Newstalk ZB celebrates its people and listeners with new campaign

Newstalk ZB has launched a new brand campaign celebrating the award-winning broadcasters behind its loyal audience.

The campaign was developed by NZME’s marketing and creative teams in partnership with Auckland agency Supernormal and director/photographer Reagen Butler. It positions Newstalk ZB as a trusted source in a crowded media landscape, with experienced broadcasters asking the right questions every day.

Doesn’t need a gimmick

The creative platform ‘Every view from every angle’ reflects the reasons audiences choose ZB, with headlines including: ‘Hear yourself think’, ‘Hear what matters’, ‘Hear it first’.

Butler’s photography puts the Newstalk ZB hosts front and centre, mirroring the intimacy of radio.

Katie Mills, chief marketing officer, audio, says: “There is often a temptation in marketing to change things, but the talented broadcasters in this campaign are the reason our audience trusts Newstalk ZB.

“Our job was simply to put them in a frame that does them justice. Newstalk ZB doesn’t need a gimmick. It needs people to remember what they already know, that when something actually matters, this is where New Zealanders go.”

Designed to last

The campaign arrives at a time when the network is reporting strong audience share and listener numbers.

According to Gfk radio ratings, Newstalk ZB is the number one radio station nationwide in both cumulative audience and station share. Meanwhile, the Mike Hosking Breakfast is the country’s most listened-to radio show. The station has also been named Station of the Year at the NZ Radio and Podcast Awards for five consecutive years and is again a finalist for the upcoming awards in June.

The campaign is designed for sustained brand building across the year, with a portfolio of executions adaptable to major moments including the upcoming General Election.

Broadcaster Mike Hosking says: “Newstalk ZB is coming up to 100 years of broadcasting to New Zealanders. A hundred years of loyal listeners, of earning trust and of showing up every single day to ask the questions that matter. That’s not something you build overnight, and it’s not something you take for granted. This campaign is a celebration of that strength, of a station and a team that has always believed in being the best and never stopped working to prove it.”

It’s about confidence

Will Maisey, head of talk at Newstalk ZB, says: “This campaign is about confidence – confidence in our people, our platform and our audience. Newstalk ZB is the most listened-to station in the country because of the entire team behind it, on air and off. We’ve built something genuinely rare, and every person in our nationwide team plays a part in that. Seeing it celebrated like this is something we’re all incredibly proud of.”

The campaign rolls out across radio, digital platforms, print, billboards and TV from May 4.

Credits

• Photography and direction: Reagen Butler
• Managing director and EP, Supernormal: Matt McKenzie
• Creative director, NZME: Graham Dolan
• Creative director, NZME: Xanthe Williams
• Chief marketing officer, audio, NZME: Katie Mills
• Group senior marketing manager, audio, NZME: Jennifer Pryor
• Senior brand manager, audio, NZME: Michelle Howard
• Head of talk, Newstalk ZB, NZME: Will Maisey