Future Tasmania: Forget sow ear, we are a silk purse economy

A leading branding specialist says every time Tasmania opts for quality and protecting the state’s natural advantages over fast cash it is moving in the right direction.

THE world has reached “peak beige” and this is good news for Tasmania, says a leading branding specialist.

Brand Tasmania chief executive Todd Babiak said the state learnt the hard way that it’s difficult to compete on undifferentiated product.

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“What we need [to sell] is the special and the world is willing to pay more for that,” Mr Babiak said. “We have a massive advantage at this moment in our history.

“It’s becoming more and more difficult for places to feel special in a global economy that’s based on exponential growth.”

Brand Tasmania chief executive Todd Babiak. Picture: SUPPLIED

He said every time Tasmania opted for quality and protecting the state’s natural advantages over fast cash it was moving in the right direction.

“It’s a recipe for success into the future,” he said.

Whether it was premium cherries or rare tourism experiences, the recipe worked.

“If it is extraordinary, people are willing to pay more for it,” he said.

Tasmanians were incredibly lucky to be able to move in such a desirable direction.

“This push to do the most meaningful work, to create the most delicious, the tastiest, the most interesting products is wonderful for an entrepreneur.

“In other places I’ve been, entrepreneurship is all about pushing the bland and mediocre.”

The Canadian place-branding specialist, who took up his Tassie post earlier this year, cited Hobart ferry builder Incat as an outstanding example of an industry built on quality and serving a discerning clientele. The local boatbuilding business offered an inspiring template for start-ups in the state.

Robert Clifford didn’t try to produce 100 supercats a year, but he did employ 650 staff to make a handful of the state-of-the-art passenger ferries for clients worldwide annually.

Incat vessel Volcan de Tagoro launched at Prince of Wales Bay, Tasmania.

“It’s encouraging this culture. Incat are making a few of the best boats in the world each year – designed, built and launched in Tasmania,” Mr Babiak said.

“We can’t sell a million of something, but we can sell 50 of something really amazing.”

Sixth-generation Cressy farmer and businessman Roderic O’Connor trades in Angus cattle, fine merino wool, prime fat lambs, carbon and mixed crops including poppies, peas and rye grasses.

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Like the Brand Tasmania chief, Mr O’Connor believes the state’s future lies in producing things that are differentiated by their high quality – and pouring resources into making that superiority well-known.

Grazier Roderic O'Connor on his property near Cressy, Tasmania. Picture: MATHEW PETER

Mr O’Connor, who runs the 17,200ha family farm Connorville, said stronger branding would boost agribusiness.

He wants to see farmers working more closely with processors and retailers to create pinnacle brands to attract the attention of the premium domestic meat-eating consumer.

“Australians are consuming less meat, but they are paying considerably more money for a better product and something that has a story,” he said.

“People are prepared to pay a lot more for quality than they were even five years ago.”

The broader industry needed to band together to extract more value for what was truly world-class product.

“Growers in their own right aren’t big enough to do branding unless they are massive,” he said.

Tasmanian farmers have a great story to tell, but it remains largely untold.

“Selling that story better, that we are doing a better job as land managers, is a way of building an even higher premium.”

Mr O’Connor said his key message was that Tasmanian agribusinesses were unwise to simply rely on favourable markets rather than diligently developing prime products that could weather market fluctuations.

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Blue Edge Property managing director John Huizing said it was vital the quality of Hobart’s built environment matched the exceptional quality of other offerings.

“Quality is important no matter what we are doing,” he said. “We have to be sympathetic to our beautiful old buildings, but we have the opportunity to do beautiful sensitive [contemporary] designs, too.”