Here are the YouTube-NZ Marketing Awards 2026 finalists in the Marketing Campaign section. The call for entries for the 2026 Awards have now closed, with a record number of entrants keen to celebrate their work.
The Marketing Campaign Awards recognise innovative and agile marketing. Judges are looking for examples of marketing campaigns that have identified short-term opportunities/challenges, and have created a specific initiative within a 12 month or less period that has produced measurable outcomes. Note: Only marketing campaigns within the past year qualify to enter.
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Marketing Campaign 2026 finalists
| Company | Marketing Initiative | Marketing Partners |
| 2degrees | Ring Ring: How 2degrees Went Low-tech to Help Kiwis Call More and Scroll Less | TBWA, OMD, Eleven PR, FiftyFive5 |
| 2degrees | Smashing the Silly Season: How Data Pinata Battle Outplayed Big Budgets | TBWA / DAN, OMD, FiftyFive5 |
| ADInstruments | ADInstruments – PowerLab C Portability Campaign | |
| ANZ New Zealand | How ANZ Rolled up its Sleeves to Walk the Talk with Kiwi Farmers | TBWA, PHD |
| Asahi Beverages | Hard Rated NZ Launch – One Less Reason to Move to Aussie | Droga5 ANZ, Hearts and Science, 1House, Spark Foundry, OMD |
| ASB | Powering Adviser Success | Quantum Jump |
| Auckland Transport | Bus Driver Appreciation Day 2025 Two x finalist | Auckland Transport (Debbie Chin, Rena Murphy, Anna Lawrence, Chris Swift, Jess Robertson, James Bowman, Scott Williams, Craig Love), MBM (Nureete Burnie, Olivia Dennis), Lumo (Rex Carpenter, Chloe van Diepenbrugge) |
| Auckland Transport | City Rail Link – Journeys | Auckland Transport (Rena Murphy, Xaviar Rego, Anna Lawrence, Chris Swift, James Garman, Nick Puwani), Thompson Spencer (Olivia Thompson, Matt Eastwood, Carlene Managh, Libby Frost) |
| Auckland Transport | FTN Route 18, 22 & 97 | Auckland Transport (Anna Lawrence, Deanna Mihaljevich, Michael Dunbar, Priya Gujare, Chris Swift, Craig Love, Sheila Davey, MBM (Nureete Burnie, Tylah Palalagi), Reason/Thompson Spencer (Briar Heer) |
| Auckland Transport | How the West Moves | Auckland Transport (Blake Walker, Rob Pitney, Anna Lawrence, Chris Swift, Jess Robertson), Federation (Brad Collett, Gal Stern, Jeremy Clark, Liz Adams), Supernormal (Matt McKenzie, Christopher Hill), MBM (Nureete Burnie) |
| Auckland Transport | Mix Your Me Time | Auckland Transport (Rachel Lu, Deanna Mihaljevich, Anna Lawrence, Chris Swift), Federation (Liz Adams, Brad Collett), MBM (Nureete Burnie, Tylah Palalagi), Dark Horse (Lucinda Kennedy, Jess Crosswell) |
| Auckland Transport | Needy Speedy | Auckland Transport (Anna Lawrence, Chris Swift, Deanna Mihaljevich, Michael Dunbar) Federation (Sharon Henderson, Olly Walker-Boden, Brad Collett, Liz Adams, Bobbie McKay, Jeremy Clark, Gal Stern), MBM (Nureete Burnie, Tylah Palalagi), Darkhorse (Nicole Haysom, Jess Crosswell) |
| Auckland Transport | Night Buses | Auckland Transport (Rachel Lu, Priya Gujare, Deanna Mihaljevich, Anna Lawrence, Chris Swift, Craig Love, James Bowman, Nick Puwanai), MBM (Nureete Burnie, Tylah Palalagi), Reason Agency (Briar Heer) |
| Auckland Transport | Operation Unpredictable – Drive Drink-Free | Auckland Transport (Rob Pitney, Ping Sim, Anna Lawrence, Chris Swift, James Bowman, Craig Love), New Zealand Police (Dan Ralph, Anthony Momoemausu), MBM (Nureete Burnie) |
| Auckland Transport | Route 12 | Auckland Transport (Anna Lawrence, Deanna Mihaljevich, Michael Dunbar, Priya Gujare, Chris Swift, Craig Love, James Bowman), MBM (Nureete Burnie, Tylah Palalagi), Reason/Thompson Spencer (Helen Chan) |
| Auckland Transport | Safety at the School Gate | Auckland Transport (Rob Pitney, Blake Walker, Michelle D’Souza, Hannah Ross, Anna Lawrence, Chris Swift), Thompson Spencer (Olivia Thompson, Carlene Mannagh, Josh Hubbard) |
| Auckland Transport | Tertiary Concession Campaign | Auckland Transport Team (Deanna Mihaljevich, Priya Gujare, Debbie Chin, Anna Lawrence, Chris Swift, Craig Love, Sheila Davey, Simon Hutton), MBM (Nureete Burnie), Reason (Helen Chan) |
