The media landscape is uncertain, but for Katie Mills, Chief Marketing Officer at NZME, she went above and beyond to implement new digital technologies to get ahead of the game.
Sustainability
In what ways have you incorporated sustainability and eco-friendly practices into your marketing initiatives?
We take our cue from NZME’s Sustainability Commitment, to deliver on our purpose of keeping Kiwis in the know. We are committed to protecting our environment, our people and our community, and our bedrock – to ultimately sustain the craft of broadcasting and journalism.
The marketing team is tasked with delivering large, loyal audiences to create a powerful and sustainable NZME portfolio, while also managing charitable activity worth millions of dollars in inventory and awareness, to connect communities across the country.
We’ve come a long way from the radio days of producing thousands of metres of poncho-plastic and handing out free plastic water at radio promotions. We’ve turned our attention to our supply chain not only in the marketing department, but across all aspects of NZME’s business. We have a continued focus on reduced emissions at our Ellerslie print plant, which continues to receive gold level Toitū certification and a laser focus on reducing emissions. This includes high-attention digital advertising, for our own responsible media planning and buying across all platforms.
Creative Innovation
Creativity for impact is a big focus for oOh! and we strive to work with brands and clients to maximise their Out of Home campaigns. What are some of the most innovative and creative campaigns you have executed this year, and what are you most proud of?
While we’re reluctant to choose a favourite child out of the audio portfolio, we adore our talent-led campaign for ZM. The creative territory was concepted out of key surrealist design trends, and a sense of playfulness. Utilising AI design technology, we created a series of topical surreal playgrounds for our hosts, with targeted assets running across OOH, digital and print. The playgrounds can be changed out at high speed utilising AI, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, creating an effective, joyful and high-energy execution, again, and again and again.
Cross-channel integration
How have you successfully integrated Out of Home media with other marketing channels to create a cohesive and multi-faceted campaign?
Out of home innovation has allowed us to utilise automation technology (synchronised digital display simulcast) which creates another layer of engagement. For example, an on-air countdown (like Coast’s ‘Feel Good 500’) can be simulcast with a ‘vote now’/‘playing now’ message across OOH, driving critical in-car listening, creating immersive listener experience and building brand awareness.
We’ve also utilised digital OOH to extend the NZ Herald’s top stories across a national digital OOH network. This has included real time updates through a custom-built dynamic creative solution that displays up-to-the-minute news, headlines and images updated at the time of publication on nzherald.co.nz. This delivers on our promise of timely, quality and comprehensive news to all New Zealanders.
We also had a bit of fun with The Hits’ Breakfast Show promotion, ‘Kids call the shots’ where creative blended Jono & Ben’s on screen appeal with the wide eyed-innocence of Kiwi kids. The hosts asked the group how they should advertise their radio show with hilarious results across radio, TV and digital – the cutest extension was the kids designing Jono & Ben’s show billboard with the winning design going live.
Measurement
What metrics and tools do you use to measure the effectiveness and ROI of your marketing initiatives?
I’m like a kid in a candy store, with fairly unlimited access to the broadest media assets in NZ, but with the responsibility of driving a culture of effectiveness and credibility. Given the breadth of the NZME portfolio, we leverage a blend of metrics and tools to measure our marketing effectiveness and ROI, by brand, by campaign.
We are of course, extremely data driven when we look at our campaign performance, which for some – i.e. Performance Driven Marketing – it is easier to measure the direct impact on KPIs and therefore prove success to the business. However, we are also aware that having robust brand activity is vital, so we measure the impact on metrics such as brand preference and awareness through ongoing market research for our priority brands.
What is critical to us is omni-channel campaigns, utilising as many relevant media channels as possible, knowing the cumulative effect of adding even one extra channel can make to ROI.
The Marketer of the Year award is sponsored by oOh!Media. To read more about Mills answers, make sure to get your hands on the September-October NZ Marketing Magazine issue here.
