Table of contents for Issue 73 2022 in NZ Marketing

Around 100 retail and marketing professionals braved an early morning start at Auckland’s War Memorial Museum to hear industry thought-leaders share insights on ‘the new face of retail and CX’. Organised by RX Group (formally known as RetailX), NZ Marketing magazine joined other sponsors for the first RX Breakfast Briefing event since Covid, and what a morning it turned out to be – jammed pack with exciting insights and innovation from both the local and international retail industry. Setting the scene, Juanita Neville-Te Rito, Managing Director and Founder of RX took the almost-packed auditorium on a journey of what the key drivers of this ‘new retail face,’ are, and what this means for businesses in New Zealand. Specifically, she spoke to what retailers need to consider strategically about how this will…

When I landed in London in May of 2022, my first culture shock was just how many people were out and about. A shock exacerbated by the empty streets and buildings found across Auckland for almost two whole years. The pandemic changed a lot about the way we operate in our industry. Hybrid working is now the norm, there is more care and compassion in our communications, and more money is being thrown into digital like never before. However after two years, and countless losses, in London it’s almost like these changes just happened overnight, for no reason. When clients speak of pivoting away from traditional media to digital, they use Covid as an example as to why, but often don’t expand on the ‘why’. Million dollar briefs and thousands…

1. Digital is the new front door for brands in the customerled era The explosion in digital engagement driven by Covid-19 is well beyond anything brands could have anticipated two years ago. Not only has the number of people online grown, but the level of deep engagement has equalled that growth. Countdown.co.nz has experienced a 55 percent increase in digital traffic with around 60 percent of its customers who shop in-store starting their shopping journey online or in apps. Significantly, two in five customers connect with Countdown digitally every week. 2. The shopping journey is no longer linear but rather a hybrid experience For many customers shopping is now a hybrid, omnichannel experience based on personal preferences. For some, this means continuing to shop in-store only, but for an increasing cohort…

“Thinking back on the last 12 months we have probably done more work now than we have done in the last six years,” says Donna Gurney, Senior Director of Ad Sales, Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ. That’s not hard to believe considering the huge amount of growth in the volume of content that exists on ThreeNow. And this is driving a significant audience growth across OnDemand and live streaming. “We started looking at increasing our content library last year and 2021 had around 40 percent more shows than the previous year. In H1 this year we have grown that again by 24 percent so we have got about 1500 titles on ThreeNow. In terms of episodes that’s about 300 percent growth.” This, plus increased investment in content, and a marketing campaign…

It’s been a big year for Neon with the launch of the highly-anticipated HBO series House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones, its biggest series to date, plus new seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale, The White Lotus, Gangs of London, and Yellowstone all dropping before Christmas. “Our subscribers are loving it,” says Fiona Murray, Head of Entertainment Streaming at Neon. A New Zealand owned and operated platform, Neon has been in the streaming game since 2015 and is operating a subscription-based video on demand (SVOD) service. Fiona says the changing streaming landscape isn’t effecting the way Neon runs and the news of Netflix launching a ad-based subscription service won’t change much for the service. “As you can expect, we watch our competitors closely, but our focus is…

I recently received an invitation to attend a ‘Leading with Purpose’ workshop; a series of seminars designed to “move beyond managing only for economic growth, to find new ways of being purpose-led across a wide range of environmental, social and governance priorities”. It seems ‘purpose’, be it organisational purpose or brand purpose, is here to stay. This is despite some vehement and influential detractors. Byron Sharp for one has been predicting that ‘purpose’ could be the death of marketing, while Mark Ritson calls for calm and common sense. But purpose just won’t go away. While I don’t sit at the opposite end of the extreme with the likes of the former Proctor & Gamble CMO Jim Stengel, the evangelist who claims to have put purpose on the map and insists…

The revitalised creative introduces Kiwis to the two Powerball dots in 3D and with arms, legs and very big personalities. This creative plays an important role in getting lotto players to purchase tickets and while still consistent with the brand platform ‘Imagine’, offers a more flexible asset that can be adapted and made relevant and of the day. With Lotto’s Powerball Jackpot creative appearing on screen every single day, it was time for a refresh. “The minute you see it you know it’s Lotto. We have added a bit more humour and personality. “We have immediately seen from the launch of that campaign a lift in sales. It’s about the excitement of driving you to buy a ticket, versus ‘Imagine’ which is trying to keep that dream alive in the…

Digital advertising may be supported by loads of technology, but without good creative, campaigns simply fall flat. Nielsen research shows that ad creative is responsible for nearly half of a campaign’s overall performance, while elements like audience targeting contribute much less. While I’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who disagrees that there is a balance to the art and science of advertising, many advertisers are spending less time on “art” and more time on targeting, likely due to the fact that it’s easier to measure than creative. With the uncertain economy, there has never been a better time to refocus your efforts on creative best practices in order to get more from every dollar spent in a media buy. After many tests with top advertisers in APAC and around the…

