Reo, brands, ads…and road signs

Tuia i runga, tuia i raro, tuia te mana o te reo Māori ki te ao.

A few years back, while attending a most excellent kura reo (language course) run by Raukawa, one of the kaiako issued us a challenge: "He aha tāu?" What will be your contribution to the language that has enriched your life so much? We owe a lot to the people that have got us this far, but there’s still a long way to go. This question struck a chord within me, making me reflect on the role of the branding and advertising sector I work in. 

What responsibility do brands and the ad sector have to the reo movement? 

Let’s first look at other sectors. Undoubtedly, the education sector, iwi, and government partner organisations like Te Taurāwhiri, Te Māngai Pāho, and Te Mātāwai are pivotal players in te reo normalisation, and I have personally benefited a lot from their amazing work. However, the media, music, and entertainment industries are particularly interesting when thinking about this question. They have become pioneers of the movement, infusing te reo into their content, whether it be through informative podcasts, inspiring music, engaging TV shows, or breathtaking movies. Personalities like Jack Tame, Jenny-May Clarkson, and Oriini Kaipara seamlessly integrate te reo into their news programming, not only aiding language learners but also showcasing an essential aspect of Māori identity in our everyday lives. And I think for Māori, the extent we see our identity reflected in the world around us has a real impact on well-being.

It is disheartening, then, to witness someone vying for a leadership position in our nation downplaying the value of bilingual road signs. One of the things that sets Māori apart from most other cultures in Aotearoa is that we cannot simply venture to another land to immerse ourselves in our language. This is our only chance. If te reo fades away here, so does our identity, leaving behind a void more damaging than any pothole. Which is why, in order to reclaim our native tongue, we drag ourselves off to night classes and use our annual leave to go to kura reo, or even take an unpaid year off to study. Ka ngaro, ka ngaro, ka ea, ka ea, Te Toka a Tirikawa. While te reo Māori is the language of Māori people; it is also intricately woven into our national identity, making Aotearoa truly unique and special. We all reap the benefits of te reo, whether we consciously acknowledge it or not.

So, what does success for the reo movement look like? If we are content with the government's target of 1 million reo speakers by 2040, we might fall into complacency, assuming that others will bear the burden. But for those of us who seek a genuinely bilingual nation, where we have the freedom to choose between te reo Māori and English in our workplaces, the endgame is much more profound. And here lies a pivotal question for every brand: What do you envision as the endgame? If a dual-language nation aligns with your aspirations, then sitting on the sidelines is not an option. You, e hoa, are in the game. But why should you care? Because of the immense value you can bring to the table. As an aside, I think we also deserve to have each politician on the record with what they envision the endgame for the reo movement to be. 

In the advertising world, much like in the realms of broadcast, music, and entertainment, we possess the power to shape content. We inundate people's lives with sounds, images, and words. We are ever-present, just like those ubiquitous road signs. That's precisely what the te reo normalisation movement needs—te reo exposure at every corner, for everyone.

Consider the colossal scale of our reach. While the government has dedicated $51 million over two years for Māori media, brace yourself for this: brands spent a staggering $3.2 billion on advertising in just one year! Now, imagine if a mere 10% of that advertising budget—around $320 million—were dedicated to te reo Māori. And mind you, that's just advertising! A brand's influence extends far beyond that—it encompasses workplaces, retail spaces, and products. Brands are deeply ingrained in our daily lives, woven into the very fabric of our existence. They nourish us, transport us, connect us, and uplift us. They dress us, feed us, and entertain us. Now, envision the top 100 brands taking a stand for te reo normalisation. And the beauty of it all? Brands don't need government funding to make it happen. Leave that funding for teachers and content creators. Brands can just continue doing what they're already doing and simply sprinkle te reo into the mix. Bilingual labels in the workplace, dual-language product packaging, or advertisements in Te Reo—even small efforts would make a big difference if it can happen sector wide. The advertising sector and the brands we work with have untapped potential to drive the reo normalisation movement.

