So what the holy heka would Māori know about building brands eh?
That’s a question many advertisers and brand developers probably ask themselves.
Usually, when we think of Māori brand building, we think of visual design elements that come from the Toi Māori space. A koru here, a rauru spiral there, a bit of kōwhaiwhai pattern or a wheku representing a brand story, and some Reo Māori naming.
But this is an ineffective and much less potent use of Māori thinking in brand development. Māori culture has all of the processes required to create extremely potent and powerful brands. Truly powerful brands are more than just the visual design elements that represent them, and they’re more than the product or service differentiation offered within.
Seasoned brand builders know that brand essence and brand personality are required to create deep connections with their customers, and that successful brands feel personal and intimate, possessing their own special attraction or magnetic power. These traits are as much their differentiator as the product or service that lies within. I’m reminded of this quote: “In brands, you will find products, but in products, you may not find brands.” I think that’s a pretty awakening statement. So, really powerful, meaningful, and contributive brands are humanistic by nature. Yup, humanistic.
This is where Māori culture has real value in brand development. In Māori culture, we believe everything has whakapapa. From the computer or device you’re reading this from, to the wind that whistles through the trees, the stars in the night sky, or the generations of people that brought you to this place. They all have whakapapa.
Whakapapa is more than just connection and origins; it’s as much about purpose. Whakapapa will always link you to space, place, people, and time. It is what intrinsically gives all things their very own reason for being and is how each of us can relate and engage with that particular thing.
It’s this manifestation of humanity that Māori have developed to make sense of everything. Māori see and treat mountains, rivers, oceans, forests—all things in our world—as beings. As an example, the Whanganui River in recent years has been given human status, and the health and wellbeing of both the river and all the people who reside alongside or engage with this river has thrived. For Māori, this has been the way forever, across all of the land, environment, and the spiritual realms.
Brand architecture, whether in the form of an Onion, Diamond, or Pyramid (I’ve seen them all), strives to create human traits, behaviours, and personalities. We research, research some more, test, test some more, interrogate, interrogate some more, run interviews and more interviews, workshops, focus groups, and then finally populate our architecture model with our findings.
The outcome is extremely powerful. BOOM! We develop a brand essence or an organising idea. This leads to our brand's personality, set of propositions, positionings, creative territories, messaging matrix, etc., that help us substantiate and differentiate ourselves against our competitors. All potent stuff that has been time and time again proven to show positive effects on the bottom line. Powerful branding is what builds the soft equity of powerful businesses and organisations.
As a Māori, I believe brand development is less a discovery but more of a revealing process. Like the great navigator Kupe, there was no real discovery of Aotearoa, as he knew a place existed before setting out. He observed the signs—like birds, tides, and currents—that informed him of a land beyond the reef. He had a general direction but just didn’t know how far to travel. If brand development were the same, an uncovering of something you knew existed (informed by data, market forces, customer need change, and the like), then starting with whakapapa makes massive sense. It keeps the crew of your waka engaged and in tune with their surroundings, which in turn makes for effective results and outcomes. After all, if you are all connected and understand both the purpose and values of the organisation, you will paddle in unison and overcome challenges together.
I use whakapapa as the starting point of our brand development journey, seeking to uncover the existing mauri (life force/essence) within, as opposed to creating it from research. This is a key difference. While whakapapa connects and makes sense of a brand’s place and purpose in the world/market, it also brings forward the already present mauri that is hidden within the work. For Māori, mauri exists in everything, living or not (living according to a Māori perspective i.e., our mountains and rivers are living; fire is living; or mauri can be put into an object). Mauri can be found in an object, a treasure, an element of nature, an animal, a concept, idea, or person. Each thing has its very own mauri or unique life force.
The mauri of something can be amplified by other mauri too. Take, for example, a piece of greenstone. It has its own mauri in its natural state. When the greenstone is presented to a carver, they add their own mauri to the piece as a created artwork or finished treasure. When it is purchased to give as a gift to someone, the mauri of the purchaser becomes part of the mauri of the original stone and of the carver. Then, when the treasure is finally given as a gift, the wearer or receiver’s own mauri becomes part of the mauri of all of those before them. Ownership and mana are at stake here, so true care, respect, and responsibility are given all round. This can be an extremely powerful aspect of building brands, as all parties within the process become owners and stakeholders of the outputs and outcomes.
Combining this thinking with Māori values creates an extremely powerful recipe for a brand’s standing, that not only differentiates itself but also exposes the brand’s emotional intelligence, deeper meanings, and beliefs. The idea that a brand's values and essence or life force already prevail is pretty compelling and a testament to the initial creators of the brand/organisation’s thinking and soulful intentions. It ladders directly to the overarching purpose of why the brand exists in the first place. It’s deeply connective to a brand/organisation’s stakeholders, leadership group, employees, partners, suppliers, and customers. But it also helps a brand understand that there is value in developing relationships and kinship with the communities and people it serves, beyond just selling products.
Look at the fast-changing social and cultural attitudes, and then lean into the renaissance of Māori knowledge and language. Understand how Māori processes support the needs and expectations of brands and the communities they serve. After all, organisations and brands can be awakened, enlightened, and strengthened by using Māori thinking within their brand-building approach.
Adding a different ingredient to an already successful and proven brand architecture methodology can be really powerful for everyone involved—Māori or others who have landed in these unique islands. It will help Māori in our industry feel genuinely valued and understood. The world of advertising doesn’t have to be an alien environment for Māori, and Māori thinking doesn’t need to be alien for brands.
Nā to rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi.
Nā Darryl Roycroft