Adopt-A-Deer A Hit

2/25/1999

A low cost marketing programme with a quirky angle has resulted in some great publicity for New Zealand Deer Velvet in Korea.

The programme involved offering New Zealand stags for adoption to Korean Oriental Medicine Doctors in Korea – New Zealand’s largest export market for deer velvet.

13 stags from around New Zealand were offered for adoption in a regular Game Industry Board newsletter mailed to Korea’s 6,000 Oriental Medicine Doctors. The Doctors were asked to bid money for the stag of their choice. Successful bidders received a picture of their adopted stag and a Certificate of Adoption. The money from the successful bidders was donated to a Korean orphanage.

Deer are revered animals in many parts of Asia and their velvet prized in Traditional Oriental Medicine for its health-giving properties. "Even though adoption carried no ownership rights or rights to the stag’s velvet, Doctors still offered up to NZ$100 in some cases to adopt the stag for the prestige" said MJ Loza, Game Industry Board Velvet Manager.

"The media response in Korea was fantastic" said Murdoch Dryden, Marketing Executive with the Game Industry Board. "The adoption programme was covered in some of Seoul’s major daily newspapers, reaching more than 4 million people. In terms of advertising dollars the coverage was valued at around NZ$20,000, but the positive PR associated with the story is priceless" said Dryden.

However, the long term benefit from the programme is expected to be in developing a group of Oriental Medicine Doctors who loyally recommend New Zealand Deer Velvet to their patients. "It’s a real challenge to encourage Doctors to recommend New Zealand Deer Velvet over velvet from preferred traditional suppliers" said Loza. "But it becomes much easier for a Doctor who is the proud step-parent of a New Zealand Stag".

"The programme also provides an opportunity to develop stronger and more direct relationships between the New Zealand deer industry and its final consumers in Korea, instead of the current convoluted channels" said Loza.

The Adopt-a-deer programme is small part of the Deer Industry’s marketing programme in Korea. The programme is aimed at convincing Oriental Medicine Doctors and Pharmacists of the unique benefits of New Zealand Deer Velvet through a sustained direct mail programme. At the same time, key consumers are targeted through advertising and special events.

And the results ? A 1998 Survey conducted by Asia Market Intelligence showed that New Zealand Deer Velvet was the first choice among 25% of Oriental Medicine Doctors, up from just 12% two years earlier.

Despite recent difficulties resulting from the Asian crisis, the Game Industry Board sees the velvet industry at an exciting turning point. "Production has reduced dramatically and quality has improved" said Loza, "and at the same time there seems to be a degree of optimism creeping back into Asian markets. Positive research results indicating velvet’s health benefits and new markets opening up in the west are further important developments".