New Zealand – The stretched-out postponement of the Tokyo-based Olympics is about to be broken off as the global event is slated to begin competitions on 23 July; and with this highly-anticipated event coming to reality, vibrant conversations among spectators are expected to arise– of course not excluding sports-loving Kiwis. 

In a new campaign, broadcasting network Sky touches on this culture to not just celebrate but to even further encourage this woven practice of giving unsolicited sporting opinions and advice, or on a more positive note – the sharing of passionate conversations and dialogue by Kiwis on the realm of sports. 

Called ‘Be an Expert’, the campaign is a series of three spots that highlight the everyday scenarios of locals sharing their thoughts and insights on the highly technical, specialized sports during the Olympics season.

Done in collaboration with creative agency DDB Aotearoa, the three spots aimed to playfully capture the passion of Kiwis for discovering new sports every four years or rediscovering those sports that take on a new significance in the world’s biggest stage.

Sky’s Head of Brand and Sport Marketing Helen Fitzsimons commented that the ‘Be an Expert’ campaign aims to nab Kiwi’s passion for sport, and is a reminder of the unifying nature of sporting events like the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

“With Sky’s Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 coverage spanning twelve channels, we wanted the campaign to encourage everyday New Zealanders to do what they do best – get among the action, talk to their friends and family about it, and support our athletes throughout the duration of the event,” said Fitzsimons.

Meanwhile, Gary Steele, the executive creative director Gary at DDB Aotearoa, shared that the insight behind the campaign will be ringing true with Kiwis from all backgrounds as they all embrace their inner sports pundits over the next few months. 

“Every four years, a large percentage of New Zealanders undergo an overnight transformation into experts across a wide range of technical sports – and we wanted to showcase a playful, tongue-in-cheek response to this cultural phenomenon,” said Steele.

The campaign is already running through three 30-second TVCs, OOH, and Digital.

Australia – As travel restrictions are gradually being eased, global hotel operator Accor in Australia and New Zealand has launched a new campaign called ‘Go ALL Out’, with the aim to motivate travelers to seek out city experiences across the region.

The campaign is centered around a comprehensive and eclectic program of events, both large and small and across a diverse range of genres, taking place in cities across the region. The gateway to the ‘Go ALL Out’ campaign is Accor Live Limitless (ALL) – a lifestyle loyalty program that integrates rewards, services, and experiences throughout the Accor portfolio of brands.

These events are featured on a central campaign and events hub on ALL.com, which showcases more than 150 Accor-created and Accor-supported events.

Created in collaboration with creative agencies Special Group and John+John, the campaign will be running until 30 September 2021. It seeks to tap into the travelers’ passion points such as live music, food, and wine experiences, arts and culture, or sporting events.

To curate the line-up, Accor has collaborated with many of its major event and sporting partners, such as Vivid Sydney, the AFL, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, as well as Winter Pride Queenstown, among others.

Furthermore, Accor properties across ANZ are activating their spaces with a range of bespoke events. For example, Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour’s iconic Champagne Bar is inviting guests to celebrate Sydney Solstice and Fête de la Musique (France’s summer solstice festival) with live music, a collection of gin-infused cocktails, and a Yarra Valley Bloody Shiraz Gin Caviar pairing, which will be running until 20 June on Wednesday to Sundays.

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, Novotel New Plymouth Taranaki is celebrating Matariki (Māori New Year) with a degustation dinner hosted by renowned chef Martin Bosley and Kono on 8 July.

Accor Pacific’s CEO Simon McGrath shared that through the ‘Go ALL Out’ campaign, Accor will be showing their magnificent cities at their best, as vibrant and exciting destinations, bursting with culture and experiences. 

“By working with our incredible partners, we have curated a series of amazing events to inspire travel which will get our cities moving again,” said McGrath.

Across these events, ALL and Accor Plus members will enjoy exclusive access to offers, events, and limitless experiences.

The ‘Go ALL Out’ campaign is already available in paid media ads and owned channels.

