Media Insider: Fans fume over Scotty Stevenson’s ‘Jabba’ jibe at Boks coach Rassie Erasmus; MediaWorks cuts roles as it faces defining moment; Secrets of famous Lotto TV ad

On his Senz breakfast radio show last week, Stevenson compared Erasmus with two of Hollywood’s biggest villains – in every sense of the word – Jabba the Hutt, from Star Wars, and Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, from Dune.

Some South African fans took umbrage with Stevenson’s comments, made in the wider context of Erasmus’ behaviour in the lead-up to the first test against the All Blacks and in particular, the way veteran lock Eben Etzebeth was first ruled out and then in for the match, after overcoming an apparent serious injury.

Stevenson is also currently co-hosting TVNZ’s Paralympics coverage and is one of the most considered people in media – frankly, he’d be the last person to target someone’s physical appearance.

On his radio show that he co-hosts with former All Black Dagg last Friday, ahead of the first test, Stevenson described Erasmus as acting like a villainous emperor.

“The one thing I noticed in the press conferences this week and the video coverage... is it just me, or is Rassie Erasmus looking every day more like Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, leader of the House of Harkonnen from Dune? Like, seriously, what’s going on?

“How much Klippies [brandy] and coke has he been on?

“Honestly, he’s just sitting there and he reminds me of, and this is not a weight issue, but he had the countenance of Jabba the Hutt, sort of a man just holding court and just knowing that he was the boss of his empire in that moment. It is really strange.”

He said there was no way that Etzebeth could be ruled out with a serious MCL injury – and then the next day be okay to start from the bench.

“So the one thing I’d say about that is, you know, it’s one thing to play games, it’s another to just straight out lie about your team list,” Stevenson opined.

“I find that a little bit strange, especially given where sport is and the decisions people are making around sports. And I think, you know where I’m getting at for those listeners at home. You know, it’s just gaming the system.

“I know he’s treated as king in South Africa, but gee he treads a line, doesn’t he?”

On Monday morning, following criticism from some South African fans on social media, Stevenson issued an apology – to fans of Star Wars and Dune.

“To the fans of and the casting crew and the producers of Dune and Star Wars, you have my heartfelt apologies for making such an unfair comparison to Springbok[s] coach Rassie Erasmus.

“I compared his behaviour to the villainous aspects of Baron Harkonnen and Jabba the Hutt. I didn’t compare his weight to those two characters and that assertion is completely out of line from all of those who believe that Rassie Erasmus is the most untouchable man in rugby.

“I thought the Springboks wholeheartedly deserved to win that test on the weekend, but please don’t tell me that Rassie is a man who’s gone through life as a kind-hearted soul, the man is ruthless. We know that. And if you want evidence, talk to any match official over the last four years and they will tell you. Anyway, that’s my apology to fans of Star Wars and Dune this morning.”

Erasmus responded on social media.

“Hi Izzy & Scotty,” he wrote.

“Hope you guys are doing well. Nice to see Izzy you involved in a podcast man, really happy that the tough times are behind you. Scotty I am not sure if it is the Sumo I knew, If it is you look great and healthy man. Lekka.”

Stevenson told Media Insider: “Rassie is a colourful coach with – like all coaches at the top level – a ruthless streak, and comparing him to a couple of cinematic villains is hardly more than a gentle lampooning of his larger-than-life style.

“To assert this tongue-in-cheek segment of the show was in any way an attack on the man’s personal health condition is patently ludicrous.

“Both Izzy and I have crossed paths with Rassie and he’s been in touch with us at the show to say hi, and to line up a time to catch-up with us after the Rugby Championship.

“We realise he is like a God to South African fans and a handful had quite the visceral response to the segment. May they continue to worship the great man with their customary passion.”

Big shake-up at MediaWorks

Up to 18 MediaWorks commercial staff – including several senior leaders – have been involved in a restructuring proposal, with some set to leave the business.

The proposed changes come as the radio and outdoor advertising firm faces one of the most defining periods in its history in the coming weeks.

By the end of the month, it should know whether it has retained or gained any of the lucrative Auckland Transport outdoor advertising contracts, worth hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade.

Depending on which way the contracts fall – MediaWorks is one of at least five big outdoor advertising firms vying for the deals – the company could be losing more staff, or employing dozens more.

In the meantime, staff within its commercial division are being taken through a restructuring process.

Media Insider understands that up to 18 staff members are affected, although the company refuses to say how many net job losses there might be.

