oOh!media New Zealand, for the third year in a row, is proud to sponsor the Marketer Of The Year category at the 2023 TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards, supporting our industry leaders in the marketing space.
This year, finalists have been asked to share their insights, musings and predictions on the future of marketing. Including exploring how the growing presence of Automation and AI will affect the world of marketing as we know it. Although we are seeing incredible results with augmented reality, the industry seems to be in agreement that nothing will take the place of authentic, emotional and thought-provoking marketing.
We are delighted to share the thoughts of this year’s Marketer of the Year finalists, imparting their knowledge and insight on the transformation that is currently taking place within the industry, as well as what is to be expected in the coming years.
oOh!media is proud to work closely with best-in-class Kiwi marketers to ensure that collectively, we are making public spaces better and our advertising solutions unmissable.
Sandra Daniel – Oceania
Marketing has become incredibly complex – what is one foundation you stick to when planning an insightful, effective marketing strategy?
Always start with a deep customer insight because that will drive success. Earlier in my career I had the privilege to work with Nick Worthington, Executive Creative Director at Publicis Mojo. He instilled that in me. Don’t just sit at your desk and look at research, get out and absorb yourself in your customer’s lives. Spend as much time as you can with them, talk to them, understand them, hear what their pain points are and what their hopes are. Listen to their words and to their hearts. And always be authentic in all that you do.
With the movement towards Automation and AI, what are some callouts for marketers in 2024 to keep their brand feeling ‘real’?
AI is a wonderful enabler tool and as such, brings benefits to a process. It can play a role, but it can’t replace creative thinking. Intuition and authenticity are the role of a marketer, so I believe the marriage of this with the tools of AI will benefit the industry.
Conversely, with the emergence of Automation and AI, what are the ‘watchouts’ of both, in your opinion?
AI only serves a way of thinking that has already been captured. Back to my earlier reference to Einstein’s thoughts around creativity, it only sees what others have seen. Using this tool in isolation can inhibit the pursuit of innovation.
Simon Hofmann – Kiwibank
With consumers becoming increasingly conscious of sustainable and ethical marketing practices – how important is it for brands to communicate their stance/credentials?
The transparency and authenticity of any sustainable creds has to be the starting point. It is easy to see through greenwashing these days, but it is also easy for marketers to feel the need to rush in and push this type of positioning. Having a plan and working towards longer term goals ensures you are clear on what your customers look for and how you show up in the right way. We benefit from being B-Corp certified, allowing us to evidence our sustainable impact and we hope more of our competitors will follow. Our industry has a significant opportunity to push towards more sustainable practices. The New Zealand Comms Council driven Ad Net Zero is an important initiative and something that was an easy decision to become a foundation member of.
What marketing trends do you predict we will be seeing locally, over the coming 12 months?
As always, the industry is evolving rapidly and many of the global trends are playing out locally, as well as some more specific domestic trends. Channel fragmentation continues to be a challenge and means more channels are needed to deliver reach. To offset this, the advancement of attention measurement capabilities will help brands get focused on effective ways to build brands in this increasingly fragmented market, and further drive a more disciplined approach to effectiveness.
Tech changes continue their impact at pace across Automation, AI and Data. Some of the bigger local media players are making moves in the Automation space, which will start to commoditise things. Cookies are on track to deprecate next year so the data race continues to build and manage first, second, and third-party sources at scale. The impacts, benefits and risks of AI have been discussed in detail across the industry, but we see the immediate benefit in helping scale our internal studio and drive more efficient production processes.
Finally, I think we will see a growing understanding and shift to the better utilisation of brand owned media channels. There is a huge amount of value to unlock.
Diane Clark – Foodstuffs NZ
How do you manage to stay inspired in such a fast-paced, dynamic industry?
Seeing your results first-hand is the best. We recently opened our new Four Square Onehunga store where we welcomed Alex and her family into their store ownership journey. The transformation of brand, customer experience and retail were on display in full force and the results of three years of hard graft and driving the brand forward into the next 100 years was so rewarding. I am a true evergreen learner and connecting with industry peers and being part of wider industry discussions is something I love. Recently, I attended the Advanced Marketing Leadership (AML) course held by the Marketing Association. Hearing from industry superstars across the marketing field was thought-provoking and mind stretching. I’ve built an amazing bunch of marketing mates from the course too and look forward to growing alongside them as the next generation of marketing leaders.
If you could have any job in the world (other than what you do now), what would you do?
It’s a three-way tie. I’m so inspired by human behaviour and what makes us tick, I love different cultures and travel, and equally love creating something new. So, if it weren’t a human behavioural scientist, or an intrepid travel blogger with three kids in tow, you would find me creating unique pieces of art and enjoying every moment!
oOh!media is proud sponsor of the Marketer of the Year category at the 2023 TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards
