NZ Marketing Issue 81 2024

Gaming plays a big part in my life – though I’m usually a non-playing character. With Gens X, Z and Alpha at home, I can vouch for how all-consuming it can be for them. Though I will admit to losing hours at a time to Tetris. While a couple of decades ago, people would suss each other out by the music they listened to, an instant way to connect now is over the latest chapter in Fortnite or your favourite iteration of tile game 2048 (the rainbow version, but the fruit one is pretty fun too). Almost 80% of Kiwis are gaming every day – which sounds staggeringly high, until you realise that people who do online word puzzles or computer solitaire count. Zahra Shahtahmasebi is among that number, and…

Michelle Allbon Co-founder and CEO of the Fractional Directory on how this new way of looking at leadership can transform businesses. Jamie Hitchcock Creative Partner at The Enthusiasts talks about how jingles like Tux’s Fit As A Fiddle, Sharp As A Knife are bringing it home for brands. Juanita Neville-Te Rito Founder and Managing Director of RX Group on which brands stand out at the new Mānawa Bay outlet shopping centre. Shamubeel Eaqub Chief Economist at Simplicity on the economic outlook for 2025 and why now is a good time to be investing in marketing. Craig Hudson General Manager, Export Customers at NZTE discusses the biggest challenges Kiwi brands face when going global. Sam Ramlu Founder of creative technology studio Method on the value of gamified experiences and the importance…

You’re probably a regular visitor already – more than half a million people check the MetService app and website (metservice.com) daily to see if they should hang out the washing, if there’s severe weather incoming or what the UV levels are doing. You trust the MetService, and so do 2.9 million New Zealanders every month. It’s a huge advertising platform that flies under the radar, says Kathryn Blackmore, Sales & Partnerships Manager at MetService. “We have over 544,000 people every day who are checking the forecast. Marketers may not realise that MetService has this huge audience with viewers accessing our platforms multiple times a day,” says Blackmore. “We’re a trusted brand. We rank in the top 10 of the Public Sector Reputation Index measured by Vierian. It’s something we’re very…

For many years, brand and performance marketing were barely on speaking terms. Performance marketing heavily relies on short-term metrics like sales, leads and clicks while brand building is less immediately quantifiable and more long-term, focusing on customer attitudes and behaviors. To end the debate, TikTok and Tracksuit got together to prove that brand marketing and performance marketing can indeed, be friends. “While performance and brand marketing have different and equally important roles to play, better business outcomes are achieved when they work together towards shared goals,” says Co-founder of Tracksuit, James Hurman. All is to be revealed in the new study “The Awareness Advantage” by the two companies. Congratulations to Scott Landry and Gretchen Rowe. They entered the competition in issue 80 to win a copy of Damon Stapleton’s new…

When Special began creating the Inclusive Code, they never thought it would take two years. But, says Special’s Chief Strategy Officer Rory Gallery: “If you want to truly understand audiences, you have to stop and make time.” Breaking barriers It all started when Special decided it wanted to help advertising be more inclusive for communities typically under-represented and underserved, says Head of Strategy Bethany Omeri. It’s a multi-part project and chapter one, launched in October, focuses on the disabled community, who make up 25% of people in Aotearoa. Special created the code in partnership with specialist consulting agency All is for All and Mana Pasifika Disabled Peoples Organisation. “Disabled people with lived experience should lead the creation of the solution,” says Omeri. CEO of All is for All Grace Stratton…

Before launching the Campaign for Real Beauty, the Unilever team could sense something was off in the beauty industry. “That beauty was an exclusive game and the way women were portrayed in the media was having a toll on them,” says John McKeon. Through its own research, Unilever discovered that ony 2% of women considered themselves beautiful. The company used this figure as a catalyst for change. “We aimed to challenge the beauty industry’s narrow standards by showcasing real women of diverse body types, ages and ethnicities,” explains McKeon. While a refreshing new direction for Dove, it required significant time, research and persistence to bring to market. A key challenge was addressing scepticism internally and in the wider advertising industry who were accustomed to traditional, idealised beauty representations. Stay true…