Defunct to World Leading. The Power of Story to Massively Grow a Network.
Executive Summary
The New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's (NZTE) Beachheads program in North America faced significant challenges due to cultural misalignment and mistrust from the local team. Recognizing the need for a strategic overhaul, a comprehensive rebranding and storytelling initiative was launched to transform the program into a prestigious advisory network, ultimately leading to its success as a benchmark for international trade organizations.
Introduction to NZTE and the Beachheads Program
NZTE serves as New Zealand's international business development agency, with the Beachheads program offering advisory services to New Zealand companies seeking global expansion. However, the program's initial implementation in North America failed to resonate with the local market, resulting in diminished effectiveness and engagement.
The Challenge
The Beachheads program's tactical focus and centralized management structure, coupled with a reliance on New Zealand expatriates, led to a disconnect with North American business development managers (BDMs) and advisors. The lack of cultural consideration and the underestimation of the importance of relationships in the North American market resulted in a program that was mistrusted and underutilized.
Strategic Insights
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The program's narrative needed to shift from transactional to aspirational, emphasizing the impact of advisors on a national scale rather than individual companies.
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The allure of working with New Zealand businesses was insufficient. The program needed to offer value that aligned with the advisors' professional goals and interests.
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The potential for networking within a select group of professionals emerged as a significant incentive for participation in the Beachheads program.
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Positioning the program as a cause greater than individual success stories, it appealed to accomplished professionals eager to contribute to a larger mission.
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The program fostered trust and collaboration with local teams by addressing advisors' needs and protecting BDMs' networks.
Rebranding and Repositioning Beachheads North America
A rebranding initiative was launched to craft a compelling narrative that would resonate with advisors and BDMs. Creating a 'Club of New Zealand' concept provided a sense of exclusivity and purpose, transforming the program into a prestigious network with a narrative of national contribution.
Implementation Steps:
Narrative
The story of the Beachheads program was rearticulated to emphasize the collective impact on New Zealand's global business presence.
Design
A visual identity was developed to reflect the program's professionalism and the grandeur of its mission.
Extension: Taking the new language and identity through all artifacts of the North American Beachheads program we ensured that at every touchpoint we told the same story - internally and externally.
Personalization
Embracing the power of relationships we introduced personalized letters to all new advisers from the CEO.
This small action generated a huge amount of goodwill.
Step up your game
The opportunity to send custom welcome kits to each adviser reinforced our message that while we were unable to pay them a market rate for their advice to our companies we valued them.
The welcome boxes included:
Custom notebook
How to guide
Welcome letter
Personal business cards
Custom Blunt umbrella
Results
The repositioning efforts yielded remarkable results, with the number of advisors growing from four to over 180 and engagements increasing from 11 to over 1,000 annually. The program's budget expanded to over $1 million, and its success led to global adoption of the North American model, resulting in significant cost savings.
Conclusion
The transformation of the Beachheads program underscores the power of storytelling and the importance of aligning with cultural norms and values. By crafting a narrative that resonated with the emotional and professional aspirations of its audience, the program not only revived but also set a new standard for international advisory services.
