Written by
Marketing Association
Mar 13, 2025 4:10:50 PM
Aotearoa’s finest marketing achievements are in the spotlight again as we call for entries to the YouTube NZ Marketing Awards, which celebrate exceptional marketing across strategies, campaigns and individuals.
After a triumphant awards event last year, NZ Marketing magazine and the NZ Marketing Association are thrilled to continue our partnership with YouTube. We are excited to invite marketers nationwide to share how their strategies, innovations and creativity have delivered real results to their businesses and brands.
Caroline Rainsford, Country Director of Google New Zealand, says: “We are thrilled to continue our sponsorship of the YouTube Marketing Awards in New Zealand. At YouTube, we're proud to play a small part in recognising the incredible work that comes out of our local marketing scene. Last year’s work was truly inspiring, so we can’t wait to see this year’s entries. We also can't wait to share more from New Zealand's most loved streaming platform on the night."
The YouTube NZ Marketing Awards showcase the best examples of marketing excellence in New Zealand. They offer recognition over 34 awards in three key areas:
Marketing Excellence Awards celebrate excellence in specific disciplines across different sectors, demonstrating how effective marketing strategy has led to measurable results for a business or brand.
The Marketing Campaign Awards recognise innovative and agile marketing initiatives that have identified short-term opportunities/challenges and delivered tangible results within 12 months or less.
Individual Awards honour marketing professionals who have contributed to a business or brand's overall marketing success, both in the short and long term.
“These awards really are a showcase of the absolute best of Aotearoa’s marketing industry. The level of entries just keeps getting higher – raising the bar for the industry here as a whole,” says Penny Murray, NZ Marketing magazine editor.
“2024 was a landmark year for marketers, showcasing outstanding strategies and campaigns across every sector of our industry. I’m excited to see who has demonstrated true bravery and innovation—and who has reaped the rewards of their bold approach,” says John Miles, CEO of NZ Marketing Association.
The Awards follow a robust judging process led by the NZ Marketing Association and returning Convenor of Judges, Michael Friedberg.
Awards Night last year was an incredible event, when 1000 industry professionals gathered to celebrate the pinnacle of marketing success in Aotearoa. Preparations are already under way for the 2025 event on 3 September at Spark Arena.
This year, the awards are being brought to you by our premier sponsor, YouTube.Key dates for 2025:
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Visit the NZ Marketing website for:
For more details or pictures of last year’s event, email us at events@marketing.org.nz.
For sponsorship opportunities, email Marcus Hawkins-Adams marcus.hawkins@scg.net.nz.
About the Awards
The YouTube NZ Marketing Awards is the only awards programme in the country that focuses on the essential business disciplines and business benefits of great marketing. Now in its 34rd year, the Awards celebrate the collective excellence in creative and strategic thinking that goes into award-winning marketing.
Each year, the Awards recognise how exceptional marketing and marketing professionals shape successful businesses across communication, creativity, design, product development, service experience and internal culture while ensuring that the discipline keeps moving forward.
About NZ Marketing
NZ Marketing magazine brings you essential intel on the worlds of marketing, media and advertising four times a year in print and always online. Our mission is simple: we want to help marketers in Aotearoa excel in their careers – and our print, digital, social and event channels combine to make that happen.
NZ Marketing’s highly skilled team examines complex topics, distilling the key features and presenting valuable information in an easily digestible format. Our journalists work
with industry leaders to deliver expert analysis, useful content and essential insight for
the marketing community. nzmarketingmag.co.nz.
About Marketing Association
The Marketing Association is the only New Zealand industry body dedicated to marketing. It exists to help marketers be brilliant (and these awards reflect how brilliant NZ marketers can be!) through a connected marketing community and world-class education and inspiration. As a membership body, the MA’s role is to help our 8,000+ members develop, connect and have a voice.
MA works tirelessly to show how marketing drives success for organisations of all shapes and sizes. Our members face complexity and pace in their operating environments and the MA partners with them throughout their career to help them keep ahead. marketing.org.nz
About YouTube
Launched in May 2005, YouTube’s mission is to give everyone a voice and show them the world. We believe that everyone deserves to have a voice, and that the world is a better place when we listen, share and build community through our stories. YouTube is a Google company.
2025 categories
The YouTube NZ Marketing Awards celebrate exceptional marketing. In all, 34 Awards are dished out over 32 Award categories in three areas:
Marketing Excellence Awards
The Marketing Excellence Awards recognise excellence in specific disciplines across different sectors. Judges look for entries that demonstrate how effective marketing strategy has led to measurable results for a business/or brand.
