Sky's Sophie Moloney, NZME's Michael Boggs and PHD's Nikki Grafton are among the six chief executives in today's Q&A.
It‘s one of the most enthralling jobs imaginable - CEO of a media firm in a tumultuous industry.
It’s an exhilarating, scary, sometimes infuriating but never boring role. And the year ahead poses more big challenges.
In the first part of a three-part Media Insider series, we pose seven questions to leading media CEOs.
Over the next three weeks, you’ll hear from 19 of our top New Zealand media CEOs. The first six appear today.
They all offer insight and wisdom on their roles, the issues they’re confronting, and what lies ahead.
1. What’s the one word to sum up your mood as we close out 2023 and look forward to 2024?
Optimistic.
2. How would you describe your year?
Unexpected - TVNZ started the year ready to merge with RNZ, which was then unwound. Simon Power resigned and I’ve had an unanticipated spell as interim CEO. TVNZ’s new board was appointed and now we have new ministers. On the news side, we had a huge year with Cyclone Gabrielle, an election and a Rugby World Cup, too.
3. What’s the best initiative/project/campaign in your own business - and one that you thought a rival did well?
Bringing sport back to TVNZ. If we can deliver a service as good as Spark and Sky have done for New Zealand viewers, we’ll be very happy.
4. How do you think 2024 will play out for New Zealand media - what’s the biggest priority for you?
We compete vigorously but there are areas where we need to work together better. We are not each other’s biggest threats anymore.
5. What’s the biggest issue that keeps you awake at night?
Not much at this time of year. Did Dan Corbett get it right? Will I be at the beach tomorrow or inside reading?
6. What’s the biggest mistake media/marketing/advertising people need to avoid in 2024?
Deprioritising local in the media mix - we have great platforms in New Zealand that deliver for advertisers while contributing to a vibrant Aotearoa.
7. What are your plans for the summer break?
Relaxing at the beach - and watching cricket, both in person and on TVNZ+.
1. What’s the one word to sum up your mood as we close out 2023 and look forward to 2024?
Motivated.
2. How would you describe your year?
It was a year of significant highs and lows, both professional and personal. As I sit here in December, I’d call it a hard year but with some real moments of joy.
I am grateful to all of our Sky crew for their hard mahi this year, and to my board for their expert guidance and support.
3. What’s the best initiative/project/campaign in your own business - and one that you thought a rival did well?
For us at Sky, it was landing our purpose and ambition as a team.
I don’t tend to use the term “rival” when thinking about media sector partners, but when I look across the sector, I think one great initiative is the increased news reporting of women’s sport. I am a big believer in the role of the Fourth Estate and this is just one example of the sector doing it well!
4. How do you think 2024 will play out for New Zealand media - what’s the biggest priority for you?
From a sector perspective, all eyes will be on the advertising market to see if this will relieve some of the pressure on media entities locally. I believe in partnerships that drive great value for consumers and partners alike and do expect to see more on this front in the coming year as media entities grapple with their cost lines in a tight ad market. Growing our fair share of the advertising pie remains a key priority for us next year.
5. What’s the biggest issue that keeps you awake at night?
Continuing to drive value for our customers, partners and investors.
6. What’s the biggest mistake media/marketing/advertising people need to avoid in 2024?
Making assumptions about what customers want and need. We’re really focused on using customer insights to make informed decisions about the content we offer our customers and the ways we deliver it. Using data well is vital.
I often refer to the John Le Carre quote about a desk being a dangerous place from which to view the world. Put another way for our sector (and particularly in the advertising space), don’t assume that all audiences and consumers are just like us - we need to be targeted in our delivery to drive great value for clients and customers alike.
7. What are your plans for the summer break?
Chilling with family and friends doing a roadie (one of my favourite things to do) around Te Ika-a-Māui, the North Island.
What’s the one word to sum up your mood as we close out 2023 and look forward to 2024?
