Kate de Lautour: Developing and protecting our brands

Kate de Lautour

If there was one single event that impacted more people and businesses throughout Hawke's Bay this year, it was the gastro crisis in Havelock North.

While it was isolated to one area, the effects were felt by businesses throughout the region. Bookings were cancelled for wedding venues as brides decided they weren't prepared to risk it, and Hawke's Bay's dirty water was talked about for weeks on the news channels, not just in New Zealand, but on Al Jazeera and the BBC. And in this internet world, that's a big reach.

There is no doubt the incident bruised brand Hawke's Bay but for the majority I hope we've bounced back quickly.

As most business owners know, your brand development, and protecting that brand, is a key factor in the on-going success of a business.

This year at the annual Icehouse get together of alumni and owners from around the region, we are celebrating our food and beverage sector, and the contribution it makes to our region's economy and our food bowl brand.

We will be introducing guests to two heavy hitters in the food industry Chris Quin, chief executive of Foodstuffs North Island and Pic Picot, exuberant Nelson entrepreneur and owner of Pic's Peanut Butter.

For Picot, the Nelson laundromat owner turned food business success story, it all started in 2008 with a tonne of Aussie peanuts and a concrete mixer.

Selling jars of peanut butter, with no additives apart from a sprinkling of sea salt, at the farmers' market soon stretched to local and then nationwide supermarkets, and now the peanut butter, sporting Pic's name, is sold around the world, including back to Australia. The focus is on exporting and the sunny Nelson brand will no doubt be boosting the brand off-shore.

With a marketing strategy based around direct, personal contact with their customers, there is also a refreshing amount of humour. When I asked for a bio for Pic, I was sent a bio for Fido, the peanut butter wonder dog from Nelson. I'm told the guide dog (Pic has macular degeneration) will be flying in with his manager, "impresario Pic Picot".

Apparently Fido is a veteran of Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year and Deloitte's Fast 50 Awards - the 5-year-old guide dog is also an accomplished networker with a nose for sniffing out peanut butter advocates!

Joining Pic Picot will be one of the country's smartest business leaders, Chris Quin. Chris joined Foodstuffs as chief executive in September 2015 with 28 years' experience in leadership roles.

His most recent position was chief executive of the Home, Business and Mobile division of Spark NZ (previously Telecom NZ), where he was praised for his role in Spark's business transformation programme and you may remember, as the leader who fronted to Telecom Business customers during the XT issue.

There is no doubt Chris understands his target market and how to pitch brands in an appealing way to the customer. In 2010, Chris received a Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award for his leadership achievements and his contribution to the community. Chris is also chairman of The Icehouse.

It's been four years since The Icehouse established a regional hub here in Hawke's Bay - the only regional hub in New Zealand. Since then, we have seen more than 700 local businesses engage with the organisation, either through programmes or events. It's a buzz to be organising an event for alumni and others here in the Bay that sells seats so quickly - in a region that is well known for leaving booking until the last minute. It helps that we have hands-on supportive sponsors in BNZ, Crowe Horwath and Thornton Realty.

We cannot afford to be lax when it comes to our brand "Hawke's Bay" and as our councils rally behind the brand Great Things Grow Here, we've learned the hard way this year that protecting a great brand has never been so important.

The Icehouse Xmas luncheon is at The Old Church on December 6. Spaces are limited and bookings essential. Register at www.theicehouse.co.nz/workshops and click on EVENTS or email Kate de Lautour at k.delautour@theicehouse.co.nz.

Kate de Lautour is the business development and operations manager for The Icehouse Hawke's Bay.