-Mark Devlin

New Zealand’s rural sector is set to benefit from a multi-million dollar marketing investment by one of the country’s largest wool carpet manufacturers, designed to address misconceptions about the natural fibre and grow exports.

New Zealand is the world’s third largest producer of wool, accounting for 9% of global production, however, the country’s export revenue from wool is projected to fall by 3% to $380 million over the coming year.^[1][2]

The planned $2 million plus advertising investment from Bremworth is believed to be one of the highest ever from a Kiwi company to support a wool product brand. The spend will also provide a financial boost for local print, billboards, online and broadcast media titles, in an otherwise flat local advertising market.

The company has appointed New Zealand’s largest independent media agency, Together, to help develop and implement a series of new campaigns for the domestic and trans-Tasman markets to help elevate wool flooring.

The move follows ongoing upgrades to the manufacturer’s supply chain, which are expected to lift production volumes and help meet growing domestic and global demand for Bremworth’s wool carpet.

Rochelle Flint, chief brand and product officer of Bremworth, says it is hoped one of their largest-ever investments in developing their brand will also help stimulate demand for New Zealand wool and help address the decline in domestic production.

She says their research shows while three-quarters of homeowners would prefer to have wool in their homes, a similar proportion are not actually purchasing wool – with synthetic flooring continuing to dominate the market.

Flint says with their expanded supply chain now in place, manufacturing volumes can be scaled significantly in response to demand, presenting an opportunity to increase conversion and grow market share in both the domestic and Australian markets.

“Our research has identified a segment of homeowners that don’t put as much focus on the flooring as they do in rooms like their kitchen or bathroom. They may spend thousands on a benchtop but when it comes to carpet, it doesn’t enjoy the same prestige.

“This new campaign is about elevating wool as a flooring option and becoming part of the consideration set for more consumers, and growing wool carpet’s market share through greater conversion at the retail level. We want this audience to understand that you live your life on carpet and it is an architectural surface worthy of much more attention.

“A large part of our campaign messaging will be dedicated to addressing misconceptions about wool that are part of the barrier to purchasing wool. Included among these myths are that it’s not suitable for kids, it doesn’t last as long, it’s hard to care for etc.

“Generations of Kiwis have lived on wool flooring and it has performed extremely well, however, there is a younger generation becoming homeowners now that have never experienced the quality and longevity of wool.

“This natural insulating fibre is incredibly durable and has a natural stain resistance, which is how sheep stay white on the farm, however despite living in a nation globally renowned for the calibre of wool production, there is an emerging segment of the market that we have yet to reach with these messages.

“This campaign will be about raising awareness and educating these consumers on the benefits of this natural fibre,” she says.

Penelope Brown, Together’s managing director of Media, says the latest evolution of Bremworth’s brand strategy will reach hundreds of thousands of homeowners and design influencers over the coming year.

She says the first of the new campaigns will launch in August – introducing new messaging inspiring consumers to emotively engage with New Zealand wool across out-of-home, TV, print and digital mediums.

“Our intention is to align ourselves more with design partners and work towards further premiumisation of the Bremworth brand.

“Research shows the brand is already the most trusted in the industry by consumers, however, this is only one element of the decision to purchase and we want more New Zealanders and Australians to understand this incredible journey that Bremworth has been on, the exceptional product that they produce and their relentless dedication to the elevation of NZ wool over synthetics, which are essentially plastics.

“To achieve this we will be implementing a series of highly targeted trans-Tasman campaigns designed to ensure the brand is front of mind for both the new home build and renovation markets,” she says.

Flint says Together will join their incumbent public relations agency Impact PR and, creative agency Kindred, in supporting Bremworth to grow wool carpet’s share of the flooring market.

“We know that the Bremworth story is now attracting global interest, and this investment will have a flow on benefit in helping to reposition New Zealand’s wool sector.

“With our new hybrid supply chain set to help deliver substantially higher volumes of finished product, we now have the confidence to increase our annual marketing spend. This investment will help significantly expand the number of homes with wool carpet, in Australasia and beyond,” she says.

^[1] IBISWorld – industry market research, reports, and statistics. (n.d.). https://www.ibisworld.com/nz/bed/wool-production/141/#:~:text=Recent%20Trends%20%E2%80%93%20Wool%20Production,are%20expected%20to%20be%20stable.

^[2] Statista. (2024b, February 6). Wool export revenue in New Zealand FY 2017-2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1295200/new-zealand-wool-export-revenue/#:~:text=In%20the%20year%20ended%20June,New%20Zealand%20dollars%20by%202025.