Carol Hirschfeld and 'Amy and Ben' from ASB's latest campaign. Photos / file
Exclusive news and insights from the media industry: Carol Hirschfeld’s top new job at TVNZ; Revealed: The final report from the board that worked on the RNZ-TVNZ merger; nine great global ads - plus Kiwi agencies win big.
For more than a decade, “Ira Goldstein” dominated our screens - the bumbling New York banker who was sent to New Zealand “to find out what makes that bank different”. He featured in about 60 commercials and became an annoying master of the goofy one-liner, such as his infamous “herd (heard) of chickens?”.
For all Goldstein’s many, cringeworthy faults, the advertisements firmly placed ASB in a marketing hall of fame, a position it maintained through the 2010s after Goldstein departed. And today, that continues with the softer, modern-day appeal of “Ben and Amy”, and their emotional exploits as a young couple. Over the past two years, in various public surveys, Ben and Amy have been voted top or near top as people’s favourite ad campaign, often alongside Trustpower’s three-legged dog, one-legged owner.
Now, one of the biggest deals to help distribute that ASB campaign, and lead the strategy for others, is up for grabs as the bank consolidates all its media services – strategy, planning, buying, analysis and reporting – into one contract, dealing with tens of millions of dollars of advertising spend.
At least five agencies are understood to have been shortlisted following a call for expressions of interest: incumbent Dentsu; Together; Dynamo; Group M; and FCB Media. In other words, a relatively long shortlist – and one that reflects huge interest in the multimillion-dollar contract.
For ad agencies it’s a big deal: the successful bidder would likely need to bring in dozens of new staff.
“Everyone wants a bank,” says one media insider. “They spend so much, and it’s stable money, even in an economic downturn.”
Some of the agencies will walk a very careful path during the tender process, especially any that already have links with banks. They won’t want to risk fallout with existing clients. A sixth agency, who Media Insider was told was on the list, insists it’s not. Things can move rather rapidly in this space.
Sources say Group M may have an inside running, given its Australian parent looks after ASB owner Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Group M Australasia CEO Aimee Buchanan – like many of the leaders at the other agencies – didn’t wish to comment, citing “a confidential process”.
ASB itself was also reluctant to comment on the next phase of the selection process and the criteria. It did confirm that Ben and Amy would remain at the centre of its creative execution.
In a statement earlier this month, ASB chief marketing officer Helen Fitzsimons said strong agency support and expertise would be key as the bank met changing customer needs.
“It’s an exciting time at ASB, with a transformational agenda unlike ever before in our history. As part of this transformation, we want to mature our marketing capability through people, data and technology to be best-in-class and deliver end-to-end marketing solutions for our customers and future customers.
“In support of these ambitions, we’re looking to consolidate our agency roster and appoint a single media agency partner. With full view of our marketing funnel, we’re looking for a partnership that will challenge and support ASB to continually improve its capability, efficiency and performance, ensuring ASB and its customers stay one step ahead, now and in the future.”
One of Today FM’s highest-profile casualties and best-known names, Carol Hirschfeld, has a new role at TVNZ.
The experienced and highly respected journalist and media executive has joined the state broadcaster on a six-month contract, initially to lead the Sunday team as executive producer Jane Skinner takes an extended break.
“When Jane returns in a few months, Carol will work on our election coverage for the later part of this year,” a TVNZ spokeswoman said.
Hirschfeld is already busy at work and emailed Media Insider later last night: “I have been welcomed back with a great deal of warmth - it’s been very uplifting.”
Hirschfeld has one of the most varied CVs in New Zealand media, with earlier roles at RNZ, TVNZ, TV3, Stuff, Whakaata Māori and the Auckland Star. She was executive producer for Tova O’Brien’s Today FM breakfast show at MediaWorks.
Her new role comes as a sizeable number of former Today FM and MediaWorks news staff find new roles in the industry. Many of them have also put MediaWorks on notice, legally, about the way their contracts were ended.
NZME has snapped up Hannah Filmer to be a producer at Newstalk ZB; Jeremy Pickford as executive producer for Radio Hauraki’s Matt and Jerry breakfast show and Brin Rudkin as a part-time newsreader.
RNZ has employed four ex-MediaWorks staff – journalists Emma Stanford, Monique Steele and Delphine Herbert and producer Ella Prendergast.
Newshub has hired Lloyd Burr for its political press gallery.
As well as Hirschfeld, TVNZ has hired Tom Day as line-up producer for Breakfast.
Duncan Garner and his Today FM producer Dave Hull have stayed with MediaWorks to produce a weekday podcast, and it is understood MediaWorks is speaking to other talent, including Mark Richardson and Leah Panapa, about similar podcast roles.
Meanwhile, as Media Insider reported last night, the exodus at MediaWorks executive level continues.
Chief financial officer Skye Daniels will leave in the “coming months” after accepting a new role as CFO at Southern Cross Health Insurance, MediaWorks’ acting chief executive Wendy Palmer told staff in an internal email.
Daniels follows three other executives out the door in recent weeks: chief executive Cam Wallace, director of news and talk Dallas Gurney and chief people officer Paula Williams. Those departures come amid the highly publicised closure of Today FM, and the fallout with top stars and staff over the way the process and their redundancies were handled.
Palmer told staff that Daniels joined in early 2022 when the business was considering an initial public offering (IPO). “With an IPO unlikely in the near term, Skye has decided to take the next step in her career with this challenging role.”
She thanked Daniels for her “considerable contribution” and “steady hand at a time of considerable economic uncertainty for the business”.
TVNZ and RNZ are “financially vulnerable”, with forecast revenue set to drop more than $100 million annually in the next 10 years and costs rising by almost the same, says a report for the broadcasting minister.
