1. Favourite local campaign that isn’t yours
‘Hello’ by NZTA to stop people texting while driving. I loved the humour and the awkwardness. Brilliant.
- Check out the StopPress picks of the year here.
2. Favourite campaign that is yours
Can I choose two? Being that I switched agencies mid-year, one of my favourites is the Steinlager Tokyo Dry which was a really challenging brief but I think has come out brilliantly. That was while I was still at Zenith.
From a Carat perspective, I love the work for ASB’s Visa Light was top class. It was built in a great insight and research that flowed through the media strategy and work. I’m not claiming it as my work, but it (and the team behind it) deserves a bit of recognition.
3. Favourite international campaign
Helsinki’s Airport Sign. I’m not even sure this counts as a campaign but being welcomed to any city as a badass gets my vote.
Love this sign outside of Helsinki Airport ? pic.twitter.com/pQGc6cgvgP
— Gabrielle Becking (@gbecking) December 6, 2016
4. Least favourite campaign
Anything I can’t remember – as it obviously didn’t have any impact!
5. Your own biggest success
Leaving the 18-39 demographic and not becoming instantly irrelevant. I think.
6. Most significant launch/innovation/thing of the year
Totally non-media here – Clever Kash from ASB. Just watching my own kids’ interactions with theirs and how they’re thinking about their money and savings is eye opening. It’s a long way from the plastic money box I got when I was a kid.
7. What should be un-inevented?
Where to start? So many things…but mainly journalism by Twitter. Why I give two hoots what @bryannomates thinks about any topic is beyond me, but we still can’t have any kind of story without their (random) thoughts it would seem.
8. Lamest trend
Posting on Linkedin how AirBNB is the world’s biggest hotel chain with no rooms, Uber is the world’s biggest taxi company with no cars etc.
9. Best brands
Air NZ – a national airline that an entire country loves? I’m originally from the UK, no one loves BA like that. ASB – Clever Kash and their continued drive for innovation keep me at the bank for a while yet.
10. Best stoush
Mark Ritson vs Digital Marketers. Regardless of what side of the debate you come down on, Ritson’s lectures are a must watch for anyone in our industry.
11. Heroes
It’s a little bit of a cheat as it technically happened in December 2015, but I’d already done this by that point last year, so I’m going to say JJ Abrams for saving the Star Wars franchise. That’s hero status in my book. That and the wife for putting up with my shit for another year.
12. Villains
Farage, Johnson, Trump, Bieber. Not necessarily in that order.
13. What died in 2016?
My faith in the American and British political systems.
14. What’s the biggest mistake marketers will make in 2017?
Putting all the eggs in the shiniest, newest basket.
15. Will the robots become sentient and kill us all (asking for a friend)?
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