MediaWorks is looking to disestablish some roles and create new ones, with an overall net saving.

“Like other media businesses, MediaWorks continues to evolve and adapt with the changing market,” said a spokeswoman.

“As part of this process, we are reviewing the structure of some of our functions to ensure we are in the best shape to meet customers’ needs now and into the future. The proposals include changes of reporting lines, the disestablishment of some roles and the creation of new roles. These discussions are confidential and we do not intend to comment publicly while we work through the proposals together.”

One MediaWorks source said there was a lot of anger, stress and upset within teams - “the environment is terrible” - but other sources paint a brighter picture.

MediaWorks operates a suite of entertainment radio brands including The Breeze, The Rock, More FM and The Sound and an outdoor advertising business.

Its radio stations perform well, from an audience viewpoint, with a 52.4% share of the commercial market.

But in May, the company posted a net after-tax loss of $107.1 million after an impairment of $86.5m – it insisted at the time that its “turnaround” was on track, despite a challenging economy and media market.

For the second consecutive year, auditors said “material uncertainties” existed which cast “significant doubt” on MediaWorks’ ability to operate as a going concern but the company said at the time this was before refinancing was completed and it was confident it had the capital to deliver the company’s strategy.

The company said “existing debt facilities were amended with the support of our shareholders and lenders shortly after the finalisation of our FY23 accounts”.

In those accounts released in May, MediaWorks posted ebitda of $34.6m (up from $34.4m last year) and a net loss before tax of $14.2m (compared with a $9.7m net loss before tax last year).

The MediaWorks spokeswoman told Media Insider: “There is no truth to the suggestion that we are scaling back on the audio side of the business. MediaWorks is the leading commercial radio network, with our share of the market growing to 52.4% in the latest GFK survey. We continue to invest in our audio teams and technology to build on our audience growth and have a number of exciting developments in the pipeline.”

Auckland Transport contracts

A MediaWorks source said leaders were nervously awaiting the outcome of the new Auckland Transport (AT) outdoor advertising contracts.

“They are very, very anxious. If that AT contract goes, it will be a real shocker from a business viewpoint,” said one MediaWorks source. “Everyone is on tenterhooks about that.”

As reported in Media Insider last year, two of the firms with the biggest to lose – or gain – are oOh!media, which has the current contract for bus shelters, and MediaWorks, which has the contract for bus exteriors and some billboards.

If MediaWorks successfully snares the bus-shelter contract, it will need to gear up its resources substantially.

The five separate outdoor contracts – for the likes of bus stops, buses and trains, and train stations – come into effect from January next year.

The contracts have been subject to hugely competitive pitches, with AT set to announce the successful bidders by the end of September or early October.

The firms who win contracts will be set for the next 10 years; some who miss out might well face an uncertain future.

Marketing changes

Two senior marketing roles were also recently disestablished at MediaWorks and a new chief marketing officer role has been created.

The recommendation for the new role followed work by former MediaWorks and New Zealand Rugby (NZR) senior leader Charlotte McLauchlan, who MediaWorks hired as a consultant in February 2024.

“Charlotte spoke to a large number of employees about current processes, structures and ideas for improvements and summarised the feedback for management,” said a MediaWorks spokeswoman.

“Charlotte has had no involvement in any subsequent discussions around structure or roles.

“Based on the feedback from the teams and aligned with the strategy of simplifying and streamlining our business, MediaWorks has created a chief marketing officer [CMO] role to bring together the marketing, trade marketing and communications functions into one team.”

The Ghost Writers

Charlotte McLauchlan has subsequently gone on to form a new business – The Ghost Writers agency – with another former NZR senior leader, Ged Mahony.

She is held in high regard by MediaWorks chief executive Wendy Palmer and is back consulting part-time for MediaWorks and supporting the marketing teams while the company recruits for the new CMO.

She is not involved in that recruitment process, nor is she understood to be interested in the role.

I’m fascinated to see how McLauchlan and Mahony go with their new business - they’ve certainly started with a hiss and a roar with an impressive list of early clients including Fijian Drua, Pango Productions, MediaWorks and STH Group.

In a recent LinkedIn post, McLauchlan said she was thrilled to be launching the new company. “I am so proud of our mahi and the start we have made... but it really is just the start.”

Power couple on their new radio conflict

Brent Impey and Wendy Palmer are THE power couple of New Zealand media, both with impressive careers at the highest levels of business.

Impey was a longtime chief executive of MediaWorks - part of an expansive executive and governance CV including time as New Zealand Rugby chair.

