Each year, StopPress asks a group of talented professionals in the local industry for their reflections on the year that was. Brought to you by NZME, this year we speak to individuals who made their mark on 2022 and brought us truely impactful work.
Her first year back in Aotearoa after living abroad, Bridget Bucknell-Whalley, Head of Strategy and Planning at Together NZ, shares her impressions of the year that was and prepares for a 2023 filled with running and perfecting the art of the dirty martini.
2022 summed up in three words…
Hectic, surprising, vaccinated
A personal achievement I’m most proud of in 2022…
Returning home to New Zealand after so long and starting to build a life back here. I also found working with Auckland Pride on their campaign for next year incredible. A big thank you to everyone involved in that.
Together has won many, many awards this year, but the one that stands out the most is…
I can’t take a lot of the credit for the work done on the award-winning campaigns before my time, but the team’s work for AIA was worth its weight in gold.
For me, it was the Agency of the Year win at Beacons. Fresh back from London, just standing on that stage with a fantastic bunch of people and knowing something extraordinary is happening here…
I will remember 2022 as the year…
The Louis Theroux rap was my most played song on Spotify.
How did this year’s events change the way you approach your strategy work?
A lot happened this year, but change and adapting to that change is part of the job – that is strategy.
Moving to Together, my first job in an indie, was the single most significant change in my work in 2022. The freedom to build things from scratch and break away from big agency thinking, with nothing to shackle ideas or innovation.
Who did great things strategy-wise this year?
I must credit my old agency team and ITV clients back in the UK. The launch of ITVX was years in the making, building the product from the ground up – it is fantastic to see that thinking and all that work come to life from afar.
What were the biggest lessons brands learned in 2022?
Just because it is shiny and new does not mean it’s right for your brand.
Best innovation/invention/launch of 2022…
Shelter – The Good Fire work by Above+Beyond; I loved that.
Biggest mistake marketers will make in 2023…
Become paralysed by indecision
A person who inspired me the most this year was…
My partner – for landing in New Zealand and making the absolute most of year one.
In 2023 I want to perfect the art of…
Running and extra dirty vodka martinis
Quick fire 10
Most memorable local campaign: A recent one but The Real Nurses campaign we just wrapped with Curative
Favourite international campaign: Bodyform Womb Stories
Campaign I wish I worked on: Channel 4 Paralympics
Best news of 2022: Lots of engagements, new jobs, houses, and babies
Biggest flop of 2022: The UK political system
Top artist on Spotify Wrapped: Glass Animals
Best part of being back in the office: The humans
A 2022 trend I’m looking forward to leaving behind: NFTs
Furthest place travelled in 2022: Malaysia
Best book I read in 2022: Sea of Tranquillity by Emily St. John Mandel
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