Excellence in B2B Marketing Strategy
Open to businesses whose products and services are directed toward other businesses – for example delivery companies, business software companies or business course providers.
Excellence in Brand Transformation Strategy
The judges look for the best example of where marketing helped identify and transform a brand application, resulting in significant lift for the business. This includes master brand, product or service strategy.
Note: The launch must be within the last 12 months – March 2024 onwards.
Excellence in Consumer Products & Services Strategy
Open to companies whose main focus is to market and sell products and/or services for personal consumption by directly engaging and effectively influencing the consumers’ path to purchase. This can include companies specialising in non-FMCG consumer durables, appliances, consumer services and packaged products.
Note: you may not enter this if entered into the Excellence in Fast Moving Consumer Goods Strategy category.
Excellence in Data Insights Strategy
Here judges look for the most outstanding example of a situation where customer/market data was used to provide insights to optimise marketing strategy and performance, design a product or service in fulfilment of a customer need, and/or address retention or acquisition strategy that leads to increase revenue and/or customer satisfaction.
Excellence in Fast Moving Consumer Goods Strategy
Open to companies of all sizes that market products which are purchased on a regular basis, usually inexpensive, and the result of a low-involvement decision-making process.
Note: You may not enter this if entered into the Excellence in Consumer Products & Services Strategy category.
Excellence in Financial & Banking Marketing Strategy
Open to any organisation which provides the market with banking, securities, investments, loans, real estate, credit cards, insurance or other financial products or services.
Excellence in Healthcare/Beauty Marketing Strategy
This category is open to entries from all healthcare, wellness, beauty and pharmaceutical providers, suppliers and resellers (eg gyms, haircare services and providers, pharmacy and natural health products, personal services, retirement homes.)
Excellence in Long-Term Marketing Strategy
This award recognises marketing excellence over a sustained period of no less than three years. The award will go to the company or brand that best demonstrates how a superior marketing strategy, consistently applied, has driven business improvement over time.
Note: You are not eligible to enter the Excellence in Long-Term Marketing Strategy category if you have won this category in the past three years.
Excellence in Marketing Communication Strategy
This award recognises exceptional marketing communications strategy that has delivered brand and/or revenue outcomes. Judges will consider the communications strategy clearly linked to the target audience, channel planning and strategic messaging, with a clear articulation of return on marketing expenditure.
Excellence in MarTech Strategy
This award recognises the successful adoption and use of marketing tools/technology that support the marketing team in meeting strategic objectives, and has clearly documented overall business benefits.
Excellence in New Brand Development
The judges are looking for the best example of commercial success from the creation of a new business, product or service or an entire brand to meet a market need/opportunity.
Note: Only brands/businesses less than three years old are eligible to enter.
Excellence in Not-for-Profit Marketing Strategy
Open to not-for-profit organisations/charities only, whose activities involve fundraising, community services or any other activities.
Note: You may not enter this category if you have entered the Excellence in Public Sector/Government Marketing Strategy category.
Excellence in Public Sector/Government Marketing Strategy
Open exclusively to government departments and state-owned enterprises.
Note: You may not enter this if you entered into the Excellence in Not-for-Profit Marketing Strategy category.
Excellence in Social Purpose Driven Marketing Strategy
The judges are looking for the entry that can best demonstrate how a company’s corporate social responsibility programme has been brought to life through its marketing and communications activities. How this campaign had a positive impact on the purpose. This can include a focus on sustainable growth, brands or campaigns built around a social or environmental issue, or any other purpose-driven marketing activity that has helped improve broader society.
Excellence in Sponsorship Strategy
This category honours and rewards outstanding partnerships of any kind (sports, arts, causes, individuals etc.) and is open to both the recipients of sponsorships and the sponsors themselves. Companies need to demonstrate synergy of the sponsorship with brand values/strategy and business outcomes.
Excellence in Travel/Leisure & Entertainment Marketing Strategy
Open to providers of travel and transportation services (eg airlines, hotels, car rental firms, mass transit systems), tourism providers, cultural attractions, sports, entertainment, venues and vacation properties. Retail and online travel agencies are also included in this category.
Excellence in Utilities/Communications Marketing Strategy
Open to communications and utility companies such as telecommunications carriers, electric/gas power companies, and Internet and broadband service providers.