“There is always a lot of teamwork taking place in marketing so you’re never on your own trying to solve problems.”IAN HULME Before accepting a role Ian considers three things. Will he get to make things? Will he be working with people who want to do world class work? And will he get to do work that benefits society? Dentsu Creative ticked all three boxes. “When I was interviewing for [this role], CEO of dentsu Aotearoa Rob Harvey said that what I’d described sounded very similar to “Sanpo Yoshi” (a Japanese phrase meaning ‘three directions of good’), looking at work in terms of your customer, your business, and society. I was stoked to hear that I had some values that fitted the values of the organisation I wanted to work…

If there’s one thing that Tiger and DB Breweries know for certain, it’s that Tiger Beer drinkers love to enjoy their beer with a tune or two. That’s why this year the company has collaborated with one of New Zealand’s most popular bands, Drax Project, to mentor up-and-coming Auckland-based synth-pop duo imugi 이무기 (named after a mythical Korean dragon) as part of the Tiger Uncover campaign. As a key brand for DB Breweries, Tiger has been on a growth trajectory, and is a key pillar of the company’s strategy and brewery. To supercharge this growth, the Tiger Uncover campaign centres around the collaboration between imugi and Drax Project, and follows their journey creating the track ‘solace’ together which will become the summer campaign soundtrack, and hopefully spark imugi’s rise to…

The digital marketing ecosystem is a hot topic at the moment, with the growth of new media channels, marketing in an age of privacy, and pursuing digital innovation high on every business’ list of priorities. So, what did the 25 experts speaking at Digital Day Out (DDO) have to say on some of these issues? Timo Raab, Global Head of e-commerce at L’Oréal, kicked off the conference with an international keynote. He discussed L’Oréal’s latest e-commerce and social commerce initiatives, such as partnering with Amazon and Alibaba, entering the metaverse, and using voice. Timo touched on transforming an international retail brand digitally, and how brands can embrace new tech and channels to engage new generations of consumers. LEVERAGING TIKTOK IN YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY When it comes to new media channels,…

Get the tux out of your closet or dust off your favourite cocktail dress, because on March 30, 2023 the Research Association of New Zealand (RANZ) are once again rolling out the red carpet for the stars of insights in Aotearoa New Zealand. The awards showcase the most innovative and impactful research work in the land across a number of different research categories. The biennial RANZ Research Effectiveness Awards are being held at Mantells Tāmaki Drive in Auckland and promises to be an inspirational evening celebrating the work of agencies and partner organisations, alike. RANZ will crown another Supreme Winner, who has opportunity to be considered for global recognition of their work at the ESOMAR Congress. Previous Supreme Winner, Kantar Public, enjoyed such an accolade earlier this year at the…

With a brand new name and a free content offering starting with more than 300 feature length movies, TVNZ+ has completely redefined the networks’ service to viewers. And this is just the beginning. “It is no longer a catch up service and it hasn’t been for quite some time,” says Director of Content Cate Slater. “It has been a streaming service in its own right, but this [rebrand] gave us the opportunity to change the perception of the service in the market. I think we’d all agree that it’s been successful in doing that.” One of the main challenges faced when offering content such as movies on a streaming platform is being granted the rights by international studios. TVNZ has been working with its international distribution partners on increasing access…

According to NZ On Air’s ‘Where Are The Audiences? 2021’ survey, the most recent at the time of publication, Kiwis spend 86 minutes a day on average watching Streaming Video On Demand (SVOD) platforms, while online video has the most reach. TVNZ+ remains the clear Broadcast Video On Demand leader out of the local streaming platforms, coming in as the third most popular online video platform behind Netflix NZ and YouTube. Unsurprisingly, digital media is most popular with those aged 5-39, of which 82 percent use online video daily while 72 percent utilise SVOD services daily. According to the ‘Where Are The Youth Audiences? 2022’ report SVOD reaches 67 percent of Kiwis aged 15-24 whereas online video reaches 79 percent. The same age group spend 94 minutes watching online videos…

In 2022 three key developments in New Zealand’s advertising market had a significant impact on Out of Home (OOH) media. These included the introduction of a NZ Standard, a universal audience measurement system via Calibre and the establishment of programmatic Digital Out of Home (pDOOH). For advertisers and marketers, the introduction of a universal AMS and New Zealand Standard will mean a more unified and accountable industry going into 2023, something that the Out of Home Media Association Aotearoa (OOHMAA) is pleased about. Natasha O’Connor, General Manager at OOHMAA told StopPress that when other international markets have developed an audience measurement system and it is embraced by the majority of the operators, the result is market share and revenue are positively impacted. “When the Outdoor Media Association introduced MOVE (Measurement…

