http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.moped.org.nz en-us Tue, 08 Sep 2026 14:09:38 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/post/168783/heilala-vanilla/ From humble beginnings to a global success story, Jennifer and Ruby gave Marketing Professionals Bay of Plenty (MoPed) a real behind-the-scenes look at Heilala Vanilla’s brand, marketing, and business journey.In 2002, after Cyclone Waka devastated Tonga, Jennifer’s father, John Ross and his family partnered with a local family in the village of Utungake. Together, they planted a small vanilla plantation that blossomed into Heilala Vanilla - a globally loved brand with its heart in the Pacifi... Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/#post168783 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/post/166975/ma-charity-hackathon/ The Marketing Association, with the support of Meridian Energy and MoPed, hosted the Charity Hackathon in Tauranga, bringing together talented local marketers to brainstorm innovative ways for these volunteer-run charities to promote themselves with limited resources. The Blood Cancer Foundation, Woven Earth, Land Search & Rescue (LandSAR), and Surf Lifesaving NZ make a difference in our local communities, and our marketers are committed to helping them amplify their impact and reach.Some aw... Tue, 30 Jun 2026 10:29:39 +1200 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/#post166975 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/post/165942/marketing-nzs-top-sporting-brands/ A big thank you to Kerry McKenzie for giving us a glimpse into what it takes to nurture one of NZ’s most-loved teams and brands.  We were treated to learning about Kerry’s career journey — the highs and lows, and how she’s now heading the high-performance marketing and brand team at New Zealand Rugby. Kerry was formerly in high-profile FMCG roles, including top dairy and beer brands. Some real highlights included: As marketers, everything we do should be centred around people, and w... Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:17:01 +1200 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/#post165942 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/post/161733/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... Thu, 27 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/#post161733 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/post/161734/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... Thu, 09 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/#post161734 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/post/161739/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... Thu, 17 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/#post161739 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/post/161735/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... Wed, 02 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/#post161735 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/post/161737/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 ... Wed, 05 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/#post161737 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/post/161738/putting-google-ai-to-work-for-you-whats-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... Wed, 13 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/#post161738 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/post/161950/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... Tue, 16 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.moped.org.nz/blog/#post161950