NZ Marketing Issue 82 2025

After the long slog to reach the end of 2024, the first quarter of 25 has flown by. It feels like the pace is picking up and optimism is returning – though marketing budgets are still being watched very carefully. While the recession felt neverending, it wasn’t doom and gloom for everyone. Niko Kloeten hears what worked for those who were winning and what’s picked to deliver success in the coming year or so. Read more on page 26. A key ingredient to anyone’s recipe for success these days is AI. Depending on who you ask, it’s advocated for everything from taking over repetitive tasks to generating advertising creative. I have a theory about where we’re at with AI. I call it the microwave oven theory. Some among us will…

Madeleine Chapman Editor, The Spinoff: “How do we give them something extra without making people who can’t afford it pay for what we do?” Jane Langley Anti co-founder and ECD: “The grass is green over here. It’s great. It’s empowering and it’s joyful.” Luke Rive Macca’s NZ Director of Marketing: “We almost see one of our biggest competitors being the air fryer.” Steve Cochran Saatchi & Saatchi NZ CCO: “There’s lots to learn from just seeing how brands activate within the Super Bowl.” Alex Leighton Mukpuddy Company Director: “I wondered: had there ever been an animated version of Badjelly the Witch?” Colleen Ryan Partner, TRA: “There’s no point in asking people, we don’t know why we pay attention to some things and not others.” Rawinia Dolan Marketing Manager, Human Synergistics:…

In the December-January 2024/2025 issue, we asked you to tell us what you think about NZ Marketing. Thank you to everyone who responded – your feedback is incredibly useful and will help us give you more of what you want to see in the magazine. The headlines Here are some key takeaways from the survey: ◼ Our readers work in companies of all shapes and sizes: 20% are sole traders, 20% work in an organisation of two to 10 employees, 20% work with 11 to 50 colleagues, 20% work with 50-100 and 20% work with 101+ people. ◼ The frequency is good–74% say quarterly is spot on. ◼ Insights is the most read section, followed by features and opinion. Every issue, more than 72% of you read more than half…

When Kiwi telco Skinny told Liz Wright they were going to clone her, she couldn’t quite believe it. But the process was successful and as of March 3, Skinny launched its AI-powered brand ambassador. According to parent company Spark, it’s a world first. The digital version of Wright will remain as ambassador for the next two years, in exchange for a talent fee and mobile credit for life. Being cloned was surreal, exciting and a lot of fun, says Wright, who landed the gig after winning Skinny’s Happiest Customer Competition. “The process was fascinating – voice capture, motion tracking, a full 360-degree body scan in a specialised booth – all with some of the most creative minds in Aotearoa,” says Wright. What you really really want “I imagined it would…

As FlyBuys closed, another type of loyalty scheme was already on the rise. Think MyMaccas, Everyday Rewards and New World’s Club Card. These data-driven, wholly owned, bespoke programmes are attracting consumer interest, and they are growing exponentially. Five reasons for the boom 1. “It’s about the data, stupid”: The demise of the cookie is a big issue for marketers, putting a premium on first-party data. Shoppers’ willingness to share personal data in return for rewards helps large retailers to rapidly scale and commercialise customer databases. 2. The rise of transparency: Over the past five years, most loyalty programmes have made the value of their points easy to understand in real dollar terms – it’s been a game changer. 3. Real-time redemption: A good loyalty programme will now most likely tell…

If you can use video in your ads, you should, says Victoria Parsons, JCDecaux’s Director of Strategy and Insights. The results from JCDecaux Airport’s research speak for themselves, showing full-motion video ads beat static and animated on a number of key metrics. “It’s dramatic the increase you get,” she says. While safety restrictions prohibit full-motion ads on roadsides in Aotearoa, they are allowed in airports and malls. Outdoor advertising company JCDecaux is the exclusive partner at Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown airports – so it researched engagement with different creative in this setting. Last year, it surveyed people on three different ads for Resene Paints at Auckland International and Domestic terminals. The study found full-motion creative commanded two-and-a-half times higher attention and two times higher recall compared to static. It also…