New OTM leader aims for a thriving Motueka

September 15th, 2016
[by David Armstrong]

The man who created the "Love Motueka" success story wants Motueka businesses to "work together for the greater good, so we can all enjoy the benefits".

Young online marketing expert Johny O'Donnell has hit the ground running in his new role as chairman of Our Town Motueka (see our earlier story), promising to build on the success of the Love Motueka brand and attracting more visitors to the town through ramping up OTM's marketing efforts.

He says Our Town Motueka has in the past been unnecessarily burdened by dysfunction and poor performance.

"We are committed to changing that. Our committee have spent the last year focusing on getting the finances back on track and establishing good governance practices to ensure transparency and engagement from local businesses."

Despite the focus on finances, OTM has managed to have one of the most successful years on record in terms of marketing reach.

"Our social media presence has reached tens of thousands of people across the world and our website has catered to thousands of visitors since its launch.

"The Love Motueka video was seen over 40,000 times and was a powerful showcase of Motueka to the world. This year our focus will be on building on the success of the Love Motueka brand and attracting more visitors to the town through ramping up our marketing efforts."

But it's not all about re-inventing the wheel, he says. "We're keen to maximise the benefit to the town from calendar favourites such as the Starlight Parade which we'd like to see developed into more of a 'welcome of the season' event which promotes local shopping, live music, arts and dining out at our wonderful local establishments.

"We're also developing a strong reputation for hosting events and punching well above our weight for a town of our size.

"During the next year, we will welcome the Good Vibes Annual Skydiving Boogie, The NZ Hot Rod Association Meetup, the Motueka Kai Festival and the National Darts Tournament which brings people to town during the slower months of the year.

"Overall as a town, we are growing both in terms of population and in visitor numbers. Our key challenges are getting people to stay longer and spend more with local businesses.

"To achieve this we need full support of local businesses in terms of providing exceptional customer service, investing in more marketing (everyone wins) and coordinating our opening hours better."

Johny was born in bred in Motueka, kicking off his entrepreneurial career flogging off lemonade on Trewavas Street. He now runs his own small business called ShiftOn, offering training and business coaching to help people get a grip on their online presence and gain results online.

"We help people with developing websites, social media, blogs and more effective advertising," he explains.

He lived and worked in Wellington and Dunedin, where he spent time with New Zealand's longest standing digital marketing company and worked in newspaper and radio.

"So I have a good understanding of all media channels and how to advertise the most effectively. Through my business, I service clients as far abroad as London and as local as right here in Motueka.

"Most of our work comes from outside the region, but we choose to live and work here because it's a bloody good place. My wife Marlen and I love the strong community bond, the climate and the outdoors.

"I launched the Love Motueka brand two years ago, nearly to the day) to showcase Motueka as a destination. I'm proud to have built that brand and now gifted it to Our Town Motueka to use as a promotional brand."

He says Motueka has huge opportunities with the growing popularity of cycling (through the Great Taste Trail) and mountain biking. "If we are not pro-active, we will miss out on the opportunities to capitalise on this for the town."
Our Town Motueka's role is to promote Motueka as a destination and attract more visitors to town.

"It's up to the businesses to offer exceptional products and services and friendly customer service. If we do this right, visitors to the town will become our biggest marketing asset through word of mouth.

"Businesses should be preparing for another busy summer and likely an extended shoulder season. We are seeing the season being stretched by tourists who prefer to visit during quieter months whilst still enjoying our unrivalled climate." He says OTM is a vehicle for local businesses to band together and take the town forward. "We can achieve so much more when we work together for the greater good. Everyone has a responsibility to contribute their time and energy to promoting the town, so we can all enjoy the benefits."

Creating more opportunities to attract visitors during quieter months supports year-round business and addresses the big challenge of "sunshine wages" and ensuring we have employment opportunities throughout the year. "We know this can be done, we have to work together to make it happen."

He would also like to see the town showcase more of its creative side as a town.

"A drive through Motueka can leave much to the imagination. If you drive through the main street of Takaka, you see over a dozen art galleries. How many do you see in Motueka?

We need to bring arts and music out of the shadows and onto the main street. We should be encouraging the kind of activities that add to the vibrancy of the town and make it a fun place to live and work."

The young leader of Motueka's business community hopes that as the tourism industry here continues to grow, locals will take on the challenge of welcome tourists and giving them a great experience.

"If you see someone lost, help them with directions. If you see a visitor on the street, smile and make them feel welcome.

And be patient with our traffic issues - we want the people queuing up in summer to feel inspired to stop and have lunch and shop locally. They won't do that if they feel frustrated or rushed."

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