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Marketing that moves: Lessons in leadership and brand brilliance

The Marketing That Moves session brought together three standout voices shaping the future of marketing in New Zealand. Frankie Coulter, Head of Marketing at Goodman Fielder NZ, led the discussion, reflecting on how he revitalised heritage brands like Vogel’s, Meadow Fresh and Edmonds through a people-first, commercially creative approach.Frankie was joined by award-winning marketers Jen Jones (Excellence in New Brand Development for Meadow Fresh Quick Brekkie) and Simran Wadhawan (Marketer of...

Tauranga regional place brand project session

Tauranga’s creative and marketing community came together at the University of Waikato Tauranga Campus to help shape the region’s first-ever place brand. The session brought marketers, communicators and researchers into one room to share what they believed made Tauranga distinctive and full of potential. Guests took part in guided group discussions, chatted with the team behind Our Tauranga Region, and explored new perception research about how the region is currently viewed. A short presen...

Bedpost - You can sleep on it!

We recently hosted an inspiring session with Julia Doak, national franchisor for Bedpost, and it was certainly a crowd favourite.Julia took us on a journey through the bold decisions that shaped her career, from sneaking into a Wellington nightclub at 17, to landing her first job at BNZ by walking in wearing a school uniform.She shared stories from her days trading BNZ’s US Dollar portfolio during Desert Storm, where she was one of only four women in a room of 70 men. The high-pressure environ...

A toast to 50 years of great Kiwi advertising

We had an energising start to the morning on Wednesday, 2 April, as the Marketing Association and MoPeD hosted “A toast to 50 years of great New Zealand Advertising” with Marketing Association CEO, John Miles.The session took us on a nostalgic yet insightful journey through five decades of New Zealand’s most memorable campaigns. John unpacked the creative thinking behind these iconic ads and highlighted the seven traits that have shaped truly exceptional advertising in New Zealand. The mor...

DayBreak Festival of Innovation - 2025

DayBreak Festival of Innovation 2025 on 5th March brought Tauranga’s innovation community together for a fast paced, energising day all about Doing Innovation. The festival delivered a mix of inspiring speakers, hands-on workshops and plenty of moments to connect with local people who are genuinely pushing ideas forward.Throughout the day, attendees got to try new tools, explore fresh thinking and swap real-world experiences. Conversations flowed well beyond the sessions, with the city centre ...

Putting Google AI to work for you – What’s next with Google?

Rob Coyne, Strategic Agency Manager at Google New Zealand, joined us to unpack how AI is reshaping the marketing landscape and why now marked a major turning point for the industry. While the core purpose of marketing hadn’t changed, Rob highlighted how the way businesses connected with consumers was shifting rapidly — and how Google’s AI tools were helping marketers keep pace.Rob walked through how businesses could use Google AI to drive profitable growth by reaching the right custom...

AI meets marketing

We had a fantastic day diving into the world of AI powered marketing at the Marketing Association’s ‘AI Meets Marketing’ masterclass. Designed specifically for marketers, the workshop focused on helping teams build practical skills, gain hands-on experience, and develop the strategic confidence needed to start using AI tools right away.The session was led by Peter Mangin, a longtime innovator in AI and marketing. With more than 25 years’ experience, including over 15 years in senior adve...

How AI imagery is shaking up traditional marketing

Thanks to everyone who joined MoPed and the Marketing Association for an inspiring session with Steve Ballantyne from Brand IQ. Steve delivered an engaging, thought provoking look at how AI generated imagery had already begun transforming the marketing landscape. During the session, Steve walked us through real examples of how Brand IQ had used AI imagery across sectors such as travel, professional services, construction, and food technology. He showed how AI had helped solve creative challenges...

Big picture thinking

We recently hosted an engaging and entertaining session with David Downs from New Zealand Story, and it turned out to be an inspiring afternoon of insights, humour, and big-picture thinking. Over drinks and nibbles, attendees had the chance to connect with David, who brought his unique blend of business leadership, creativity and sharp wit to the room. As the CEO of New Zealand Story, and a director on several boards including Chair of The Icehouse, David shared his perspective on why New Zealan...

The importance of accessibility in our marketing

In this session, we had the pleasure of hearing from communications and PR expert Sarah Jesson, who shared her journey working alongside Deaf Aotearoa to promote the use of New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL).Sarah highlighted how small actions, like learning and using a few basic signs, can make a meaningful difference in creating a more inclusive New Zealand. The message was simple but powerful: when more hearing New Zealanders give signing a go, the Deaf community feels more seen, valued, and in...

The export marketing journey

Kids Ride Shotgun's Dan Neklan and Cath Hosking (Head of Marketing and eCommerce) hosted MOPED from for an engaging session held at their premises at Mount Maunganui that walked us through the company’s six year growth story, told entirely from the perspective of their marketing team. Over drinks and nibbles, Dan and Cath shared how Kids Ride Shotgun went from a startup with marketing handled by just one person (Dan) to a thriving global brand supported by a high performing team.  They t...

Brand transformation at Turners Auto Retail

At our September session, we enjoyed an engaging and insightful talk from Sean Wiggins, General Manager of Marketing at Turners Auto Retail.  Sean took us through the remarkable transformation journey of Turners, New Zealand’s largest car retailer, and how the company reshaped both its brand and its culture to thrive in a noisy, highly competitive market. Sean explained how Turners’ renewed focus on vision, values, and purpose helped anchor the organisation and pave the way for one of t...