Stats NZ has reported the cost-of-living for the average household increased by 7.7 percent in the September 2022 quarter when compared with the same quarter the previous year. Rising food prices were the biggest contributor to quarterly inflation for all household groups – rising 4.1 percent for the average household. A Westpac Consumer Confidence report recently stated, “confidence has picked up over the past few months but even so, it’s hard to describe the mood in the country as anything but grim”. Jane Wardlaw, FCB New Zealand Managing Director, says marketers are under pressure at the moment and are often needing to work with smaller budgets. “Marketing and brand advertising are often the first things to go when times are tight. We believe that is not the right thing to…

In September New Zealand’s ad market reported another month of double-digit growth with the total up 10.1 percent YoY according to the latest SMI AU/NZ data. To put this in context, that’s just $579,000 below the record level achieved in the pre-Covid world of September 2019. Outdoor and digital media have led the gains, with Out of Home bookings soaring 25.8 percent and digital ad spend jumping 18.9 percent respectivly, mostly due to strong demand within the programmatic and social media sectors. Jane Ractliffe, SMI AU/NZ Managing Director says there’s no sign the current economic challenges are impacting ad demand. “New Zealand’s ad market continues to disprove the pessimists, with ad spend already nudging a record level in September as airlines and insurance advertisers return strongly to the market, and…

Every three months, TRA, in partnership with ThinkTV, ask 1,000 regular New Zealanders a simple, unprompted question; “What is your favourite ad on TV at the moment?” The most frequently mentioned favourites make up the top 10 list. On the back of this research, there’s a lot that we can learn from the survey in terms of what work is resonating, and which creative is going the distance. Our most recent observation is that we haven’t seen any montage-style ads make the list. Whether it’s a brand platform launch or a retail spot, all featured ads rely on a character (or handful of characters) to tell one story well. Montage ads don’t follow a single-narrative approach. They feature lots of scenes with different people, from different settings, or at different…

Starting out as a humble design shop, EightyOne is now the biggest ad agency in Wellington. Managing Director Matt West says the agency is built on the relationships it has cultivated in that time. Some of those relationships are synonymous with the agency itself. Powershop has gone from a small upstart to a proper player in the New Zealand energy market alongside EightyOne’s collaboration. The agency pitched for the account in June 2018 and have been churning out campaigns ever since. Similarly, EightyOne’s partnership with Women’s Refuge has been a huge success, the 2022 ‘Great Night In’ campaign raised a total of 14,628 Safe Nights for women and children building violence free lives – the charity’s most successful fundraiser ever. Since 2012, the ad world has continued to do what…

With borders reopening and the world collectively emerging from our places of residence, blinking in the light of this new era, travel and destination marketers are getting back to work. Although they never really stopped. “[The pandemic] was actually a really busy time,” says Emma Campbell, Chief Marketing Officer at Tourism Fiji. “People kept saying I bet you have nothing to do [during the pandemic] but as a team we committed to being as helpful as possible and using our communication expertise to support the country through Covid.” After more than two years of disrupted and restricted travel, it’s only natural that attitudes towards travel have changed, meaning that marketers have a wide array of new data and insight to work with. One such organisation playing a big part in…

Giselle’s first marketing experience happened quite organically during a heated discussion with her father over Lion Red when she was a teenager. Her father assured her that Lion Red was his favourite beer and that he could pick the taste anywhere. Wanting to prove a point, Giselle arranged a blind taste test for her father and some of his friends. “We got a handful of different brands together, and as it turned out Dad had no idea which one was Lion Red. For me that started to cement how powerful those layers of brand stories are. That’s probably where it started out.” Giselle has built a career in marketing at world-leading companies including Fonterra and others across the globe. She discovered a passion for the fast pace and the end-to-end…

RODNEY WAYNE WINS MARKETING AWARD In November, the 2022 Westpac New Zealand Franchise Business Awards recognised Rodney Wayne’s ‘Change The Story’ campaign by Lachlan McPherson and Friends as Marketing Campaign of The Year. The ‘Change the Story’ campaign ran nationwide in magazines, outdoor, digital and social media. It was founded on the idea that nothing rivals the experience of walking out of the salon with a fresh style, and research that indicates good hair is important to maintain self-esteem. The campaign features a diverse range of Rodney Wayne clients and explores the emotions they went through as part of their hair transformation. “We are delighted with the wins. Creative marketing by Lachlan McPherson and Friends has lifted the business and helped the brand remain the number one hair salon choice…

