2023 Effie Awards

Kiwibank had a significant perception problem around its expertise and brand relevancy. People liked that the bank’s ‘Kiwi’ heritage, but associated it with nostalgic ‘Kiwiana’ (old school perceptions of New Zealand), which was holding them back from being chosen by New Zealanders. But that’s not what New Zealand is today. The country is modern, progressive, challenging and ambitious. We launched a new brand platform - ‘This is Kiwi’, an idea that repositioned Kiwibank as a symbol of modern progressive New Zealand, turned around the outdated perceptions and delivered record growth.

Skinny believes in low prices, and happy customers. They want fame, but won’t waste their customers' money on frivolous things, like famous brand ambassadors. So in 2022, we open-sourced their brand campaign to the public. The entire country could record Skinny’s new campaign on their mobile…for free. 34 unique radio scripts, on buses and billboards and bar coasters, each one tailored to its location. An OOH campaign that was actually a radio campaign, that delivered a 34% increase in new customers YOY. Our most effective recruitment campaign ever.

New Zealand is one of the most under-insured countries in the world for life insurance. To tackle this, we partnered up with NZ’s most popular ‘murder mystery’ TV show – The Brokenwood Mysteries. In a partnership that pushed the boundaries of what was possible with content integration, we brought the murdered characters back from the dead for one ‘last performance’ that challenged NZers to think about their relationship with life insurance. This inventive use of content captured the attention of NZ and got the nation more interested in life insurance interactive experiences.

We didn’t expect to enter ‘You’re Cooked’ in Short Term Success - fire safety held zero interest for our young ‘Disengaged’ audience, and behavioural change usually takes time. This virtual cookbook of safe, simple recipes, cleverly amplified by a late-night mobile test kitchen activation, produced content so engaging it achieved a CPV of just $0.05, against the TikTok benchmark of $4.80 -$44.80. The perceived risk of cooking whilst inebriated rose immediately, swiftly leading to hugely significant reductions in unattended cooking behaviours – results that will almost certainly save lives.

This campaign asked one simple question. “Who has scored the most goals in international football?” The internet said Cristiano Ronaldo. The facts said Christine Sinclair. We discovered this bias was happening in search across almost every sport, and we created a firestorm around it. Reaching millions, driving thousands to take direct action, uniting the women’s sporting community, supercharging the profile of Team Heroine, and influencing Google to make changes on how it reflects sportswomen’s achievements. The next generation will now grow up with a fairer, more equitable internet.

Christmas 2022 wasn’t merry. Cost-of-living increased demand for Wellington City Mission by 400%. The Mission needed to drive donations, fast. Our solution? Give people the sense donating to The Mission made you part of something bigger: ‘The Silent Night’ — a fundraising event like no other, at an iconic venue. The catch is, nothing happens, and no one goes. The PR achieved $1.49m in earned coverage. The empty event was a sell-out (outselling Guns N’ Roses). With nothing happening, 100% of sales went to those in need — $1m worth of support.

Kiwibank had a significant perception problem around its expertise and brand relevancy. People liked that the bank’s ‘Kiwi’ heritage, but associated it with nostalgic ‘Kiwiana’ (old school perceptions of New Zealand), which was holding them back from being chosen by New Zealanders. But that’s not what New Zealand is today. The country is modern, progressive, challenging and ambitious. We launched a new brand platform - ‘This is Kiwi’, an idea that repositioned Kiwibank as a symbol of modern progressive New Zealand, turned around the outdated perceptions and delivered record growth.

Skinny believes in low prices, and happy customers. They want fame, but won’t waste their customers' money on frivolous things, like famous brand ambassadors. So in 2022, we open-sourced their brand campaign to the public. The entire country could record Skinny’s new campaign on their mobile…for free. 34 unique radio scripts, on buses and billboards and bar coasters, each one tailored to its location. An OOH campaign that was actually a radio campaign, that delivered a 34% increase in new customers YOY. Our most effective recruitment campaign ever.

This campaign asked one simple question. “Who has scored the most goals in international football?” The internet said Cristiano Ronaldo. The facts said Christine Sinclair. We discovered this bias was happening in search across almost every sport, and we created a firestorm around it. Reaching millions, driving thousands to take direct action, uniting the women’s sporting community, supercharging the profile of Team Heroine, and influencing Google to make changes on how it reflects sportswomen’s achievements. The next generation will now grow up with a fairer, more equitable internet.

In 2018, Skinny was struggling. It had lost half its distribution in one go, brand measures were stalling, and revenue was declining. This isn’t just four years of good numbers. It’s a complete comeback story. We reimagined and relaunched the brand, with a new target audience and clear proposition. We convinced New Zealanders that they didn’t have to choose between low prices and high quality. They could ‘Get the Skinny’ instead. Since relaunch, we’ve consistently grown our brand trust, brand consideration, customer base, and revenue; setting Skinny on a path to success.

“Goldstein, go to New Zealand and find out what makes that bank different.”

After leaving the beloved Goldstein in 2010 – ASB spent the next ten years trying to answer that original challenge. This is a redemption story – about a brand that wandered the wilderness trying to find itself. Finally emerging with a quirky couple named Ben and Amy – whose warmth and optimism charmed a nation and reignited the latent love New Zealanders had for ASB - delivering an incredible period of sustained growth for the bank’s bottom line.