Accor has more than 380 luxury and economy properties across the ANZ region, including international brands such as Sofitel, MGallery, Art Series, and Pullman, as well as Swissôtel, and Novotel, among many others.

Auckland, New Zealand – In a move to cater to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country, stock exchange platform Catalist has announced that it has now acquired a license to open a public market for SMEs who are too small to be indexed by the New Zealand’s Exchange (NZX).

Previously operating under the private investment sector, Catalist’s platform is designed to raise up to NZ$20m a year from the public.

Catalist’s public market targets SME listings with an initial value of between NZ$6m and NZ$60m – considerably lower than what would be expected for a traditional stock market listing.

According to Colin Magee, CEO at Catalist , the green light to start trading with retail investors came after the Financial Markets Conduct (Catalist Public Market) Regulations 2021 were passed late last month.

Catalist has worked on the licence and legislation with the Ministry of Business and Innovation (MBIE) and the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) over the past two years to simplify the public listing process, creating a considerably lighter regulatory environment

“SMEs make up a majority of New Zealand businesses, so there’s a real need for those with growth potential to have better access to capital, and equally for investors to have better access to SME investments, to increase economic growth and job creation. Catalist’s public market means smaller businesses can now access public investment, with significantly lessened costs and administrative burdens – and without compromising investor protections,” Magee stated.

He also added that they are already working through the listing process with a number of businesses – and investors can sign up for an account on their website, so they can trade when there’s an auction running.

Differing from a traditional stock exchange, Catalist uses regular auctions, rather than continuous trading, allowing for fairer pricing and increased liquidity for financial products that don’t trade very frequently – often the case with smaller businesses. 

Regular auctions also allow for alternative disclosure provisions, a key difference with Catalist’s new market, where businesses only disclose information for each auction, rather than continuously.

Magee explains that traditional stock markets don’t work for SMEs because the costs, time spent on compliance, continuous disclosure obligations and focus on short-term share price get in the way of day-to-day operations and focusing on the long-term health of the business.

“In the past, we’ve seen growth markets, such as NZX’s ‘NXT’ take a traditional continuous trading approach and fail to meet the needs of SMEs. We’ve taken the learning from that and use periodic trading and disclosure instead, which has proved successful in other jurisdictions. Investors can now access well-regulated investment opportunities in SMEs, where they can be confident in the standard of information they receive,” Magee added.

The platform will act as a stepping stone for these registered SMEs to slowly transition into the traditional stock exchange, such as the NZX.

New Zealand – As expected, digital advertising, in the middle of the pandemic, is forecast to comprise the larger fraction of ad spend by New Zealand advertisers in 2021 with 59% to comprise their overall media budget, according to a new global report by global media investment and intelligence company MAGNA. 

Although New Zealand, being primarily an island, has been successful in containing Covid-19, advertisers are still inclined to put their dollars into digital channels, which can be mainly attributed to how the media practices have evolved to leverage the appeal and impact of digital formats, whether lifestyles are hindered by the virus or not. 

The projected growth in digital follows 2020’s 3.3% growth rate. According to the report, most of the digital growth will come from spending on mobile devices, which will see specifically an 18% increase and to represent 67% of total revenues within digital advertising. 

Overall, the advertising economy in New Zealand is seen to increase by 7.6% in 2021 to reach NZD 2.8b ($1.8b).

Still in line with changing preferences of audiences, the report said that linear advertising revenues will see an uptick of 2.9% to represent 41% of total budgets, an actual down from taking 49% of budgets as recently seen in 2019. 

Meanwhile, in terms of specific mediums, television spending is forecast to grow by 5.6%, to represent one-fourth of total budgets. The report said that this will bring total spending levels back to 92% of their 2019 levels. On the other hand, radio and OOH are seen to fare slightly worse with a 2% growth to reach 86% of 2019 spending levels, and a 5% growth to reach 68% of 2019 spending levels, respectively. 