Individually, brands hold the power to make a difference. But united, they unleash an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate Māori culture and normalise te reo on a national scale. However, one burning question lingers: how strong is our sector's sense of responsibility towards reo normalisation? Recently, a client asked me to incorporate te reo Māori into a billboard advertisement. Cool! But there was a caveat—they wanted me to stick to widely understood words like "kia ora," "aroha," and "whānau." In other words, they only wanted to use the words that are already normalised. Now, I understand the importance of comprehension in our line of work, but it made me ponder: does our sector feel a responsibility to DRIVE reo normalisation, or are we just passengers on this waka? Yes, some brands are making individual efforts, but as a collective, do we possess the same momentum and sense of obligation seen in the broadcast, entertainment, and music industries?

Lucky for us, media and creative agencies excel at problem-solving. It's in our DNA. We boast about our problem-solving prowess in our pitch decks and on our websites. We showcase our skills at numerous awards shows throughout the year. So, if our challenge is to become a bilingual country, and we possess the ultimate tool within our grasp—the metaphorical King Arthur's sword, Maui's hook, or Thanos's glove, take your pick—then surely we're skilled enough problem solvers to wield that tool to our advantage. If not, then either we're not as brilliant at problem-solving as we boast, and it's high time to update those websites, or we simply don't deem this challenge worthy of our full attention. He aha tāu?

Challenges

I’m not saying we don’t face any challenges on our journey to widespread momentum across the branding and advertising sector. One major obstacle we encounter is the demand for talented individuals fluent in te reo, a challenge that many sectors face. But here's a thought: what if we, as a sector, show that we're a force in the te reo normalisation movement? If we can show that we’re not only an amazing creative space, but also an opportunity to give back to the reo movement, we might just attract the talent we need. 

Another challenge that often crops up is the hesitancy of brands to use te reo, fearing negative reactions from Māori or feeling unsure if they have the permission to do so. As Māori, we hold te reo dear to our hearts, and we're quick to call out any misuse. It's understandable that brands want to tread carefully. The problem is, there are differing opinions on what constitutes misuse, and brands, being risk-averse creatures, become cautious when one loud voice targets another brand. This caution can create a ripple effect, leading many brands, especially the big ones, to abandon their te reo initiatives altogether. And that, my friends, is a missed opportunity for te reo normalisation efforts. Imagine the impact a brand with a hundred retail stores, head offices, factories, thousands of employees, and a multi-million-dollar advertising budget could have on the normalisation of te reo.

Now, before you jump to conclusions, thinking I'm advocating for a free-for-all or disregarding the importance of using te reo correctly, kia tau, hold your horses. That's not what I'm suggesting. It’s crucial that we engage people who are qualified in te reo Māori so that when it is used, it’s correct. However, let's consider HOW we address mistakes and what outcome we want to achieve. Me taipari whakarewawaka ngā whakaaro—let us elevate our thinking. Perhaps we need to break things down more clearly, creating pathways for brands and clarifying which contexts are safer spaces to use te reo and which require more consideration. We need to assess a brand's use of te reo based on two crucial aspects: their high-level intention and their actual implementation. 

Intention

Let's start with a brand's purpose and intention. This is where it all begins. Many marketing and ad agency people look at using te reo through the lens of return on investment (ROI). They ask, "Does it build brand ROI? Does it help us target a specific audience?" While it’s technically a valid perspective, it also comes with scrutiny, if you want to take, how are you giving back?

However, if a brand's intention for using te reo stems from a purpose-led approach and a genuine desire to support te reo normalisation, shouldn't that be sufficient reciprocation and permission? Purpose-led brands embrace te reo as an inherent part of their purpose and won't be concerned with ROI measurement. They see te reo as something they want to embrace regardless of the return from a marketing perspective. However, purpose-led brands also need to articulate a clear "why" behind their support for te reo normalisation. Here are some thought starters:

Honouring Te Tiriti
Tangata Tiriti refers to individuals in Aotearoa who are not of Māori descent but actively advocate for the fulfilment of the obligations in Te Tiriti. Recognizing that it is a mutual agreement, they believe that the responsibility should not solely rest on Māori shoulders. Perhaps it is time to encourage greater participation from Pakihi Tiriti—non-Māori businesses who actively support the honouring of Te Tiriti obligations, part of which is te reo Māori.

Appreciation for the Reo Movement
It could be about treasuring what the reo movement gives back to our country. Consider that in 1984 when Dame Naida Glavish merely answered the phone with a "kia ora," it caused an uproar! The bloody cheek, how dare she! Then in 1999, Dame Hinewehi Mohi sparked controversy by singing the national anthem in te reo, outrageous! Then in 2023, Ruby Tui sang "Tutira Mai" with a whole nation of backup singers in support. That sort of change in society doesn't just happen on its own; people make it happen, and guess who has been at the centre of the change? The reo movement, that's who! Reshaping our society strand by strand to make it more awesome for all of us.

Addressing Inequities
It could be about addressing the inequities created by our collective past, inequities which mean that Māori wanting to reclaim their native tongue have to go to night classes after a long day at work, use their annual leave to go to kura reo, or take an unpaid year off to study. And after all that, coming back to work and only being able to speak in English. Or worrying that your politicians don’t speak te reo, and therefore have the perspective that comes with that.

Be the change, or be changed
Every year, tertiary reo classes are over-subscribed. A third of primary school students are learning te reo, and there’s finally going to be a curriculum that teaches our history, our collective history, the history of this land, and it’s going to change a lot of people’s perspectives about what is right, and just and fair. It’s not unrealistic to think employees might start to demand that they can speak in te reo Māori, most certainly within the next 10 years, but more likely within the next year or two. What happens if an employee turns up one day opting to only speak in te reo Māori? This is a reality. I’ve heard it discussed amongst my peers who are frustrated with their employers' lack of effort to move towards the bilingual space.

Whatever the reason, it needs to be strong and true. Without a clear "why" to anchor you, there’s a risk that people in your organisation will miss the point, much like our Minister Simeon Brown and his stance on bilingual signs.

There may be arguments made by some brands about the need to consider brand ROI and the potential negative impact on sales if customers decide to leave due to the use of te reo. Personally, if I discover that a brand even entertains such discussions in their boardroom, I'm out! It's 2023, and brands should not cater to an audience segment that is essentially called “racists”. There should be no debates about "if" a brand supports te reo; instead, the focus should be on "how" they support it. Brands must choose which side of history they want to be on. It's worth noting that the broadcast standards authority no longer pays attention to complaints about te reo. Just a friendly reminder. If you need further inspiration, take a look at the exchange between the TELCOs from a few years ago. If you receive complaints about your use of te reo, consider it a sign that you're moving in the right direction. Frame those complaints and proudly display them as a badge of honour.

Implementation

General Language vs. Marketing

Let's see if we can distinguish between general language and marketing, or "general te reo" and "Māori marketing," and explore how different permissions can reduce barriers for brands to participate in reo normalisation efforts. 

General Language

When brands communicate in English, we don't think twice about it—it's just language. However, when te reo enters the picture, we tend to assume that brands are targeting a Māori audience or attempting to establish a Māori brand identity. This leads to increased scrutiny and an unintentional tension. We want te reo to be normalised, but because it isn't yet normalised, we see its use as a marketing tactic. Consequently, we may hesitate to accept certain brands using it, which in-turn hinders its normalisation.

Let's take a fried chicken company as an example. Some may argue that they don't want such a company targeting Māori due to health concerns. If the company creates an ad that says, "get a bucket of fried chicken," it's simply using general language, not targeting anyone specifically. If we replace "chicken" with "heihei," does that mean it's targeting Māori? If so, does that mean when it says "chicken," it's exclusively targeting English speakers?

By adopting a reo normalisation mindset, we can view these examples as general language use, without assuming they target Māori specifically. This perspective can create a pathway for more brands to actively drive the reo normalisation movement, so that we can benefit from the power of their reach and scale, and start to create an industry wide movement.

As more Copywriters with te reo capability emerge, we’ll hopefully start to see reo used more creatively as opposed to just translating English. For example introducing kīwaha (idiomatic expressions) in ads.

