No substitute for the Australian Made kangaroo

The famous Australian Made logo is not changing or being replaced, despite the release by Austrade of a kangaroo-based Nation Brand.

That latest release follows the dumping of the first iteration of the Nation Brand – the infamous gold ‘Wattle mark’ – that drew unfavourable comparisons to images of the coronavirus.

The Wattle mark has now been replaced by a gold kangaroo set on a dark green background, paired with the stylised word, ‘Australia’.

But according to Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Ben Lazzaro, the familiar green and gold Australian Made logo will be unaffected by the introduction of the new Nation Brand and will continue its pivotal role in Australia’s domestic and overseas branding strategy.

“The iconic green-and-gold kangaroo logo has been clearly identifying Australian goods in export markets for more than 35 years with great success.

“It is by far Australia’s most recognised and trusted country-of-origin product symbol and is central to the export strategies of Aussie exporters taking their goods abroad. No change has been made in this space.”

Importantly, the new Nation Brand is not intended to be used as a country-of-origin mark for products and will not duplicate the role of the Australian Made logo, according to Lazzaro.

“It’s important that the new Nation Brand is accompanied by effective and clear communications to help educate users around permitted use of the brand.

“This must be paired with the appropriate governance and policing measures, to ensure it is used as intended and to detect and address misuse.

“These measures are paramount to ensure the Nation Brand is able to comfortably co-exist with other brands and initiatives in the export space, without causing confusion.”

According to Roy Morgan Research, the Australian Made logo is recognised by 99 per cent of Australians and trusted by 92 per cent.

The famous green and gold kangaroo logo is used by more than 4,200 businesses on thousands of products sold all over the world.

“The Australian Made logo is entrenched in the domestic and export activities of thousands of Aussie brands,” said Mr Lazzaro.

Picture: Australian Made Campaign Ltd

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