Born in Wellington, Kelly was first exposed to the world of marketing during her studies at university, where she completed a Bachelor of Business, majoring in sales and marketing. This ultimately sparked her passion for digital marketing. When she graduated in November of 2021, Kelly decided to take a break before heading straight into the workplace to spend time with her newborn son in Hawke’s Bay. However, before long she was itching to break into the industry. During her break, Kelly stumbled upon the Meta and Whāriki scholarship that gave rangatahi Māori the opportunity to learn more about digital marketing. “I finished my degree and, wanting to expand my horizons, I thought I’d apply and give it a go,” she says. “To me it looked like the perfect next step…

With streaming services pulling viewers away from terrestrial broadcast TV, advertisers, marketers, and their media agencies are struggling to reach the consumers they have previously found easy to influence. The shifting of eyeballs across digital platforms has made it increasingly difficult for advertisers to reach. Subscription-based streamers have until now removed the advertising option for marketers. Many New Zealand viewers who would previously have been watching content on TV 1, 2, Three or Sky have turned to subscription services like Netflix, Neon, Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, or Spark Sport. Even YouTube, which has a solid advertising cohort of customers has increasingly attracted subscribers who wish to avoid the irritating interruptions of advertising. Content has always been king, and with local TV channels not having the budgets afforded the American…

As the metaverse starts to take shape, we’re beginning to realise the tremendous potential it holds for brands. We’ve seen several companies and emerging creators already take big steps toward marketing’s more immersive future – and more brands should start preparing today. Much like the early days of social media, the forward-thinking brands that build a presence in the metaverse early will be the ones to reap success, while competitors are still playing it safe. There’s plenty that you can do today to get started, learn and prepare. Right now is the time to step out of your comfort zone and try something new, like an augmented reality (AR) filter for your customers. Customers want convenience and clarity, and reward brands that make their purchasing choices easier. Being able to…

THE AMPAIGN: A ‘BOOSTER OF HAPPINESS’ FOR DR BLOOMFIELD THE CLIENT: TOURISM FIJI THE AGENCY: SPECIAL PR THE RESULT: GOLD WINNER IN BEST USE OF MEDIA RELATIONS CATEGORY WHAT WAS THE MOST COMPELLING INSIGHT BEHIND THIS CAMPAIGN? We simply paired a real-life moment from the news agenda – Ashley Bloomfield was resigning and in need of a break – with our brand platform of the place where “happiness finds you.” If anyone deserved a much-needed holiday after the last few years, it was Dr Bloomfield. So we offered him a “booster of happiness in Fiji.” WHY DO YOU THINK IT WON GOLD? This had all the ingredients for PR success – it was funny, it was reactive, it was topical and it was visually appealing. The idea of ‘content-driven’ media relations…

How is MediaWorks offering true omnichannel solutions for its customers? MediaWorks provides advertisers with a seamless experience when executing unforgettable campaigns across our key platforms – audio, digital and outdoor. With the addition of our inhouse design studio, Passonfruit, advertisers can work with us from concept to campaign. We reach consumers from the moment they tune into the radio, glance at their phones, and outside their homes. We are the only media company in Aotearoa with the ability to capture eyes and ears with this diverse mix of channels – making it easy and fun for our customers to work with us and achieve unforgettable results. What has customer uptake been like for your range of outdoor activation zones? With Covid-19 restrictions lifting, we have seen a huge uptake in…

While in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, a team from Lotto NZ and DDB Group Aotearoa traipsed down to Wanaka in search of some snow to shoot the latest iteration of the brand’s platform ‘Imagine’ which is set in Antarctica. Upon arrival they discovered there was one slight problem. There was no snow. Not to be disheartened, they found a snow park that would become their set and, working together as one isolated ‘bubble’, they began to shoot what has become the ‘On Ice’ campaign. This campaign is the latest in the ever-evolving ‘Imagine’ series which began in 2015 with ‘Pirate Ship’, followed by ‘Mum’s Wish’, ‘Armoured Truck’ and ‘Lost’. ‘On Ice’ tells the story of a group of Kiwi researchers working in Antarctica who go in on a…

IAB New Zealand released its 2022 Digital Advertising Revenue Report in November providing a snapshot of the first half of 2022 along with trends, to provide a contextual overview of the New Zealand digital advertising market. Total digital advertising revenue in New Zealand reached $991.4 million in the first half of 2022, achieving 17.3 percent growth on the same period in the previous year. In H1 2022, channel growth was led by classified/directories with 22.8 percent growth on the same period in the previous year, followed by social at 20.7 percent, search at 16.6 percent and total display at 10.3 percent.…