Globally, as the economy recovers faster than expected with a GDP of 6%, marketing activity, and advertising spending are likewise projected to demonstrate the same upward growth. With the added driver of rescheduled international sports events, the report forecasts global all-media advertising spending to grow by $78b, a 14% increase, to ultimately register an estimated $657b in 2021, a new all-time high, said MAGNA. 

Meanwhile, in the Asia Pacific, while the rollout of COVID vaccines has not been as aggressive as many Western markets, there were still fewer cases and deaths as well as fewer shutdowns vs. those markets in the west. This has not stopped consumers in the region from changing their behavior in the same ways as in heavily COVID-impacted markets, which meant more indulgence to stream, more adoption of e-commerce, and more integration of digital platforms into their daily lives. As a result, economic recovery and organic digital growth will power APAC’s total advertising spending to a 12.8% increase in 2021, following 2020’s 3.3% growth. This will see total advertising budgets in APAC reach $203b, significantly ahead of 2019’s $186b total.

According to Gurpreet Singh, managing director at MAGNA APAC, digital will continue to be the biggest growth driver across most markets fueling a faster recovery. Singh also said that since linear media was the most affected last year, its recovery back to pre-covid levels is going to remain a big challenge across the majority of APAC markets for the next few years.

“2021 will see higher than usual growth in ad spend bouncing off of the reduced spend we saw in most of the APAC markets last year. This will largely result in regaining lost ground, however, some markets will take more than a single year for their ad spend to recover from the impact left by covid,” Singh said.

APAC remains the second largest global advertising region, behind North America but $59b ahead of EMEA. 

Auckland, New Zealand – In its truest sense that best represents the online consumer behavior of Kiwis using their platform, local-based auction and classifieds site Trade Me has launched a new campaign alongside advertising and marketing holdings Clemenger Group.

Directed by Wade Shotte of production company FINCH, the campaign enlists every ‘relatable’ searches one could imagine when visiting the site, from essentials like ‘new apartment spaces’ or ‘a new work setup’, to the most relatable like ‘a seven seater SUV’ for the whole family, to some tongue-in-cheek choices like ‘a potato that looks like a bear’ or selling your ‘stupid golf clubs’ when someone’s not scored enough in a golf gameplay.

The diversity and uniqueness shown by the campaign utilizes real search data collected by Trade Me, signifying the site’s versatility to cater to everyone’s need, whether a life essential, or plainly just for a hobby.

“Trade Me is an icon of Kiwi culture. Everyone uses it, but we all use it differently. Celebrating these differences is a core focus of the campaign,” said Levi Slavin, chief creative officer at Colenso BBDO.

Meanwhile, Trade Me’s Head of Brand, Sarah O’Leary, commented, “We’re delighted with the new campaign. It conveys the trust Kiwis have in Trade Me, helping them find the stuff they need, while capturing our brand’s unique and charming tone.”

Both Colenso BBDO and Clemenger BBDO Wellington collaborated in this campaign, which has since then rolled out to TV, OOH and social media campaigns.

New Zealand – Web solutions company Crazy Domains has launched a multi-channel campaign called ‘Your Business is Better Online’, a series of ads that depict the harsh and vulgar reality of running a business offline.

The campaign aims to showcase the challenges faced by New Zealand small and midsize businesses (SMBs) when doing business in the ‘real world’. Through the series of gritty, humorous, and honest ads, the company believes that it will greatly impact the decisions of entrepreneurs to go digital.

According to Crazy Domains, despite several opportunities for digital adoption, about 37% of SMBs in New Zealand do not have an online presence, and 53% agreed they need more support when it comes to establishing one.

Mark Evans, international CEO of Newfold Digital and the owner of Crazy Domains, shared that 2020 forced SMBs owners to rethink their strategy and accelerate their digital transformation plans, regardless of whether they’re equipped for it or not.

“Businesses are finding new ways to make the most out of their web presence. And a new website or website improvements are proving to be efficient and affordable options to adapt to the aftermath of COVID-19,” said Evans.

