Dave Pearce is a Marketer of the Year finalist in the YouTube NZ Marketing Awards 2025.
The winner will be announced on September 3.
Name: Dave Pearce
Job title: GM Marketing, 2degrees
In a couple of sentences, sum up your career so far.
I think I’ve taken the scenic route! I started off outside of marketing, working in strategy and analytical roles. I had a great marketing apprenticeship working at Lion for close to 15 years, learning core FMCG brand and portfolio management, but also lots of great experience across NPD, insights, category, and shopper marketing. I then started a small beer business, briefly worked agency-side, and spent a bit of time freelancing and contracting. At 2degrees I’ve enjoyed working on an iconic Kiwi challenger brand during a period of great change and huge growth, and many of the slightly left-field experiences from across my career have come in handy.
Say hello to the other Marketer of the Year finalists 2025
Brid Drohan-Stewart
Cath Brands
Fraser Shrimpton
Leanne Too
Matthew Pickering
PJ Morris
Susanne Hardy
The yardstick of success
How do you measure the success of a campaign?
Depends on the objectives – our trading campaigns are primarily measured by commercial results (for example, sales of mobile or broadband plans), whereas our long-term brand building campaigns are primarily measured by impact on brand metrics such as consideration, key perception measures. We also run comms testing on all campaigns to track awareness, branding, comprehension, likeability etc.
Focus on sustainability
How do you incorporate eco-friendly practices in your marketing initiatives?
Sustainability is a big focus at 2degrees and an important part of Fighting for Fair. Within marketing, we’re always keen to explore new ways of working, including media options like green curated DOOH.
How does Aotearoa rate?
On a scale of ‘deathly boring’ to ‘in a golden age’, where does Aotearoa sit when it comes to creativity?
Somewhere in the middle. Like the country as a whole, NZ marketers often punch above their weight vs international peers, and the ethos of doing more with less is a good foundation for creative thinking. But as culture and technology rapidly change, and as it gets harder and harder to reach audiences, the treadmill is going faster and we need creativity more than ever before to cut through.
Good stuff, hard stuff
Biggest win this year?
The 2degrees marketing team has had a fantastic year. The business as a whole has delivered exceptional growth and results, and the marketing team has had a key role in powering that. I’m also really proud of the consistent quality as well as the creativity and boldness of the marketing work, which has been reflected in a really big year of awards wins.
What are the most significant challenges for our industry at the moment?
I think the next few years are going to be a bit of a wild ride for lots of industries and professions, as new technology challenges and changes existing models. Ultimately there will still be huge value for companies that continue invest in great brands, great marketing, great marketing teams, and great agency partners. But in the short term I think there will be a lot of companies that prioritise cost savings via AI, and a lot of marketing teams will be impacted.
Coming up
What’s next on your to-do list?
The existential crisis in the previous question feels like a good place to start!
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