The establishment board that was responsible for navigating the merger of the two public broadcasters has made several recommendations in light of the plan being dumped, including aligning editorial policies and introducing formal cooperation and coordination between the two newsrooms.
It also wants to see TVNZ return to having a public media charter “even at the cost of commercial returns”.
The Strong Public Media Establishment Board, headed by Tracey Martin and featuring a range of well-known names, says the challenges facing public media have not disappeared with the decision to stop the merger: “In fact, throughout our work, they have only become more obvious.”
Those challenges include intense global competition for audiences and revenue, changing audience behaviour and business-model cost pressures.
“Modelling done for the establishment board last year concludes that, without change, RNZ and TVNZ are financially vulnerable given the gap between their revenues and costs,” says the board’s final report to Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson.
The document has been released ‘proactively’ following an Official Information Act request by Media Insider.
“Over the 10 years from 2023-24 to 2032-33, the modelling showed RNZ and TVNZ’s costs exceeded revenues by $1.63 billion. Combined revenue was forecast to decline from $379m in 2024 to $267m in 2033, while costs were projected to rise from $439m to $523m over the decade.”
Sources told Media Insider that TVNZ has a different – “more positive” – view of the financial outlook, while Jackson has also announced a funding boost for RNZ in recent weeks.
The board said news and current affairs were a “cornerstone of public media”.
Under “quick wins”, it recommended:
Under enhancing editorial standards, the board says: “Our public media must lift standards and be transparent with the public about this. The BBC, for example, has published its editorial policies and how it will measure against those.”
It said news was central to TVNZ’s business – both for audience and revenue – “but it should be able to clearly differentiate itself from other commercial news media. For example, it could clearly differentiate between sponsored/advertorial content versus news and current affairs”.
The establishment board said both organisations were strong in news – “it is the area with the greatest cultural capability”.
“However, greater collaboration would better utilise resources, provide New Zealanders greater coverage of national events (eg, national disasters and elections) and help look after a journalist workforce that is having to operate in increasingly difficult conditions.”
That would also help provide greater regional news coverage “and possibly more significant New Zealand media presence in key overseas locations”.
Right now, TVNZ and RNZ operate strictly separate newsrooms, talent and programmes. Virtually nothing is shared. A TVNZ reporter and crew will turn up at the same press conference as an RNZ team.
Outgoing TVNZ chair Andy Coupe said last week it was critical the new board confirmed the existing board’s “all-of-business” transformation and digital strategy so as to avoid a Kodak or Nokia moment. Coupe said he would not seek reappointment as chair after June 30, a decision he relayed to officials a year ago.
Coupe was a member of the merger establishment board, which also recommended that the government build on TVNZ’s current digital investment plans.
“We need a world-class digital platform for public media,” said the board report. “It is a costly investment and the best result for New Zealand is if it is accessible by a range of local media.”
Under governance and monitoring, the board noted that while TVNZ produced public media content it was not governed by a charter like RNZ.
“Its predominantly commercial focus constrains but does not prevent its ability to make content available that meets the needs of underserved audiences and extends provision beyond current audiences.
“If the Government wants TVNZ to play a more significant public media role, it could:
The board’s final report also describes a “critical gap” in the provision of children’s programming.
“There is a risk this will deteriorate further without intervention.”
Because it wasn’t commercially attractive, this content was not “getting the visibility or reach with audiences that it needs”.
It also urged the Government to give RNZ “the operational funding it needs to do its job and the capital to maintain the AM network”.
Earlier last month, Jackson announced a $25.7m annual boost for RNZ – $12m to maintain public media services, $12m for digital initiatives and $1.7m for AM transmission.
He, too, is a big supporter of TVNZ and RNZ working more closely together.
“My hope is that RNZ and TVNZ work in tandem together,” Jackson told Media Insider. “They’ve been working too separately for too long. Now that we’re not going to bring them together formally, there’s no reason why they can’t work together in a collaborative way, complementing and supporting each other.
“A lot of people were on both sides. You know, you look at people like Corin Dann, Guyon Espiner, Jack Tame, Kim Hill. These people have worked on Television New Zealand and RNZ. And Mike Hosking … dare I say it, Mike Hosking!
“Why isn’t it possible to think there can’t be a complementary strategy with RNZ and TVNZ? I just know that these entities can work better together going forward.”
Aside from Martin and Coupe, other members of the establishment board were Michael Anderson, Barbara Dreaver, Bailey Mackey, Jim Mather, Peter Parussini, John Quirk and Aliesha Staples.
I loved a recent post from marketing guru George Mack on Twitter, in which he highlighted 13 of the best ads of all time. I’ve whittled them down to nine – and the chance for you to vote for your favourite.
It also had me thinking about local examples from over the years - what are your favourites?
Congratulations to Special and OMD, big winners at the Campaign Agency of the Year global competition.
Special swept up three prizes – gold for Best Creative Agency, silver for Best Creative Independent Agency and bronze for Best Network: Asia Pacific.
“I want to thank all of our clients (past & present) for pushing us, teaching us, and sharing our ambition to do the world’s best work. You constantly say ‘yes’ to innovative thinking. And that truly inspires us to keep trying harder,” Special founder Tony Bradbourne said on LinkedIn.
OMD won a silver medal for Best Media Agency. “Literally top two in the world,” says OMD CEO Nigel Douglas.
In a LinkedIn post, OMD said: “This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our talented team, as well as the trust and support of our valued clients. We are truly grateful for this achievement, and it motivates us to continue delivering exceptional media solutions that drive results and exceed expectations.”
Our intrepid political editor Claire Trevett with the inside word from Parliament.
* Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.
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