Furthermore, the digital campaign will also be accompanied by two commercial videos, which will be running on Australia’s Metro TV, Digital TV, and billboards.

New Zealand – Tourism New Zealand, the organization tasked to promote the country’s tourism around the world, has recently launched a new campaign targeted at its regional neighbor – Australia – to encourage the country’s locals who happen to be the country’s largest former international visitor market, to come explore and renew their wanderlust towards New Zealand. 

Done in partnership with creative agency Special Group Australia, the campaign titled ‘Stop Dreaming about New Zealand and Go’ takes a quirky turn with a depiction of an Australian dreaming about New Zealand from his sleep, and is then is then taken through a range of the country’s popular attractions including National Parks and even stargazing with a surreal giant Kiwi.

According to research by Tourism New Zealand, about 77% of Australians are actively considering traveling to the country on holiday, followed by 27% who want to visit their family, with 15% to visit friends.

Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive René de Monchy shared that despite record numbers of Kiwis ‘doing something new’ and traveling domestically, there is an estimated $12.9B annual gap from the loss of international visitors, and the return of Australian visitors is projected to help reduce this gap with both domestic tourists and international visits making up 70% the pre-COVID visitor market.

“The campaign is designed to tap into people’s renewed desire to explore and showcases New Zealand’s natural environment, experiences, and the warm welcome of our people. We are seeing longer itineraries being booked by Australians which helps support travel to more remote locations within New Zealand,” said Monchy.

According to Ann Lockhart, the interim chief executive of Destination Queenstown, Australia is likewise a hugely important visitor market for Queenstown, particularly over winter when Australian visitors previously made up around 50% of all of our international visits.

“The ability to welcome them here is a huge boost for Queenstown and we are delighted the trans-Tasman bubble is open and our tourism operators are open and ready to welcome our Australian friends back,” said Lockhart.

In line with the campaign, Tourism New Zealand has also released a toolkit for interested partners who want to adopt and integrate with the campaign. The kit provides an overview of the campaign, the creative assets, and details on how partners can get involved through their own channels. The kit is available for download through its website.

Auckland, New Zealand – Automotive brand MINI, as part of their promotion of its car features, has recently collaborated with creative agency Colenso BBDO to launch a new campaign, centered around the hazards in improper braking.

Titled ‘Danger Brakes for You’, the campaign features an array of four pictures: a hoof, a paw, a child’s foot and someone wearing roller skates, all representing potential hazards on the road that can trigger the driver to apply the brakes.

MINI aims that through this campaign, they will be able to promote their growing suite of smart features, starting with automatic emergency brake assist – a feature that senses obstacles on the road in front of the car and automatically applies the car’s braking system. 

For Victoria Abbass, retail and network marketing manager at MINI, part of the reason why they also took the ‘quirky’ turn for their campaign was to ‘humanize’; how technology is being explained, as cars nowadays are getting more advanced.

“’Danger brakes for you’ is visually disruptive and intriguing, but ultimately it’s so simple and that’s what we love about it,” Abbass said.

Meanwhile, Simon Vicars, executive creative director at Colenso BBDO, commented, “We were searching for a quick and simple way to explain complicated tech. This idea felt fast and funny, which for us are the right two ingredients for making a memorable MINI campaign.”

Photographed by New Zealand photographer Mat Baker, the campaign will roll out across social media channels, as well as in print and OOH media.

Colenso BBDO’s recent campaign with MINI follows their recent work with the New Zealand arm of non-profit organization World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

New Zealand – For the first months of 2021, small and medium enterprises in New Zealand have reported a decline in their profitability with 36% stating a downturn, according to the latest business monitor by professional services MYOB. 

The statistics reflect the three months prior to March 2021, with 12% of those surveyed admitting profits had reduced by ‘a lot’, while still a significant percent – 20% – have reported that profitability has also improved since the start of 2021.