Palmer also has an extensive background in radio management, with executive roles at MediaWorks and NZME. She is now back at MediaWorks as chief executive.

Last week, Impey was announced as a new board member of RNZ.

RNZ competes in the radio space against Palmer’s MediaWorks, although, to be fair, the commercial company’s suite of brands, including The Breeze and The Rock might be considered complementary to the public broadcaster. But they are still competing for people’s ears.

I have no doubt the pair – both are respected leaders with the highest integrity – will handle their roles appropriately.

Palmer told Media Insider she fully understood her duties and responsibilities. “MediaWorks’ Code of Conduct, which all employees including the CEO sign up to, covers potential conflicts of interest and states employees must never provide sensitive or confidential information to a competitor or third party, including friends or relatives.”

Impey said: “RNZ has a clear conflicts of interest policy which I agreed to upon joining the board. Adherence to this policy will ensure no issues arise.”

That’s backed up by Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith. “I am aware of this matter but have every confidence it can be managed appropriately, and that Mr Impey will be a great addition to the RNZ board.”

Secrets of one of NZ’s best ads

We’re coming into the final weeks of public voting for the best ad for each of the last six decades as part of the Marketing Association’s anniversary celebrations.

The association has released the list for the 2010s - with State Insurance’s “Ain’t Nothing Gonna Break My Stride”, the Lotto “Lost Dog” and NZTA’s “Ghost Chips” leading the votes - as well as the list for the 2020s.

I’ve always loved the Lotto lost dog ad that made its debut in 2010 - the story of Wilson crossing the world with a winning Lotto ticket to find his owner, only to discover a betrayal of the worst kind.

Thinkerbell chief creative and co-founder Regan Grafton - who was then at DDB, the creative agency behind the ad - tells of some amazing behind-the-scenes tales.

“The ad actually starred three clever dogs as one, including one without a home who stole our hearts,” says Grafton.

“We always planned to shoot in India due to its diverse landscapes and filming infrastructure, but discovered bringing a dog back directly from India wasn’t possible, and we couldn’t leave the dog without a home. The alternative route through Singapore involved a lengthy quarantine, which we didn’t feel was fair to the dog. So, India was off the table for a time.

“Then, the Lotto CEO had an idea: his best man lived nearby in Bangladesh and had two young boys. He called, sent some photos, and they agreed to adopt the dog. With the shoot back on, the dog found a new home and family with a merchant banker in his very own Bangladeshi mansion.”

Grafton also has a story behind the song for the ad, the Nick Cave track To Be By Your Side.

“Music can make or break an ad,” he says.

“It can be pricey, but the right track transforms images and connects on a deeper level, even pulling viewers back from the brink of ad-break boredom. With Lotto’s Lucky Dog, we knew we had a gem of a script, but finding the right music was torture.”

He was looking for a “cool, authentic ballad to avoid soppiness” and Cave’s song was perfect.

“But there was a hitch – Nick Cave doesn’t license his music for ads,” says Grafton.

“A complete dead end.

“Determined, I thought, if Nick could just see this ad, he’d understand. Neil Finn might know Nick Cave, and his studio, Roundhead, was nearby. I trekked over, only to be met by a security door. So I waited. After an hour, someone entered the code, and I slipped in behind them. I found a woman – possibly Neil’s wife – who confirmed Nick’s stance on ads. But she watched the rough edit and agreed it was special. She mentioned Neil was playing with Nick in Sydney and might get me the manager’s number.

“Days later, an email popped up with Nick Cave’s manager’s contact. I sent a heartfelt plea, hoping Nick would watch the ad and see its potential. More days passed, and finally, an email: Nick loved it! But, he co-wrote it with a French composer for a film, so we needed their permission too.

“With the deadline looming, we scrambled to get approvals. The French composer signed off, but the director was tricky. On the night the ad was due to air, we finally got the last signature. We secured the track.

“This whole saga proves that clients with dedicated creatives get far more value than they pay for.”

Watch the ad here:

Meanwhile, Marketing Association chief executive John Miles has released an update on the leading ads from other decades, according to the public vote:

2000s: Mitre 10′s She’ll be right, Vogels’ Kiwis Overseas and Tip Top’s Togs Togs, Undies Undies

1990s: Toyota’s Bugger, Christmas Scorched Almonds and Telecom’s Spot

1980s: BASF Dear John, Toyota Scottie and Crumpy, TVNZ Goodnight Kiwi

1970s: Crunchie Great Train Robbery, KFC Hugo and Holly, Cadbury Pinky – kind of Kinky

To vote, visit the Marketing Association’s website here.

