| Winner | Abe’s Bagels |
| Marketing initiative | Put it on a Bagel |
| Marketing partners | David Thomason |
| Finalists | DB Breweries (two initiatives), Fonterra, Whittaker’s, Zuru Group – Rhodes Pet Science |
| Judges’ comments | “A really hardworking FMCG success story, with well-articulated and clear business objectives that attacked a clear problem head-on. This category winner featured excellent stakeholder engagement, including a bold play securing additional investment. Results were standout, driving not just their own growth but category growth – which was a fundamental objective of the initiative, and setting them up for further success in a multi-year strategy.” |
Abe’s puts bagels on the list
What do you do when you already dominate Aotearoa’s bagel market, but there’s still a problem: not enough Kiwis put them in the trolley.
Abe’s holds 70% market share in New Zealand. But with only two in 10 households buying bagels, category relevance was the biggest challenge.
To grow the brand, the company needed to grow the category, and that meant behaviour change marketing. Switching consumers from one bagel brand to another wasn’t going to cut it – Abe’s had to get more people putting bagels in the trolley to start with.
To do this, Abe’s launched a new, long-term creative platform in 2024: ‘Put it on a Bagel.’ It planted the thought that everyday favourites (eggs, avocado, peanut butter) might be even more delicious on a bagel, reframing them as an easy, delicious alternative to regular bread.
This marketing strategy supported Abe’s objective to act as the category champion, with a long-term vision to reach 25% household penetration in NZ.
‘Put it on a Bagel’ was grounded in a single, powerful truth: people love bagels, they just forget to buy them.
“Only 20% of households in New Zealand purchase bagels. This isn’t because people don’t like them, it’s because they’re not thinking about them. They’re not on the list. We saw an opportunity to move bagels from ‘special occasion’ to ‘everyday staple’,” Abe’s says.
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Research showed mental availability was low, category innovation had stagnated and emerging consumers were underserved.
Meanwhile, health-conscious shoppers, smaller households and convenience-seekers (SINKs/DINKs) found bagels too heavy, too large or too indulgent to eat regularly. So Abe’s launched a new lighter, health-led product to attract new consumers: Bagel THIIINS. They were a hit – exceeding expectations, and delivering significant revenue in just six months with one retailer.
Not only did Abe’s eclipse its revenue target, the campaign helped grow the bagel category in New Zealand from 20% penetration to 22.5% in just one year.
Abe’s verdict: “Our biggest learning? Behaviour change takes more than bold creative, it takes relentless consistency.”
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 84, Sept-Nov 2025. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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