Despite this, SMEs in the region are showing quite the optimism with over one in five or 22% expecting an improvement in profitability onto the coming quarter. This is in line with New Zealand SMEs having a similar sentiment on revenues. 

The same report showed that more than a quarter or 27% of SMEs in the country are forecasting a slight increase in revenue over the next 12 months despite the unpredictable year when the pandemic first emerged. 

After a number of lockdowns, SMEs based in Auckland have seen the most significant impact on their bottom line over a 12-month period to March 2021, with 44% of SME operators in the country’s largest center reporting a fall in revenue. In comparison, businesses in Christchurch fared better than the national average, with 35% reporting reduced revenue over this time, while nearly half or 48% of Wellington-based SMEs said their revenue had remained the same and 38% saw income fall.

Meanwhile, a big percentage of those surveyed – 41% – expect to generate the same level of revenue across the next 12 months, while 25% expect their income to fall.

Current statistics are an increase in positive sentiment where in last year’s report, 40% of SME operators expected their revenue to be down in 12 months’ time, with 21% predicting their revenue would increase.

MYOB SME Senior Sales Manager Krissy Sadler-Bridge said that overall, findings are a solid turnaround for “hard-working” SMEs. Considering the past 12 months when the SMEs had to endure the pandemic blow, Sadler-Bridge believes local business owners should be congratulated for not just hanging on but also finding hard-won opportunities amid some of the most challenging trading conditions the times have seen. 

On profitability meanwhile, she commented, “When a business makes a profit, they may have the funds to develop their business further, hire more employees or increase employee benefits, or for some SME-owners, pay themselves a solid wage – making profitability a key measure of progress for the sector.”

Auckland, New Zealand – Creative agency TBWA\ New Zealand and financial institution Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) has launched a new campaign to promote its latest brand platform ‘We Do How’, a platform that aims to help improve the financial wellbeing of all New Zealanders by providing them with the resources, support, and products they need.

The 2-minute campaign, titled samely as ‘We Do How’, narrates the story of Ravi and Claire along with their two children Sameer and Tara Sharma. The first story shows the many ways Ravi and Claire set out to improve the financial wellbeing of their family, but that the heart of the story is about father and son as Sameer spends years working towards his dream of becoming a Black Cap, a New Zealand cricket team.

True to its message of ‘We Do How’, Sameer’s dedication in cricket and the persuasion he got from his father led him to an easy path of success, much like how ANZ provides an easy resource for New Zealanders to become more financially-savvy, as best reflected in their eagerness to remind that wealth is more about knowing they can pay for things to help their family thrive, according to an ANZ survey.

Speaking about the campaign, Shane Bradnick, chief creative officer at TBWA\ New Zealand, stated that they aimed that the story be a ‘universal one’ that we can all relate to about why people work hard in New Zealand and how people want their families to enjoy a better, happier life.

“It’s also a modern New Zealand story that reflects our diversity and how our love of family and a desire to help our kids succeed is a ‘why’ we can all understand. The Sharmas show us a range of ways to help us all start to improve our financial wellbeing and through them, we can see that if you have a ‘why’ then ANZ has the ‘how’,” Bradnick stated.

Meanwhile, Matt Pickering, general manager of marketing at ANZ, commented, “Kiwis want to improve their financial wellbeing, but often just don’t know where to start and so it’s the ‘how’ part that’s important. ANZ is committed to giving Kiwis the practical tools and know-how they need to do this, which is why we’ve set up our Financial Wellbeing Programme.”

ANZ has set up a six-step Financial Wellbeing Programme that is available to everyone, not just ANZ customers at anz.co.nz/financialwellbeing. The program starts with calculating a person’s financial well-being score and more than 22,000 Kiwis have already found out theirs.

The ‘We Do How’ campaign is currently rolled out on TV, digital, social, PR, OOH and in-branch. The company is also set to roll out a similar project internally for their staff called, ‘The Deck of How’, which is a deck of playing cards packed with financial well being ‘hows’, and also a digital book for its employees ‘The Book of How’ is also being produced.