Kiwi Best Symbol For Asian Trade

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31081, 9 June 1966, Page 3

Kiwi Best Symbol For Asian Trade

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 8. The dairy industry was losing sales in South-east Asia by not using a Kiwi as a trade symbol for its products, the annual conference of the dairy section of Federated Farmers was told in Wellington today.

The section's chairman, Mr J. J. Parsons, said the kiwi symbol was widely known throughout Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Reporting on a twd-months world tour he made recently, Mr Parsons said Australia

was making intensive and successful use of the kangaroo label in these areas. If New Zealand was to make progress in market development in Asia, it would have to spend a great deal more money.

Prospects for increased cheese sales were particularly good, he said. In general, Asians were not used to protein food, but they could be made familiar with a mild form of cheese. Mr Parsons said market promotion methods for Asia were different from those suitable for Britain. The presentation of New Zealand butter in Britain compared favourably with that of other countries. Mr Parsons said British housewives tended to like Danish butter, but it was too expensive. The general trend was that consumers would buy three half-pound pats of New Zealand butter to every halfpound of Danish butter.

Housewives had told him they liked New Zealand butter because it was “always the same.”

Danish butter was bought for special occasions.