Matthew Pickering is a Marketer of the Year finalist in the YouTube NZ Marketing Awards 2025.
The winner will be announced on September 3.
Name: Matthew Pickering
Job title: GM Marketing, ANZ Bank, NZ
In a couple of sentences, sum up your career so far.
I’ve had one marketing career in the agency world and another in the corporate one. Attacking the same problems from different angles really. Different environments that teach you to adapt and grow, but similar fundamentals based on creative thinking, making a difference to customers and being judged on the outcomes you achieve.
Say hello to the other Marketer of the Year finalists 2025
Brid Drohan-Stewart
Cath Brands
Dave Pearce
Fraser Shrimpton
Leanne Too
PJ Morris
Susanne Hardy
The yardstick of success
How do you measure the success of a campaign?
Marketing is in the business of changing perception and driving action. Ultimately that is what any marketing initiative has to do. Attention, persuasion, action. All of which has to lead to a business outcome.
Focus on sustainability
How do you incorporate eco-friendly practices in your marketing initiatives?
ANZ is proud to be one of the foundation partners to Ad Net Zero. We’ve been involved in developing the best practice guidelines that have been released recently and are committed to applying them to the way that we work. We were the also the first to launch the Good Energy home loan – low interest lending for sustainable upgrades for your home. It has been massively successful and made a tangible difference in making NZ homes more environmentally resilient, warmer and healthier. Plus, it helped get more than a few EVs on the road too.
How does Aotearoa rate?
On a scale of ‘deathly boring’ to ‘in a golden age’, where does Aotearoa sit when it comes to creativity?
There seems to be a back to the basics approach to creativity at the moment, with plenty of examples of emotional storytelling and well-crafted advertising out there. It is a tough time for the industry right now though. Budgets are tighter across the board and marketing teams are very accountable for driving results. Perhaps there is less opportunity for risk taking overall? Then again, desperate times lead to bold ideas. During the GFC I worked on the Yellow Treehouse campaign – still one of the most memorable things I’ve been involved with. And memorability drives impact. Let’s hope we see a few more of those to take us back to a golden age of creativity.
Good stuff, hard stuff
Biggest win this year?
Industry-wise we were pretty stoked for ANZ to make the top 10 of the WARC rankings for the most effective campaigns in the world this year. Also, you can’t go past the success of our partnership with Auckland FC. The way the club created excitement and belief that really brought Auckland together and then incredibly won the Premier’s Plate in their inaugural season. It was a terrific experience to be involved right in the heart of.
What are the most significant challenges for our industry at the moment?
It feels like we’re coming to the end of the first digital age and, thanks to AI, we’re on the cusp of entering an all new one. The likes of Meta and Google are now challenged by the same things that displaced other forms of media before them – technology disruption, fragmentation and changing customer habits. I don’t think anyone really knows how things will play out yet. Reaching customers effectively and at scale is still going to be a huge challenge. Doing so in safe environments where brands want to be is just going to get even tougher.
Coming up
What’s next on your to-do list?
The next few years in marketing are going to be fascinating. Just as the industry thought we had it all figured out everything goes and changes on us again. Like everyone, I’m looking forward to an economic recovery, NZ getting its mojo back, the CRL opening and Auckland FC going all the way next year!
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