Confident! (It’s also one of NZME’s three core values, along with curious and connected).
How would you describe your year?
Business-wise, it’s been a rollercoaster of a year and the market has been challenging, but I’m so proud of our NZME team and what we’ve achieved in a tough year. Business confidence is on the up, which is great to see, and I predict that will translate into a stronger year next year for our business’ clients.
Personally, my 18- and 20-year-old children have focused on starting their careers - oh to be young again!
What’s the best initiative/project/campaign in your own business - and one that you thought a rival did well?
Our coverage of the general election was phenomenal - so many people from across NZME were involved and I was so proud of what we delivered. Being in our Auckland newsroom on election night, seeing our live broadcast in action across our NZ Herald digital and Newstalk ZB platforms was awesome. A huge team effort.
I think TVNZ has done a great job of squeezing the life out of terrestrial TV. A great talent line-up and a quality production keep bringing their audiences and advertisers back.
How do you think 2024 will play out for New Zealand media - what’s the biggest priority for you?
We’ve started to see business confidence improving in recent surveys but that hasn’t translated into increased growth aspirations through advertising spend yet.
In speaking with our advertising partners, they are absolutely worn out after a tough year and in need of a break. They’ll be invigorated and ready to put their growth plans into place early in the new year.
We’ve just announced our new three-year strategy and in 2024 we’re prioritising the acceleration of digital growth across our audio, publishing and OneRoof business units. There is plenty to do.
What’s the biggest issue that keeps you awake at night?
NZ media businesses are minnows compared to our international competitors. We need to keep building our deep local connections with Kiwis, supporting homegrown content and building compelling propositions for our customers. If all NZ media focus on this, we can ensure we have a strong and resilient media into the future. This is currently at risk.
What’s the biggest mistake media/marketing/advertising people need to avoid in 2024?
Media is a highly competitive industry, but at times I think we all need to remember how small New Zealand is and tell our story a bit better as an industry.
We have global platforms that are using our content and taking hundreds of millions in advertising dollars offshore every year. We need to improve how we communicate collectively to advertisers about the value of advertising through local radio, print and digital platforms that supports a strong media ecosystem for the benefit of our clients.
What are your plans for the summer break?
Enjoying a good few weeks with friends and family in the Coromandel - recharging the batteries to hit the ground running in 2024!
We’ve got a 100-day plan that kicks in on January 1 as part of our new three-year strategy.
1. What’s the one word to sum up your mood as we close out 2023 and look forward to 2024?
Māfana (Tongan - an appreciation and gratitude to our community and staff)
2. How would you describe your year?
Immense. We are now 35+ years of Pacific media in Aotearoa. We are still here. Our community is still with us. We are only halfway through our year, we will reflect once we get to Mataliki.
3. What’s the best initiative/project/campaign in your own business - and one that you thought a rival did well?
Recruiting and training 36 Te Rito journalism cadets, most being Māori and Pacific, has made a significant imprint on the sector. Launching a new PMN digital platform and convening a Pacific media sector fono (the first in 10 years). I can’t separate those three achievements.
We don’t have rivals, only collaborators - but I love the new Whakaata Māori training centre, Hawaikirangi.
4. How do you think 2024 will play out for New Zealand media - what’s the biggest priority for you?
Viability - against the backdrop of economic uncertainty. Maintaining relevance to our respective audiences in the face of social polarisation and the likely rapid adoption of generative AI.
5. What’s the biggest issue that keeps you awake at night?
Sustaining ethnic Pacific media sector as a financially equitable space for a Pacific workforce.
6. What’s the biggest mistake media/marketing/advertising people need to avoid in 2024?
Whilst media executives and owners grapple with the impact of Gen AI on IP, control, ownership and sovereignty, audiences generally won’t be thinking about those issues.
Audiences will happily consume (and create) AI content in parallel with consuming human-produced content.
It will be audiences that determine what value is placed on such content, both in monetary terms and usefulness.