TrustPower's 'Blue' campaign

We heard from Carolyn Schofield, former Head of Brand at TrustPower, who took us behind the scenes of the famous ‘Blue’ campaign — the ad with the three legged dog that went on to become New Zealand’s most loved ad of 2022.  Carolyn showed how a simple, emotional story transformed an everyday utility brand and proved that even electricity can feel meaningful when wrapped in the right narrative. She explained that the real win wasn’t just making the nation tear up, it was building ...

Evergreen Garden Care

We kicked off our first post pandemic MoPed event with an inspiring session from Gemma Hignett, Marketing & Product Development Manager at Evergreen Garden Care NZ.  A longtime marketing professional and former MoPed committee member, Gemma brought her passion for sustainability and brand purpose to the room. Gemma shared how organisations and brands had a real opportunity to lead positive change by embedding sustainability into products, services, and operations—well before regulatio...

Frucor Suntory

Tania Bui didn’t shy away from the messy bits. Speaking to a packed room at Trinity Wharf, the Director of Marketing Excellence & Delivery at Frucor Suntory, took us through the 21-year journey of V Energy — the wins, the missteps, and the uncomfortable truths hidden behind years of big budgets. ‘V’ launched in the late ’90s as a fast follower to Red Bull and quickly became a cultural staple. With catchy campaigns and rapid innovation thanks to local manufacturing, the brand domina...

OBO: Hockey goalie gear on the world stage

Simon Barnett, founder of OBO and marketing lecturer at Massey University, shared the remarkable story behind one of Palmerston North’s most successful niche brands.OBO turned 25 this year, and Simon walked us through how a small, committed team built a globally recognised leader in hockey goalie protection. Despite being based in Palmerston North and operating in a tiny market, OBO now sells into 72 countries. At the Rio Olympics, every female field hockey goalie wore OBO gear, along wit...

Marketing Mount Ruapehu

You couldn’t have asked for a better combo: the Marketing Manager of Mt Ruapehu, Broken Shed Vodka, and the stunning Tauranga Art Gallery. From the moment things kicked off, we were treated to passionate Kiwis who genuinely love what they do. Broken Shed Vodka set the tone with their story — born in an actual broken shed on the shores of Lake Wānaka and now a global brand making waves in the US. And yes, the vodka with ginger ale was seriously good. Then came Matt McIvor from Mt Ruapehu, wh...

SwipedOn: How a simple idea turned into a global success

At our latest MoPed event, Paul Hansen from SwipedOn shared how a simple idea turned into a global success story.SwipedOn started as a digital replacement for the old paper visitor book, and grew into a full visitor management platform used worldwide. With strong growth and a clear market position, the company was eventually acquired for $11m by UK-based Smartspace Software PLC.Paul, who brought nearly 20 years of international marketing and product experience, talked about the power of focusing...

Ace the gram

We had a feeling this session with Viv and Tash from Ace the Gram was going to be good — and it absolutely delivered. If you follow them on Instagram, you already know they’re the real deal. They’ve spent years testing, tweaking, and mastering what works on the platform, and with a combined following of over 100,000, the results speak for themselves. Key takeaways: Instagram vs. FacebookEven though Instagram sits under the Meta umbrella, it behaved very differently. Instagram offered aroun...

Bobux

Amy took us on a lively ride through her nonlinear career journey, perfectly captured by her nod to Ronan Keating’s “Life is a rollercoaster.”  From corporate roles at Carter Holt Harvey and Taura Natural Ingredients, to work within government agencies like NZTE and Wellington City Council, to a stint overseas, Amy’s path has been anything but straight. Today, she’s helping steer Bobux, the New Zealand children’s footwear brand known for podiatrist approved, health-first shoes. ...

Clicking with Kiwis

We had the pleasure of hearing from Mel Lee, founder of Backchat Media and Digital Strategist at WAVE, who broke down how uniquely Kiwis use the internet.  One standout insight was that New Zealanders are so careful with mobile data that video viewing jumped by 65% later in the evenings, right when more of us were safely at on home wifi. Mel reminded us just how much information is out there about digital marketing, and how easy it is to feel overwhelmed or spend time and budget on tactics ...

Dissecting digital

Digital marketing can feel overwhelming, but Mel Lee made it all seem a whole lot clearer. We gathered at BNZ, where Mel, an experienced, straight-shooting digital marketer, shared a fast-paced stream of insights to help us navigate today’s social platforms.  Here were the key takeaways. Facebook still reigns supremeMel reminded us that despite the hype around newer platforms, Facebook (and Messenger) continued to dominate attention. With people spending around 21 hours a week on the plat...

The power of culture when shaping a brand

At our recent session, we had the pleasure of hearing from Helen Camilleri, who shared an inspiring look into the power of culture in shaping a brand. Helen began by reflecting on her time at LEGO®, where she and every new employee were taken through a symbolic “birth” into an oversized world called The Land of Childhood. The idea was simple but brilliant—immerse adults in a child’s perspective so they could truly understand the essence of the brand. It was fun, memorable, and deeply in...

Building a brand to represent an entire country

Rebecca Smith joined us to share what it really takes to build a brand that represents an entire country, and she delivered a masterclass in practical, people-centred marketing. Rebecca walked us through the 14 lessons she’s learned while shaping New Zealand’s national brand. At the heart of it all was one message: ‘Great marketing is really about great relationships’. She talked about the importance of understanding the leader you work for and earning trust early. Instead of charging in...

How vision, science, and collaboration come together

Phil joined us to share the remarkable story behind one of New Zealand’s most innovative natural products companies.  He walked us through how NZ Manuka Group took some of the country’s most iconic natural resources — seaweed, Manuka leaves, and nectar collected by bees, and transformed them into a diverse range of high-value consumer and medical-grade products. These include laboratory-grade agar and biomedia, UMF-certified Manuka honey, natural health products, and Manuka oil that i...