| Bank of New Zealand | BNZ x Payap | Bad Magic, Hearts & Science |
| Big Little Campers | Freedom Camping with Clothes On – Big Little Campers | Author Digital |
| Burger King | Delivery Fries | Pitchblack Partners, Jetblack, DoorDash, MBM, One Picture |
| Chiefs Rugby Club | 2025 Chiefs Rugby Season Ticketing Campaign | 36 Presents, MediaWorks, Go Media, Printhouse, Vivid Images |
| ChristchurchNZ | Ōtautahi Christchurch – Made for It | Plato Creative, The Media Department, Christchurch City Council, Christchurch International Airport, Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE), Venues Ōtautahi, Central City Business Association (CCBA), Super Rugby Pacific, Crusaders, Supercars, Showbiz, Duco Events, Isaac Theatre Royal, Team Event/Live Nation, George FM, Webjet, Christchurch Attractions, Riverside Market, The Terrace, Rydges Latimer, Tourism NZ, Air New Zealand, Drifter, Scenic Sports Events, Kantar |
| Department of Conservation | New Zealand, Population 695 Billion *ish Three x finalist | Deloitte Digital, Deloitte, TRA, Together, Finch, AO Studios |
| DoorDash | DoorDash: The Saviour of Mealtime Disasters Two x finalist | Federation (Olly Walker-Boden, Brad Collet, Dan Bye, Bobbie McKay, Carolina Schwager), DoorDash New Zealand (Rhian Bedford-Palmer, Bradley Thomas), Supernormal, Wavemaker |
| Ecostore | Ecostore Dr Michelle Dickinson Partnership | OMD, Thompson Spencer |
| Fire and Emergency New Zealand | You’re Cooked: The Live Feed Two x finalist | MBM, Motion Sickness, Verian |
| FleetPartners | FleetPartners Business Lease Calculator: The Industry’s First Self-Serve Quote Tool | The Attention Agency, Insight Online |
| Goodman Fielder | Meadow Fresh Fantasy Herd Two x finalist | McCann, Together, FleishmanHillard Aotearoa |
| Goodman Fielder & NZ Sugar | Chelsea Sugar ‘Baking Solves Everything’ Campaign | McCann New Zealand, MBM, Concentrate, Tracksuit |
| Greyhounds as Pets | Greathounds Three x finalist | Special, Special PR, MBM, Go Media, JCDecaux, LUMO Digital, MetService, NZME, oOh!, Phantom, ShopTalk, Shout Media |
| Greyhounds as Pets | New Zealand’s Little Helper Two x finalist | Special, Special PR, Together, The Simpsons, Go Media, JCDecaux, Lumo Digital, NZME, Outdoor Network, Flux Animation |
| Griffin’s Snacks | The World’s Worst Attempt at Sampling, or as the Marketing Team Call it ‘SnackaChangi One Chip for Every Kiwi’ | Griffin’s Snacks, Pitch Black, MBM, OMG, Leigh Hart, Brent Spillane |
| High Performance Sport New Zealand | Say it Proud | Special Group, MBM, D4 |
| Ikea | The Swede As Road Trip | Mindshare, TVNZ |
| KFC New Zealand | The Colonel’s Hacks Two x finalist | Special PR, Stanley Street |
| Lewis Road Creamery | Lime Milkshake Launch: Buzzin’ Round with Lime | Volkswagen New Zealand, ChargeNet NZ, Bachcare |
| Live Ocean Foundation | Swim4TheOcean – Live Ocean & Jono Ridler | Live Ocean, Horizon Research |
| McDonald’s New Zealand | That’s How We Macca’s (Summer 4×4) | McCann New Zealand, Track/Tribal, OMD NZ, FleishmanHillard Aotearoa |
| Mercury | Cheat Codes – How Mercury Cracked the Telco Code | McCann New Zealand, Assembly, Team Circle |
| Meridian Energy | MOOving Day 2025 | MBM, EightyOne, Meridian Energy Team (Shaun Rush, Eugene Chetty, Tom Probert, Steph Osborne, Ben Clark, Natalie Slack, Rebecca Klee, Jenny Smith, Matt Whyte, Richard Sandford) |
| Meridian Energy | Plugged Into Demand – Meridian Energy’s Zero EV Charging Network | EightyOne, MBM, Utility |
| Ministry for Primary Industries | The Biosecurity Border Campaign – Six Million Travellers, One Risk Item to Harm New Zealand | VML, Verian, The Navigators |
| Mitre 10 | Mitre 10 Club Discount Days: Loyalty as a Retail Sales Engine | Quantum Jump, FCB |
| National Cyber Security Centre | How Exposed Am I? Three x finalist | Special, MBM, Special PR, TRA, Assembly |
| New Zealand Police | Do You Fit the Description We’re Looking For? | EightyOne Media, Supernormal |
