer of knowledge; it is also a movement designed to amplify the voice of a community (Burgess, 2006). Everyone can participate because everyone has a story to tell. http://librarydigitalstorytelling.wordpress.com/what/

Celebrating success stories is one way to foster “brain circulation” and limit brain drain. But it’s just one small step. In the next post, I’ll suggest ways that KEA can connect and empower their huge network to do more than just celebrate from afar. By focusing on specific behaviours and tapping into all 6 sources of influence, KEA can turn expats into a powerful network of ambassadors that can help each other and the country as a whole.

My great Kiwi influencers list

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Posted by maratolja in engagement, New Zealand, Social Networks

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kiwigreats, nzinfluencers

As a kiwi living in London I naturally would like to move back there one day. So I do what many of us do, follow everything that is happening back home. This includes regular doses of nzherald.co.nz and stuff.co.nz, but also keeping up-to-date with a number of New Zealand influencers on social networks.

For a small country, there are a number of influencers and they have a wide reach. I really enjoy reading these as they come through my stream. The “No 8 wire” attitude comes through, as does the candid, friendliness I am used to from back home. When the rest of my stream goes to sleep, this part of my Twitterverse starts to wake up and come alive.

So where do you find these NZ Influencers? You could start by looking at The NZ Herald Twitter Top 50, or searching through the top 100 followers in New Zealand. If you do this, you will notice a lot of sports stars, media personalities and politicians.

But to be on my list – it takes something a little different…

It’s less about the number of followers they have – more about having an “active following”. Real conversations – where they speak and people speak back.
These are people who create content – not just pass it on. I was mainly focused on Twitter and Blogs – things that were easily accessible to me.
And the ultimate criteria…. these are people I would like to emulate – I admire their work – they have the kind of “influence” I would like to have

So here they are…. Subscribe to my Twitter List for the latest update: bit.ly/18QCGXR

Top NZ Influencers for 2013 (according to @tolja)

Rod Drury @roddrury
Always on Twitter. Regularly answers queries. Lighthearted. And he blogs too.

Simone McCallum @simonemccallum
Regularly on Twitter. Talks about Social Media, what is happening around her. Funny. And she blogs too. (There could be a pattern here…)

Dan Carter @dancarter
Dan I follow on Twitter and Facebook. His updates are a great way to keep up with what the @allblacks are doing. He is lighthearted, gives things away, shares lots of images – and genuinely seems like a nice guy.

Anna Connell @AnnaGConnell
So it may just be that she is an online community manager for a financial firm, much like I am… but it is not. Her tweets are engaging, and she blogs every now and then – kind of like me. 🙂

Vaughan Davis @vaughndavis
Amusing. Posts regularly. Blogs here.

Cate Owen @cateowen
Tweets regularly. Makes me laugh. Writes things at http://cateowen.co.nz/.

Ana Samways @anasamways
Sideswipe is so funny. The one thing you must read when you go and read the paper. That she manages to pull this together every day is great.

Marcus Lush @marcuslush
“Followed” Marcus before Twitter. Posts Regularly. Often makes me LOL.

Helen Clark @HelenClarkUNDP
As NZ’s first woman Prime Minister and current Administrator for the UNDP – I have to follow Helen. And it is a treat. She recognises people when they do good work and talks about things she is passionate about.

Freshly added:

John Campbell @johnjcampbell
Newly added to my list. Looking for the lowdown on current events in New Zealand. Will keep you updated.

And there are some organisations that made my list too…

All Blacks @allblacks
Not really much to say – a part of NZ culture. The All Blacks are very active on social media. And even if just for bragging rights – it is important to be up-to-date with what is happening. I love that although this is all about rugby, you see the All Blacks supporting other kiwis in other codes.

Xero @xero
With a real “start-up” feel, Xero is one NZ’s success stories. Great to follow and feel like you are part of the journey.

ASB @asbbank
As far as social media goes, ASB knows what they are doing. Innovative and human. Love to see what they do next.

Air New Zealand @flyairnz
Good selection of tweets. Feels like real humans tweeting. I like reading about people on their way home and celebrating all things NZ.

Stuff.co.nz @NZStuffEditors
For keeping up with news in New Zealand, I read the nzherald using their app and stuff online – but I like to follow @NZStuffEditors for a selection of news to read. The mix of news feels handpicked and relevant.

Kea @keanewzealand
I follow Kea on both Twitter and Facebook. They do a great job of celebrating great New Zealanders and helping us expats network.

The Icehouse @the_icehouse
Tweets every now and then. I follow The Icehouse for information on what is happening in the start-up scene. A number of people I admire are a part of this org, so it’s worth supporting.

Newly Added:

Local Auckland @LocalAuckland
Just discovered this as they were posting lovely pictures of a New Zealand summer. Enjoying following so far. Will keep you updated.

It has taken a number of months to find these influencers, but the discovery has been fun. In the process, I even managed to get a favourite from Helen Clark!

I know there are more that I haven’t even come across yet.

Given the diverseness of New Zealand, I feel I am missing influencers in Food, Wine, Music, Comedy and more. So with a list of only 18 so far – I would like my next list to be at least 20. What do you think of the list so far? Who am I missing?

What’s your type?

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Posted by maratolja in engagement, Social Networks

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adoption, digital contrarian, influencer, lurker, social butterfly, social networks, social types, sprinkler, types

Most of us have undertaken a personality analysis at some point, whether it be as an questionaire assesment, at a work session or in a trashy magazine. Obviously not all of these are as helpful as others, but they do help us understand that we are all different and behave in different ways.

Knowing more about who we are and why we act the way we do, can help us grow as a person and develop. At the same time it can help us understand how we interact and network with others. All very useful when looking at how to influence change in our organisations. We know we all work differently and have different needs. Therefore it would seem logical, that one approach to enterprise social network adoption, will not work for all.

Social Networks are all about people and relationships. Each person has a different WIIFM (what’s in it for me) and will find value in different areas. But that does not mean all is lost when looking at an adoption strategy.

Borrowing heavily from the UX (User Experience) community, I have been thinking about the different personas that I have found within social networks. Looking at these “types”, or personas can really help when formulating your strategy. Whether it is a personal social strategy or one for your organisation.

What are some of the different types of social network users?

The Lurker: AKA The watcher
These people simply observe what is happening around them, but they do not participate.
Online communities and networks are made up of a large number of lurkers – and this is typically where people start off before graduating into one of the other social types.
A Lurkers primary motivation is to see what is happening around them.

The Social Butterfly: AKA The people person.
The life of the party. Nothing is really happening until this person turns up.
They are everywhere and everyone knows their avatar.
A Social Butterfly’s primary motivation is to connect with others and be seen.

The Sprinkler: AKA The giver.
Sprinklers love to share what they know. They are the communicators and social reporters of your network. They share nuggets of information to reach as many people as possible.
A Sprinkler’s primary motivation is to share information, any information.

The Influencer: AKA The thought leader
Influencers can start movements on social networks. They are the trendsetters. People look to these experts for what to do next.
An Influencers primary motivation is lead.

The Digital Contrarian: Otherwise known as the opposition.
Digital Contrarian’s like to “play devils advocate”. They much prefer the safety of what things were like before and are not afraid to express their opinion on this – whether that is email, or fax, snail mail – they like the “old way of doing things”.
A Digital Contrarian’s primary motivation is to oppose.

What type are you?
Have I missed anyone you have seen out there?

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