Kangaroo logo marks true Aussie products

Introduced by the Australian government in 1986, the now-famous stylized green and gold kangaroo logo turns 22 in 2008 and continues to be one of the most readily recognizable symbols in Australia.

"The 'Australian Made, Australian Grown' logo is a global symbol that clearly depicts that the produce or the product is Australian. It's been made here or it's been grown here. It's on about 10,000 products at the moment that are sold in Australia and around the world," said Ian Harrison, head of the non-profit campaign.

In conjunction with the federal government, the program is expanding its export operations and plans to be more involved in the United States, Canada, and China over the next couple of years.

"We are currently considering a proposal to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Australia establish distributorships in the Shanghai market," said Harrison.

A challenge for Australian SMEs distributorships is lack of sufficient resources available for promotional and marketing activities.

"Our view is that we might band a group together under the broad umbrella of the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo to establish a collective presence in Shanghai," Harrison explained.

The campaign plans to begin in Shanghai not only because the city is the country's center of commerce but it is also the site of the World Expo in 2010, he noted.

He said that increasing trade between Australia and China makes it crucial for Chinese consumers to clearly identify genuine Australian products and produce - guided by the logo.

www.australianmade.com.au

(China Daily 08/07/2008 page42)