One NZ chief executive Jason Paris says despite the company incorporating te reo Māori into its communications, many customers have questioned the telco's use of it.
Vodafone NZ has just rebranded to One NZ and Paris has spoken about why the name Tahi Aotearoa wasn't used instead, or alongside it.
Tahi is the Māori name for one.
Paris, who also led the Telecom to Spark rebrand in 2014, said "one of the questions that we were asked was 'why did you not call yourselves Tahi Aotearoa?'
"I send emails out to our customers about three or four times a year. I personally, and the organisation, really embrace te reo (Māori language) and Te Ao Māori (the Māori world view) and when I say 'kia ora' to our customer base, I would say the first or second most popular email response would be: 'why are you using te reo in your email?'
"Which is disappointing I think, however, hasn't stopped us being committed to using it but New Zealand is just not ready yet for Tahi Aotearoa.
"You will see us progressively using more and more [te reo] over time, as our customers and as New Zealand gets more comfortable — over time."
Paris said he's used to people having strong opinions.
"Everyone is a marketing expert, everyone is a brand expert, everyone is a telco expert — it just comes with our industry."
A marketing expert's perspective
A senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Auckland, Marilyn Giroux, told 1News that One NZ will have to ensure that it continues developing tactics and strategies that resonate with New Zealand customers.
"There has been some criticism in terms of the [One NZ] name, since a lot of companies are now integrating the te reo Māori name Aotearoa or the dual Aotearoa, New Zealand.
"One NZ is starting the Māori integration and the name could have been done better. Some of those decisions could have eliminated some current issues.
"This rebranding process is still very recent, but the emphasis and demonstration of how they will better serve the New Zealand market need to be accentuated for a practical and tactical angle and clearly communicated to the population," Giroux said.
She said overall, "the success of the One NZ rebrand will depend on a combination of factors, including the company's ability to effectively communicate the benefits of the new brand to its customers, its investment in improving customer service, and its ability to differentiate itself from other players in the market".
Paris told 1News he thinks the rebrand has been "excellent".
"I'm very, very confident the work the team has done has been outstanding.
"There are always people that have views on branding and marketing and anything to do with a telco because it's such an essential service." But he believes customers care "less about the name — much more about what the name stands for and what it's delivering.
"We have really embraced Te Ao Māori and te reo within our organisation, so for example, the email that I send out to customers three or four times a year is fully translated in te reo.
"I personally have embraced the language as much as I feel comfortable with," Paris said.
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