| Winner | Sixt New Zealand |
| Marketing initiative | Sixt New Zealand: from functional utility to lifestyle authority |
| Marketing partners | Krunch, Rob Barlow, Sebastian Buechele |
| Finalists | Legend Story Studios, Tourism New Zealand |
| Judges’ comments | “Great reframe of the category and specific targeting of domestic affluent consumers. And a very disruptive approach for a category known for conformity. Executions such as ‘Detour discovery’ delivered with aplomb!” |
Journey in style
Sixt NZ navigated out of a performance trap with a gear change from car rental provider to a lifestyle authority.
Despite having global prestige, car rental company Sixt New Zealand’s local awareness had stalled. It was trapped in a category dominated by legacy giants and a race to the bottom on price.
Consumers were viewing car rentals as a grudge purchase and made their choices based on daily rates and airport proximity.
This was neutralising Sixt’s premium positioning. So it decided to behave like a challenger brand, taking inspiration from adjacent high-affinity categories such as premium lifestyle and luxury travel.
Customer excitement
The business’ mission has always been to deliver the world’s best automotive journeys. So, while its competitors focused on functional utility, Sixt looked to move beyond simply being a car rental provider to becoming a lifestyle authority.
This required a marketing approach that valued customer excitement above all else. Sixt re-engineered its financial approach, moving the communications budget from being 100% performance to a balance between performance and brand.
The team shifted from a broad-reach sales push to a precise fusion of experience-led content and high-intent context.
Editorial-style inspiration – for example, the ‘Detour dining guide’ in the NZ Herald – provided moments of connections in environments where travellers were already seeking discovery. This allowed Sixt to be part of
the customer’s travel planning, transforming it from being a logistical afterthought to a credible curator.
Premium video achieved national reach in high-definition, ‘lean-back’ environments such as culinary programming. Out of home touchpoints, including airport baggage carousels, helped deliver hyper-relevant messaging tied to last year’s Metallica concert and other local events.
Sixt’s performance media layer featured dynamic, experience-led assets that refreshed every 90 days, providing a consistent brand narrative that transitioned between seasonal peaks.
Prestigious journeys
“We moved the brand out of the functional car rental category and into the aspirational travel category, proving that with a Sixt vehicle, the journey is as prestigious as the destination,” say the team.
Delivering the strategy required a huge shift across the company, moving beyond Sixt’s marketing department to integrate with the wider Giltrap Group ecosystem.
The results were impressive: 53% relative growth in brand awareness, 22.7% revenue growth, a 16% uplift in contracts and a 16% increase in revenue per day.
“Ultimately, FY26 proved that by fighting for the emotions of the journey we can achieve sustainable profitability and market-leading growth.
“This mindset will remain the cornerstone of Sixt NZ’s strategy moving forward,” say the team.
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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