| New Zealand Police | Ride Along | EightyOne, Frank Productions |
| New Zealand Rugby League | “It Runs Deep” by New Zealand Rugby League | Hearts & Science |
| NPDC New Plymouth District Council | Vote 2025 – New Plymouth District Council | |
| NZ Mountain Safety Council | Plan My Walk by NZ Mountain Safety Council Two x finalist | Supergood |
| NZ Mountain Safety Council | River Safety Month by NZ Mountain Safety Council | Supergood |
| NZ Post | Send a Little Joy to the World | Thinkerbell, PHD |
| NZME | NZ Herald “News You Can Trust” | NZH Newsroom, NZME Product & Digital Team, NZME Group Creative Team, NZME Sound and Vision Team, Tilt Digital, TVNZ, Three, Screenvistas, GoMedia, JCDecaux, VMO |
| OfficeMax | OfficeMax ‘There for All of It’ Small Business Campaign | BlueOcean, Tommi and Useful Films |
| One New Zealand | One NZ – Let’s Get Connected | McCann (FCB) |
| One New Zealand | One Wallet for Everyone | McCann (FCB) |
| Oppo NZ | Oppo A5 Series: The Extreme Piñata Unboxing | YoungShand, Junior Films, MOSH Social Media, Common Ground PR, Publicis Group, Yabble |
| Outward Bound NZ | Become a Weapon at Outward Bound | Motion Sickness, Ground Control, TRA, Search Republic |
| Pak’nSave | Pak’nSave – 40 Years of Low Prices | McCann (FCB), PHD |
| Pak’nSave | Pak’nSave – A Very Merry Stickmas | McCann (FCB), PHD |
| Pizza Hut | Pizza Hut | Motion Sickness, PHD Media, The Attention Seeker |
| Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand | Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand – Macca’s Match for Good | McDonald’s NZ, McCann NZ, Track/Tribal, OMD NZ, FleishmanHillard Aotearoa |
| Samsung New Zealand | Samsung B2B Mobile – Upgrading NZ Companies to Business Class, with Enterprise Edition | Engage IQ |
| Samsung New Zealand | Samsung Worst Children’s Library | McCann New Zealand, FleishmanHillard Aotearoa, Safe Surfer |
| Sharesies | Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme – Real Choice | Atlas Digital |
| Sharesies | Sharesies Sum Up 2025 | |
| Shotover Jet | Shotover Jet 60th Anniversary | Print Central, Empire 9 |
| Southern Cross Health Insurance | Southern Cross Health Insurance: Out of the Blue | Daylight, MBM, The Girls Uninterrupted (Stuff), The Dom Harvey Podcast (Human Beans Media), The Curve (Human Beans Media) |
| Spark New Zealand | Transforming from Mum and Dad’s Telco to the GOAT | Colenso BBDO, PHD Media |
| Spark New Zealand | Spark – Are you not Entertained?! Two x finalist | Colenso BBDO |
| Spark New Zealand | Spark Xmas 2025 | Colenso BBDO |
| Squirrel | The Squirrel Effect | Special, Together, Tracksuit |
| St Pierres Sushi | St Pierres: Sushi is Better with Friends | Federation (Brad Collet, Dan Bye, Carolina Schwager), St Pierres (Nick Katsoulis, Chelsea Lung, Irina Katsoulis), Hearts and Science |
| Tourism New Zealand | The Invitation that Brought Michelin to Dinner Two x finalist | Special New Zealand |
| Toyota New Zealand | Toyota New Zealand Best B2C Marketing Campaign | Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand, Spark Foundry New Zealand, Digitas New Zealand, Wright Communications, TRA |
| Trade Me Property | Hunt for the Hundy! | TRA, MBM, Curious Nation |
| Wendy’s NZ | Feed the Faith – One NZ Warriors x Wendy’s | Chemistry, Together |
| Westpac New Zealand | Westpac House of Credit Card Fears Two x finalist | Saatchi & Saatchi NZ, Spark Foundry, Digitas, SPUR, Herd MSL |
| Whittaker’s | The Perfect Gift, Impossible to Give Away | Bastion Shine, MBM, GoodEye Design, SweeneyVesty |
| Woolworths New Zealand | Classic to Epic | Dentsu Creative & Media |
| Z Energy | Tease Burger | Saatchi & Saatchi, MBM |
| Zuru Group | Rascals One Wipe Movement | |
| Zuru Group | The Bonkers Effect | Zuru Group Auckland (Design, Media, Creative), This January USA |
| Zuru Group | Zuru Group Mini Brands Fill the Fridge |
These were the YouTube-NZ Marketing Awards 2026 finalists in the Marketing Campaign section.
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