Agency Category: Australia/New Zealand Agency 2025

In a year marked by economic recession and industry contraction, our 31-person independent agency chose reset over retreat. We reframed our brand around one powerful promise – We Make It Easier – and re-engineered our business to deliver on it.

We were the first NZ media agency to adopt a four-day in-office week, creating a culture that lifted productivity, collaboration, and retention while attracting senior talent. We invested in strategy, tools, and training, doubled down on Attention Planning, and took a leadership role in the industry conversation.

The results speak loudly: revenue and profitability grew through deepened client relationships, staff engagement reached record highs, and we were acknowledged by international judges and auditors as NZ Beacon Awards Agency of the Year 2025. In a market dominated by scale, we proved a small indie can lead in effectiveness, creativity, and impact – and build a future-fit model for the industry.

In one of the toughest economic years on record, OMD New Zealand has thrived proving the power of media to transform businesses creatively, culturally, and commercially. By diversifying our offering, we unlocked new revenue streams while consistently delivering work of the highest quality and impact.

Our proprietary OMNI platform enabled intelligence-led creativity at scale, powering campaigns from redefining sports engagement with 2degrees’ Aupiki Rugby sponsorship on TikTok to sparking vital national conversations with the Ministry of Social Development. Alongside this, we stood up a significant thought leadership programme defining what marketing looks like now, and anticipating what comes next, cementing our role as industry visionaries.

At the heart of this success is our culture. By empowering talent through ownership and collective responsibility, we unlocked the full potential of our people to deliver work that matters.

Resilient, innovative, and ambitious – OMD New Zealand is leading the way.

We Create What’s Next.”

In a year when disruption defined New Zealand’s media and business landscape, PHD Aotearoa turned challenge into an unfair advantage for our clients. With budgets under pressure, media brands closing and AI reshaping the industry, we chose to play to win, giving clients confidence, optimism and action when it mattered most.

Our work redefined categories: New World grew Christmas sales by $13.9M through a search-led transformation, ANZ empowered entrepreneurs with data-led insight, and PAK’nSAVE became a cultural icon with PAK’nRAVE, winning Beacons Gold and global recognition.

Behind the work, we delivered +7.2% revenue growth, 96% client retention, 24 promotions, and industry leadership across boards, judging and community initiatives. From results in market to recognition on global stages, PHD Aotearoa proved that Playing to Win is more than a philosophy, it is how we create an unfair advantage for clients, our people and the industry.

In a year defined by economic crisis and disruptive change, DDB Aotearoa reimagined digital agency leadership through relentless innovation. Faced with shrinking budgets and the rise of generative AI, we transformed our business model—moving beyond campaign delivery to create pioneering digital products and platforms. Our intelligent solutions, like WeWrangle.ai, ScamProof, and Homescan, are now driving growth and transformation for leading brands in New Zealand, Australia, and across the globe. By expanding our influence regionally and globally, and blending world-class storytelling with data science, we’ve secured major new business—including McDonald’s Global and Kroger in the US. Our work has delivered record-breaking engagement, dozens of international awards and an impressive increase in digital revenue. With a culture grounded in creativity, inclusion, and talent development, we’ve set new standards for what’s possible – proving that innovation isn’t just our response to adversity, but our blueprint for the future.

In a year when disruption defined New Zealand’s media and business landscape, PHD Aotearoa turned challenge into an unfair advantage for our clients. With budgets under pressure, media brands closing and AI reshaping the industry, we chose to play to win, giving clients confidence, optimism and action when it mattered most.

Our work redefined categories: New World grew Christmas sales by $13.9M through a search-led transformation, ANZ empowered entrepreneurs with data-led insight, and Genesis delivered a 41% increase in EV signups at a time the category declined by 20%.

Behind the work, we delivered +7.2% revenue growth, 96% client retention, 24 promotions, and industry leadership across boards, judging and community initiatives. From results in market to recognition on global stages, PHD Aotearoa proved that Playing to Win is more than a philosophy, it is how we create an unfair advantage for clients, our people and the industry.