Not a real ad

Interesting copywriting and art direction, "tukua te reo kia rere" (let te reo fly/flow) is a popular saying, and would be an absolute sitter for Air New Zealand, following their first-ever flight in te reo Māori leading up to Te Matatini.

Not a real ad

Exceptions to the general language rule:

We need to strike a balance between our desire to normalise te reo, and our obligation to avoid perpetuating negative stereotypes. Let's take vaping as an example, a hot topic today. Translating "don't vape" to "kaua e momi haurehu" is simply using Māori instead of English. However, because te reo isn't yet normalised, we may see this as singling vaping out as a Māori issue, especially when accompanied by Māori casting. Given the heightened awareness of vaping as a social issue, these instances can create even more tension. In this instance, we can't act as the change we want to see, we need to be more considered in how te reo contributes to the overall perception of the message. It doesn’t mean it can’t be used, it just requires extra consideration. 

There's another normalisation issue worth addressing, although it's a separate topic. Generally there would be more offence taken to the second example than the third, but it's important to recognise that the girl in the middle could also be Māori. This reflects the reality of what Māori can look like in 2023, and it's something we should strive to normalise in our casting choices. But that’s a separate kaupapa, the focus of this kōrero is te reo.

Marketing

Okay, so that was general language, now let’s talk about marketing and branding.

Arguably, anytime a brand uses cultural insight, language, or design in-order to drive a commercial benefit back to the brand, they are exploiting that culture, whether it be gaming culture, skating culture, rugby culture, or Māori culture. A benefit can be persuading a Māori audience to do or buy something, leveraging the culture to make people think a certain way about your brand, or leveraging a Māori custom or event to drive sales. Does that mean it can’t be done? No, brands do it all the time, and often it’s awesome. The question is what permission do you have. Are you Māori owned? What does your relationship with Māori look like? Where is the reciprocity, if you are taking, how are you giving back? This is not general language, this is not just about being of service to reo normalisation, this is about taking, and so the question is what are you giving. Are you a brand that loves to use Māori culture to promote yourself, but doesn’t use Māori suppliers or work with Māori partners? Very uncool.

These are all examples of using an insight to target a specific audience. Some audiences are going to be more sensitive than others, but consideration is always required not only so that you don’t cause offence, but also so that your message actually lands and resonates with them.

Brands can face scrutiny if they try to commercially capitalise on events like Te Matatini to influence a Māori audience if it’s clear they don’t generally care about Māori or our culture until it becomes commercially convenient. One way a brand might show that it’s not just taking for commercial gain, is to incorporate te reo into its general language year round. 

There are instances when some people don’t want certain brands targeting Māori at all, but it's always worth having wānanga (discussion). Ultimately, if done well, it's positive to see our culture reflected in advertising and the spaces occupied by brands, as long as the intention is true and the work is good. Moreover, many big brands employ Māori staff who deserve to see their identity reflected in the brand they work for. It should not be as simple as saying, "we don't want you selling fried chicken to Māori." We should weigh up the pros and cons and treat each on a case by case basis. As Māori, we need to be careful not to cause ourselves, or our people to miss out having their identity reflected in the spaces we occupy, because that’s also damaging.

Using Māori elements to build brand identity

Using a Māori name or design as part of a brand identity also requires permission and consideration. Taking a name like "Rangatira Fried Chicken" and creating a Māori-ish logo may not be appropriate. From a Māori perspective, names carry responsibilities, and you need to be able to live up to that name through your brand's values, culture and practices. Additionally, if a non-Māori brand trademarks a Māori name, it could potentially deprive a more suitable brand from using it. There are also considerations as to whether the meaning of the name or design should sit alongside the product being sold based on a Māori world view. 

People might be more comfortable with a seafood brand using the name Rangatira, given the strong connection between Māori the moana, especially if the brand emphasises sustainable practices. However, people will still want to know more about the company's connection with Māori, and that they aren’t just out to leverage the equity of the “Māori brand” in the seafood and sustainability spaces. 

