1. Favourite local campaign that isn’t yours
Farmers’ Christmas campaign. It’s great to see New Zealand brands learning from the success of international Christmas campaigns, like John Lewis’, and moving back to brand-building through storytelling.
2. Favourite campaign that is yours
Our campaign in partnership with Te Māngai Pāho for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week). A really successful multi-platform campaign encouraging New Zealanders to give Te Reo a go. I love that we rebranded our channels to TVNZ Tahi and TVNZ Rua.
3. Favourite international campaign
I thought it was genius that Heinz brought to life Don Draper’s Pass the Heinz campaign from Mad Men – 50 years after he fictitiously pitched it.
4. Least favourite campaign
That’s a close call between two international campaigns: the Pepsi campaign featuring Kendall Jenner and the McDonald’s ad with the kid asking about his dead father. Both important subjects, but in these cases trivialised by these brands.
5. Your own biggest success
Transforming TVNZ On Demand from a catch-up service to an online entertainment destination. It’s been a really busy year building the content catalogue, persuading distributors to grant us extended online rights and improving the user experience, and we’re not done yet, but we’ve made great progress.
I can’t take any of the credit, but our productions also did incredibly well at the New Zealand Television Awards this year, winning 14 awards in the TV Awards, and 10 in the Craft Awards. Jean was the standout hit – winning every award it was nominated for (four TV Awards and eight Craft Awards).
6. Most significant launch/innovation/thing of the year
Uber Eats. I’m addicted to Farang in Kingsland.
7. What should be un-invented?
Slime. Those with primary school kids will know what I’m talking about.
8. Lamest trend
Slime, see above…
9. Best brands
Eat My Lunch. Innovative, inspiring, and making a difference.
10. Best stoush
The election. Suspense, twists and turns, cliffhangers – real-life drama.
11. Heroes
Strong women in 2017: Jacinda for transforming Labour, the #metoo club for calling out sexual harassment.
12. Villains
Slime(balls) – Harvey Weinstein and co.
13. What died in 2017?
Viserion in Game of Thrones. So sad.
14. What’s the biggest mistake marketers will make in 2018?
Relying too much on data, and not enough on gut and instinct. The same goes with content buyers.
15. What’s the most Black Mirror/ sci-fi horrorthing likely to happen in the near future?
Unregulated AI and internet giants taking over the world. Oh, that’s already happening…