When it comes down to it, if the customer doesn’t purchase your product or service, nothing else matters. You may have a great idea or offering, but if you can’t get customers to notice you and purchase, then you’re in trouble.

It’s important to remember that marketing is not just advertising, or selling, or persuading. It's about having the right combination of smart strategy, a thorough understanding of who is actually buying your product or service and a brand story that opens all the right doors. 

We know that:

• Adhoc and reactive marketing is a waste of your time and money
• 90% of plans fail due to poor execution

The secret to marketing plans that work is the science of what makes your customers buy and an actionable plan to reach your ideal customers with the right message, at the right place and at the right time. 

It’s Christmas!

We all want to celebrate the end of the year with flair. But in the run-up to Christmas, all those deadlines and extra tasks put everyone under pressure but that end of year party is the reward for the collective effort of getting the job done.

We have all experienced the tedium of a poorly planned party and when it is a work function gone wrong, you risk deflating your staff. So here are a few tips to ensure your work Christmas party is a cracker!

1. Plan, plan, plan!

Take a little time to sit down and think about creating a memorable event and while you’re doing it, encourage some team building and relationship enrichment. 

Location, time of day or night, music and entertainment, food and beverage choices, all need consideration. Inclusivity is a key here. Cater for a range of age groups, find a good mix of music or entertainment.  Some of the most memorable parties have amazing themes – think how you can incorporate this into your plan.

2. Create atmosphere

Theme, dress code, menu and entertainment all add to the atmosphere of your chosen location.

Dress-up themes are fun but make sure you brainstorm relevant costuming with other staff members before you confirm. You want a theme that's easy for everyone to participate. It could be as simple as asking people to wear their favourite wacky sweater or you can add to the hilarity by giving people funny items of clothing to wear. Reward full scale costume efforts with prizes. Get buy-in by letting people know there will be prizes before-hand!

There’s no denying that John Harrington, founder of Harrington’s Brewery knows a lot about craft beer. So when John and Derek McCullough, both long-time Mt Pleasant residents, got together to think of ways to raise money for the rebuild of the Mt Pleasant Community Centre, the conversation soon turned to beer.

From there, the idea of producing a Mt Pleasant series of beers was born, using the best and most popular of Harrington’s award winning craft beers.

Muritai Marketing, as local residents ourselves, decided to get behind this community initiative. On the 25th November 2015 to much fan fair, we launched four beers - Broad Reach, Ziraffe, Muddy Duck and Road Cone Red - under the by-line of ‘Good beer doing good.’

Combined with Mike McGurk’s stunning beer label designs, the beers are set to become a popular way to raise much needed funds to complete the centre.

Believed to be the first social enterprise initiative of its kind in New Zealand, every beer purchased equals a gold coin donation to the Mt Pleasant Community Centre rebuild. Timed to coincide with the summer time BBQ season these beers are a ‘hopping good’ Christmas gift for business clients and craft beer lovers alike.

Cup week kicked off with Sculpture on the Peninsula, the South Island’s largest contemporary outdoor sculpture exhibition held at Loudon Farm, 6 – 8 November.

With more than 70 exhibits covering several hectares of farmland, Sculpture on the Peninsula is a testament to the way imagination can transform the landscape. And for sponsors, Fox and Associates, land surveyors and land development specialists, it’s a sponsorship that’s perfectly aligned to their mission; creating legacies with land.

Cup and Show week has wound down to a close. And what a week it was, especially for the girls.

It started the week earlier with Michelle Payne on Prince of Penzance becoming the 1st female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup. Along with her brother and strapper, Stevie and their eight siblings, the win became an extraordinary family story.

The following week, women dominated with:

• Kerryn Manning becoming the 1st female driver to win the New Zealand Trotting Cup
• Lisa Allpress on Jimmy Mac winning the 152nd New Zealand Cup
• Sam Spratt on Addictive Habit winning the Couplands Bakery Mile