How about a mobile phone network that emphasises connecting people not only to each other but also to the taiao, sounds interesting? Again, the intention, practices and possibly ownership play crucial roles in how this brand will be perceived. If it is a Māori-owned network built upon the resources allocated to Māori, such as the 20% of 5G radio spectrum and $57 million in government funding, and if it acknowledges the whakapapa and atua connection within the country's "invisible airwaves," then it becomes even more compelling. Hint hint.

Te reo Māori is for Māori kaupapa and Māori audiences?

I've come across briefs that say, "Use te reo because we want to target Māori audiences." Now, on the surface, it may seem like a logical approach. But let's take a step back and examine this.

If merely using te reo was the golden ticket to successful marketing, we could skip the hard work of creating compelling and engaging ideas. We could just deliver our message in te reo and call it a day. But that's not how it works. Otherwise, we wouldn't have phrases like "taringa peita" (painted on ears).

Moreover, Māori audiences are more than capable of appreciating and connecting with advertisements that aren't in te reo. Look at Air Jordans, for instance. Many Māori love them, even though Michael Jordan himself hasn't said boo to Māori. So, claiming that te reo is "THE" solution to marketing is not only lazy but also somewhat disrespectful. Māori audiences deserve the same level of effort and creativity as non-Māori audiences. We should delve deep and develop captivating ideas, and through that process, we may find that te reo is part of the best solution. But we shouldn't start with the assumption that te reo is THE solution. We've never had a brief that says, "must be in English" because no one thought that the English language alone was THE solution to influencing an audience.

Now, I'm not suggesting that te reo shouldn't be included as a requirement in briefs. Quite the opposite, I would love to see that. However, its inclusion should stem from a brand's genuine purpose and commitment to te reo normalisation. It should be about utilising all available touchpoints, including marketing, to contribute to this important goal.

In the past I’ve had clients who want to know how many people in a suburb are Māori to decide whether it’s worth putting advertising in te reo there. That’s a marketing mind-set. With a reo normalisation mindset, we wouldn't confine te reo Māori to certain boxes, only to be released when targeting Māori audiences or on Māori-focused kaupapa, and only on Māori platforms like Whakaata Māori or Iwi Radio. Everyone should have the opportunity to benefit from exposure to te reo Māori. We should consider using te reo in any advertisement. Selling spark plugs? Cool! It's a great opportunity for all of us to learn the Māori name for spark plug. Doesn't exist? Even better! Now we can engage a te reo expert to create the Māori word for spark plug. How cool is that? Whittakers don't need to use te reo to sell more chocolate, but they can use it to support te reo Māori. My only question is, why did they stop? Just have bilingual labels forever please!

How brands incorporate Māori culture, the benefits of it, and the right and wrong way to do it is a whole giant topic in itself, the above only touches it as the main focus here is te reo. And I do think we need to separate the two, because if we don’t, using te reo becomes harder for brands to navigate, and if they don’t do it, it’s a miss opportunity for reo normalisation. 

Brands and the ad industry hold a unique opportunity to champion the normalisation of te reo. Other sectors have left their mark, but our industry has untapped potential. Let's draw inspiration from the passion and creativity shown by music, entertainment, and broadcast industries.

Have award-winning ideas, but understand that the biggest impact that we can make is with the low-hanging fruit. Incorporate te reo into the things we’re already creating. Rather than treat it as an after thought that’s tricky to shoehorn in, set some objectives at the briefing stage. Engage with clients on their te reo initiatives or help them craft some if they don’t have any. Start small, and build, the power is in the scale, and year on year improvement.

However, realising this opportunity might also call for a mindset shift from many of us. Brands may consider a purpose-driven approach and commit to te reo normalisation. We, the public, and the critics might need to distinguish between using advertising to normalise te reo and exploiting culture to target audiences. Mistakes will be made, but should be corrected in a way that doesn’t cause harm to te reo normalisation. And if it’s not too much to ask for, can we have more celebration of success stories than highlighting mistakes in the newspaper headlines? 

If we can achieve industry wide momentum and commitment, imagine what Aotearoa could look like in five years from now – even awesomer.

Nā to rourou, nā taku rourou, ka ora ai te iwi. 

Nā Alex Hirini