Last night's Marketing Association Wellington Networking event turned into a big learning and thinking session as 50 people joined hosts Special in their generous office space to hear a raft of perspectives focused on next-level communications for marketing and comms professionals in the capital.
The global work of PR that smashes it at Cannes Kelly Grindle, MD at Special PR, shared his experience as a judge at the Cannes Lions this year and the work that brought in the awards. What resonated loudly, and memorably, as a metaphor from the head of judges, asking: does the work sit in the zoo or jungle camp? (Paraphrased, of course.) In other words, does the work need constant feeding and support to survive, like a zoo animal? Or can it grow a life of its own, like a creature in the wild?
Kelly showcased a wide range of amazing, award-winning work - all of which, I noticed, had grown their audience and performance without paid support. Encourage you to check out the Indian Railway Lottery campaign, which won PR Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2025.
What it means to be a man in Aotearoa today Kathryn Robinson, Executive Director at Verian Group, shared research exploring how masculinity shows up in Aotearoa today.
What struck me is: Why, as a society, are we asking why women aren’t leaving their homes when exposed to domestic abuse? Why aren’t we asking why men aren’t changing?
She spoke to the deeply ingrained expectations placed on men, and what men are actually feeling. “The flip side of the strength-based ‘man rules’ is the spectre of weakness - and shame - when they don’t live up to those rules.” The Insight being, lets give the men of New Zealand tools to encourage and support self acceptance and change.
Sam Prescott of Sixteenth Letter challenged us to consider the integrity behind the voice. With AI-generated content and the circular nature of algorithm-driven media, there’s volume - but is it saying anything that feels real?
He outlined how the combined weight of Gen AI and algorithmic content could very well “crash the system” - and at present, there’s nothing in place to replace it.
As an ex-media person, I found myself wondering: will we return to credible, balanced journalism from traditional media that can be trusted? Do we still trust the news media or has their commercial need to survive watered down their own integrity? Sam sparked us with the idea - Will we return to more genuine, small-community, in-person conversations that are real?
He called on communicators to slow down and do what we do best: be human.
I’d wrap up the event as inspiring, genuine, and truly thought-provoking. Great to see some fresh faces, and hope to see you all at the next Wellington event. Brainy Breakfast 7am 6th August.