Marketing Campaign Awards
These awards celebrate campaigns that use innovative and agile marketing. Judges are looking for examples that have identified short-term opportunities/challenges and have delivered measurable outcomes within a 12-month or shorter period.
Best B to B Marketing Campaign
Open to businesses whose products and services are directed toward other businesses – for example, delivery companies, business software companies and business course providers.
Best B to C Marketing Campaign
Open to businesses whose products and services are sold directly to consumers – for example, retail outlets, FMCG or consumer electronics.
Best Data Driven Marketing Campaign
The judges will reward entries that demonstrate where customer/market data has been used to formulate a marketing campaign that resulted in outstanding business results.
Best In-House Marketing Campaign
The judges look for the best example of marketing campaigns that were planned and executed by in-house marketing or creative teams. This could include real-time/social media marketing, branded content campaigns or innovative digital products/brands such as websites, chatbots or CX/customer service solutions.
Best Not-for-Profit Marketing Campaign
Open to not-for-profit organisations/charities. This award is for the best fundraising or community service outcome – for example, planting trees, raising money, saving lives, building homes, funding research.
Note: You may not enter this if you entered into the Best Public Sector/Government Marketing Campaign category.
Best Public Sector/Government Marketing Campaign
Open exclusively to government departments and state-owned enterprises.
Note: You may not enter this if you entered the Best Not-for-Profit Marketing Campaign category.
Best Retail & e-Commerce Marketing Campaign
Open to retail and business operations (digital or bricks and mortar) where most of the revenue comes from direct purchase – for example, supermarkets, online retailers, online insurance providers, fast food restaurants and any other type of retail.
Best Marketing on a Shoestring Budget Campaign
The judges will be looking for the proven effect of a marketing campaign on the success of a business with a total budget of less than $30,000.
Note: Any contra deals need to be included in the budget.
Best Use of Content Marketing Campaign
This award celebrates how exceptional content supports marketing objectives by blending compelling storytelling with strategic execution to achieve significant business outcomes. Open to all industries and content types, from written articles and videos to podcasts and social media posts, this category is about crafting messages that resonate with audiences and deliver measurable returns on investment (ROI). Submissions should demonstrate a clear strategy, content excellence and quantifiable results.
Best Use of Video Marketing Campaign
This award highlights video marketing excellence, where strategy meets storytelling to produce demonstrable marketing outcomes. Open to entries from all industries, this category celebrates videos shared across various channels showcasing an unparalleled ability to engage audiences, compel action, and deliver a measurable return on investment.
Individual Awards
The Individual Awards recognise marketing professionals who have been instrumental in the overall marketing success of a business/brand, both in the short and long-term.
Marketer of the Future
An award open to those at the very beginning of their marketing careers. This will be awarded to the marketer, who with no more than two years’ marketing experience, and three years’ business experience, has been able to make a significant contribution to a marketing project or initiative within their company over the last 12 months.
Note: Applicants must be NZ residents at time of application.
Marketer of the Year
An award to recognise an exceptional marketing professional. The judges are looking for a marketing leader who has demonstrated success in a diverse range of marketing skills and competencies and has achieved outstanding results throughout their marketing career, with an emphasis on measurable achievements in the past 12 months.
Marketing Team of the Year
This award recognises the marketing team that has been instrumental to the success of their organisation. Reinforced by measurable results, demonstrate how your team’s collaborative and strategic approach to marketing has helped transform the performance of your business, within the past 12 months.
Brand of the Year
This award recognises the brand that has made the most significant impact in its market over the past year, building on its previous achievements. The successful brand will exhibit a deep strategic approach, far surpassing mere tactical efforts. It must showcase outstanding share of voice, financial performance, innovation, creativity and consistency. Judges will assess the brand's innovation in its holistic approach, scrutinising how it integrates aspects such as product innovation, pricing strategies, distribution channels, strategic partnerships and inventive promotions. This prestigious award is a testament to the creme de la creme of brand excellence in New Zealand.
Marketing Hall of Fame
An award for individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to the New Zealand marketing industry, who have distinguished themselves in marketing and/or related fields as well as contributed to the betterment of marketing and its reputation. They will have individually motivated others to excel by mentoring, inspiring, training or volunteering and completed their primary careers.
Best of Awards
Overall winners from the Marketing Excellence and Marketing Campaign Award categories.
Best Overall Marketing Campaign Award
Overall winner from the Marketing Campaign Awards.\
Supreme Marketing Excellence Award
Overall winner from the Marketing Excellence Awards.
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