oOh!media celebrates marketing pioneers

oOh!media is a change-maker in the Out-of-Home space in both New Zealand and Australia. Not afraid to push the boundaries, the media owner has a passion for working collaboratively with forward-thinking marketers to challenge what Out-of-Home could be.

Partnering with innovative marketers is what drives oOh!media to push the boundaries of Out-of-Home (OOH). It’s the reason they chose to sponsor the Marketer of the Year category at the 2021 TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards.

“Working collaboratively with marketers allows for the opportunity to optimise as many creative brains as possible,” says General Manager of oOh!media New Zealand Nick Vile (pictured on the opposite page, far right). “You never know where the next solution or creative concept could come from. Whether we’re asked to come up with an idea from scratch or plan a campaign collaboratively, it’s always a pleasure to work with a variety of people who’re keen to try a new way of bringing something to life.” 

Here, the 2021 TVNZ-NZ Marketer of the Year finalists share how they’re energising the marketing industry by balancing conventional strategies with disruptive, innovation-led approaches.

Andrew Cooper, CMO at Electric Kiwi

It seems to me that success in marketing is all about finding better ways to influence people, to connect or to find value. That part hasn’t changed a lot. Innovations in our industry sometimes make it easier or cheaper, or at times they just add complexity. In my experience, this changes over time and doesn’t hold across brands or campaigns, so there’s no formula. Our job is knowing what’s right for your business, your customers and now. It might be something at the bleeding edge or from the history books – I’d never rule either out.

Jasmine Currie Marketing Manager at Whittaker’s

We’ve always tried to innovate within this format, from crashing a bottle into an icon, to opening a 10-day ’50s-style milk bar pop-up, to building a life-size vending machine. I think the key here is that we’re always really clear on our audience, strategy and idea from the start, then the use of creative media comes from there. 

I think there’s a role for both conventional and disruptive innovation-led approaches, and they often work best together. We always look at how we can power the strength of digital with physical experiences, and with generosity being one of our core brand values, being generous with our OOH innovation experiences is key to that.

With conventional OOH marketing, we continue to invest in this space given its ability to drive reach, get into certain locations and make the brand feel big. But off the back of Covid-19, we’ve had to adapt our approach, such as reviewing movement data and evolving our mix and locations to reflect the rise of suburbs as people frequent the CBD for work less.

Brid Drohan-Stewart General Manager Brand & Media at Woolworths NZ

For me, it’s about putting the customer first. I ask myself, ‘Where’s the audience?’ and ‘How will we reach them in the most impactful and disruptive way that works for the message?’

Rachel Ellerm National Marketing Director at Lion New Zealand

We do conventional OOH and allocate some of our budget to new technologies. In OOH, two favourite examples are last year’s ‘Stand at Dawn’ campaign, when on ANZAC Day we scrolled through the names of every fallen New Zealand soldier on behalf of the RSA, and the Corona Surf report – localised play on the weather and surf in a digital OOH format. 

Shane Evans, CMO at ASB

We’re very lucky that innovation is part of our brand DNA. Often people think innovation is tech but it’s not – innovation can be doing things first, doing things differently or responding to change. It can also be really fun to experiment with. For foundational brand work, it might be more conventional brand strategy execution. But for tactical brand, it’s about showing who we are, how we turn up, demonstrating passion and our values or responding to a cultural moment like Covid. 

Sustainable solutions

Nick says that like many businesses, oOh!media is committed to reducing the impact it has on the public space it occupies. “A key focus of our business is to ensure that we’re constantly reviewing, adapting and adopting practices that support a sustainable future.”

We asked our finalists what sustainability means to them. Here’s what they had to say…

“Sustainable marketing is the type of marketing that uses both products and services that respect the environment and community around us,” says Brid. “New Zealanders have a deep connection to the land and sea, and it’s critical we recognise the important role we play in helping protect this place we call home. We must always think about a better tomorrow in all our considerations as marketers. We also need to ensure our message and content is intentional to support a position on being more sustainable as a brand, but it must be true, genuine and credible – we must be authentic.”

Andrew says, “The best thing that a marketer can do in this space is have the integrity to tell the truth. We have the power to influence, and we should respect that. If you find yourself telling fibs to sell things, then you’re not a good marketer. At some point, our roles in sustainability will come into focus, and we’ll need to be honest with ourselves about whether we tried to do the right thing, or whether we kept telling fibs.” 

“As a marketer, I believe it’s our role to be the voice of change within a business, because we have a good grasp of what matters to our consumers around the world and can help set a clear path in the sustainability space,” says Jasmine. “It can no longer be about ticking a few boxes – it’s about the whole journey and constantly improving through a long-term commitment, because it’s simply the right thing to do.” 

“I think it’s table stakes,” says Rachel. “Our consumers and our people expect us to operate ethically and responsibly, and to look after our environment. As a company, we’re committed to doing the right thing for the long term, so we’ve embedded our sustainability strategy into the business and increasingly into what we do as marketers.”

“Sustainable practices are key when building and maintaining a strong brand,” says Shane. “Brands need to evolve along with society, and it’s broader than just the environment. For example, how do you improve your processes to give people time back for wellbeing and work-life balance?”