| Winner | Trade Me Property |
| Marketing partners | MBM, TRA, Special, Curious Nation |
| Finalists | 2degrees, Abe’s Bagels, New World, New Zealand Police, Pak’nSave, Whittaker’s |
| International judge Professor Jim Lecinski’s comments | “Trade Me Property is my undisputed 2026 New Zealand Brand of the Year. I am completely blown away by how they managed to fire on every single cylinder simultaneously during a brutal macroeconomic winter for the property sector. They didn’t just weather the storm, they went on a massive offensive. “I love that they grounded their consumer strategy in the pure human empathy of ‘home is how we live’, bringing back the beloved Kev the Kiwi to win over Kiwi hearts. But what truly clinched the title for me was their dual-engine execution. On one side, they redefined B2B relations through the idea of hospitality. On the other, they pioneered a cutting-edge, in-house marketing AI programme that didn’t just chase buzzwords but drove real-world, double-digit efficiency gains. “When a brand can achieve record-breaking market share, massive margin growth, technological innovation and a thriving team culture all at once under heavy category headwinds, they aren’t just winning, they are defining the future of marketing.” |
This category is sponsored by TRA.
Show the audience you know them
Trade Me Property was already New Zealand’s most visited property platform. Market share is theirs to lose, yet they grew it by really understanding buyers and sellers.
‘This is what it looks like when a market-leading brand that Kiwis love refuses to rest on its laurels,” says the team.
That’s no easy position to hold. Trade Me’s vision is to be where Kiwis look first, with the purpose of helping create the life they want.
“Within Trade Me Property, our ambition is to remain Aotearoa’s No1 property experience, directly contributing to Trade Me’s broader vision and purpose,” the team adds.
In doing so, they committed to delivering the most personalised, inspiring and informative property experience in the country – using this to power commercial success.
Here to serve and empower
To launch FY26, the team undertook a two-week immersion to ‘Walk in Kiwi shoes’. The idea was to experience the property journey as buyers and sellers do – navigating its emotional, financial and practical pressures. Fomo, they learned, is real.
The immersion gave the team a deeper understanding of what Kiwi property customers and real estate agents face, grounding their strategic decisions in real-world experience.
“From this, we established a shared audience framework: Trade Me Property knows me, serves me, empowers me,” says the team.
Three strategic pillars laid the groundwork to build on:
- Empowering Kiwis to make confident property buying decisions
- Making it easier for Kiwis to dream and find their home
- Empowering homeowners to achieve their property goals
In parallel, Trade Me Property shifted from being a transactional service to a proactive partner for the real estate industry. So the strategy covered B2B and B2C and the approach spanned both areas, with a customer framework designed to create memorable experiences alongside positioning Trade Me Property as an indispensable ally, helping agents navigate the market, win listings and grow their businesses.
AI transformation
The team has also embraced AI, transforming the platform’s search experience through ChatGPT integration.
“Buyers often know exactly what they want – they just can’t always get keyword search to surface it. AI search closes that gap, connecting buyers who are serious and specific with listings that genuinely match what they’re after,” says Trade Me Property.
They’ve also replaced generic mass emails with AI-powered audience modelling, creating more personalised experiences for buyers and agents while improving media efficiency.
Across marketing and design, AI has delivered 30%+ efficiency gains, with the approach now being rolled out company-wide.
By breaking new ground and tapping into a simple human truth – home isn’t just where we sleep, it’s how we live – Trade Me Property has delivered exceptional performance this year, says Trade Me CEO Anders Skoe in the Awards entry.
Records broken
The team has delivered “record revenue, record audience and brand metrics that continue to strengthen”.
“These results were no accident,” adds Skoe. “They’re the product of a team with genuine strategic clarity, connection, a deep understanding of what Kiwis need and the courage to experiment and make bold decisions.
“This is Trade Me Property operating at its best.”
Brand of the Year 2026 was judged by Jim Lecinski, Clinical Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 88, Sept-Nov 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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