We could all be out of jobs in two-three years if the media sector is too slow on collectively preparing a plan for the risks/opportunities posed by Gen AI.
7. What are your plans for the summer break?
Fishing tales, bad golf, out-of-tune guitars, wrong lyrics, wrong chords - having the time of our life with whānau and friends in Rangiputa, i te Tai Tōkerau.
1. What’s the one word to sum up your mood as we close out 2023 and look forward to 2024?
Thoughtful
2. How would you describe your year?
I would say it’s been a solid year for PHD, we have a lot that we can be proud of and we’ve delivered great work with our client partners. Our recent Campaign Asia Agency of the Year win is an excellent way to farewell 2023 and acknowledge our very talented agency team.
3. What’s the best initiative/project/campaign in your own business - and one that you thought a rival did well?
There have been so many pieces of work that we feel proud to have worked on and that showcase the breadth of capability within the agency - a campaign that really stands out is the just-launched Pak’nSave Stickman Summer Internship in collaboration with TVNZ and FCB.
To highlight Pak’nSave’s low-cost positioning Stickman infiltrates his low-cost message across the whole TVNZ business - including airtime, programming integration (linear and on demand), menu boards, classifications, social media and into the real world taking over TVNZ reception with pre-recorded messages.
A smart bit of work that has stood out from another agency is the Coloursteel campaign from Together where satellite imagery and location data helped to identify and target households with roofs that needed to be fixed.
4. How do you think 2024 will play out for New Zealand media - what’s the biggest priority for you?
2024 will still have its challenges, we can expect a continued short market and it’s likely we’ll see some media partner consolidation.
But there is also a lot to be excited about, for a smaller market we have a vibrant local media scene - incredibly strong radio brands, excellent local content and local tech platforms that are world-class. This is such a great industry to be part of, there will always be change and opportunity aplenty.
My biggest priority is ensuring that PHD and the PHD team continue to thrive and that we stay focused on supporting our clients through all their data, technology and media needs.
5. What’s the biggest issue that keeps you awake at night?
This never really changes - it’s always PHD’s people and making sure we have a happy, healthy and engaged team.
6. What’s the biggest mistake media/marketing/advertising people need to avoid in 2024?
As media and audience fragmentation continues alongside cookie deprecation, ensuring our clients have a sound data and technology strategy to deliver a competitive advantage has never been more important.
Those who fail to prioritise it run the risk of playing catch-up or falling behind.
7. What are your plans for the summer break?
We are heading away to Thailand where I am hoping we see loads of sunshine!
1. What’s the one word to sum up your mood as we close out 2023 and look forward to 2024?
Belligerent! What else you got 23?!
2. How would you describe your year?
Gritty.
3. What’s the best initiative/project/campaign in your own business - and one that you thought a rival did well?
Have to say Kiwibank’s This is Kiwi. Grand Effie and Simon Hofmann MOTY. This is their year.
I am frothing on the JD Sports Xmas ad at the moment. Sneakers are culture. JD are sneakers. JD is culture. The bag is the metaphor. Super strategic. Super cool. Made me instantly reappraise the brand. The 90 is overdone but the 30 currently on air is awesome.
4. How do you think 2024 will play out for New Zealand media - what’s the biggest priority for you?
Dynamic! Plenty of change, plenty of challenges. As always, our priorities will be navigating all of this to drive good outcomes for our clients.
5. What’s the biggest issue that keeps you awake at night?
Where do I start with this! So many issues bouncing around, hence awake at night!
6. What’s the biggest mistake media/marketing/advertising people need to avoid in 2024?
I think the key message is balance. Up and down the funnel, across the brand and retail spectrum, when to BAU and when to innovate, when to yoga and when to w(h?!)ine …
What are your plans for the summer break?
Collapse on the beach in the Nui with half of the industry! 😉
Next week: Six more media CEOs.
Who's in line for influential TVNZ role?; $1 sales: Five NZME community newspapers saved.