One Good Text

This week we catch up TVNZ GM sports and events Melodie Robinson, also a double World Cup winner for the Black Ferns.

Readership results

Nielsen has released its quarterly print readership results for newspapers and magazines.

Gremlins for NZ Herald and broadcasters

A technical issue led to the disappearance of nzherald.co.nz’s homepage for an hour just before lunchtime on Wednesday.

Instead of the usual homepage, readers were delivered a page of sponsored content from Metlifecare. Great for Metlifecare! Not so good if you are chasing down latest or breaking news.

“Due to a website glitch, we inadvertently gave one of our key customers some extra love, with our homepage redirecting to some of their online commercial content for a short time,” said NZME chief information officer Katie MacDiarmid.

“It’s the first time something like this has happened, we fixed it quickly and we have put steps in place so it doesn’t happen again.”

An NZME spokeswoman said the issue was caused by a flaw in a third-party system.

Meanwhile, live TV coverage of the Māori King’s funeral was also disrupted by a technical issue yesterday.

TVNZ, Sky and Whakaata Māori lost coverage for almost four minutes.

“The live broadcast feed provided to TVNZ and other broadcasters had a technical issue impacting our reception of the signal,” said a spokeswoman.

“This meant we lost connection for three and a half minutes. This was an outage across all broadcasters and we were quickly able to resume transmission.”

‘Bad things can happen to good people’

I know some great PR people and some great lawyers.

Often they’re brought together in times of crisis but their principles and objectives can sometimes clash.

“For instance, during a corporate crisis, Legal might advise minimal disclosure to avoid liability, while PR advocates for transparency to maintain public trust,” says Alexander PR’s Dwayne Alexander.

“A notable example of this tension was seen in the aftermath of the recent CrowdStrike global IT outage – a mishap can happen without notice and bring a company’s operations to a complete standstill, setting off a raft of communication and legal ramifications.

“Similarly, in product recalls, Legal’s focus on limiting admission of fault can contradict PR’s strategy of proactive communication to preserve consumer confidence. Balancing these differing perspectives requires careful negotiation and a mutual understanding of each department’s strategic objectives.”

That setting is in a lead-in to Alexander PR announcing today it is looking to bridge the gap where public relations and legal objectives might clash – by cleverly repackaging services and some of its specialists to offer a bespoke legal PR service.

Alexander says it’s an area of growth and a fast-emerging field of PR.

“While some sectors (and firms) have taken a hit post-Covid and during a double-dip recession, there are still some niche areas of growth, namely legal PR.”

The company’s new Legal PR service will offer strategic PR guidance, issue management, media relations, reputation management, and litigation PR support.

While Alexander PR and other firms offer all of this already, it has launched the specialist service and associated website.

“We aim to help legal professionals and business leaders avoid or rebuild from reputational harm and achieve positive outcomes,” says Alexander PR co-founder and former broadcast journalist Kate Alexander.

“Our ethical lens focuses on well-intentioned, successful individuals, families and companies who can find themselves managing challenging times – bad things can happen to good people and companies, and no company is immune to legal challenges.”

Launch partners for the initiative include Simpson Grierson, Cowan Law, Couch Harlowe Kovacevich and Samuel Moore.

Marketing Award winners

It was a massive night at the annual Marketing Awards on Wednesday night, with Fisher & Paykel, Sharesies and ANZ among those taking home top honours.

The full list of winners

Supreme Award: Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, myMask App, Beehive Creative

Best overall short-term marketing campaign: Sharesies, Sharesies Save: Save Account With No Limits

Marketing Hall of Fame inductee: Jason Paris

Brand of the year: ANZ Bank New Zealand

Marketing team of the year: Pak’nSave

Marketer of the Year: Frankie Coulter, Goodman Fielder

Marketer of the Future: Lia Carruthers, Farrah’s

Best B2B marketing campaign: Xero, Xero’s Sole Trader Thursday; Bastion Shine, Special PR, MBM, Pead, Xero team

Best B2C marketing campaign: NZ Post, Send From Home This Christmas; FCB, PHD, TRA

Best data-driven marketing campaign: New World, New World Clubcard Trolley Truths; Track Aotearoa, Skinny Marketing

Best in-house marketing campaign: 2degrees, Slingshot Mobile Migrations

Best marketing campaign on a shoestring budget: Sharesies, Sharesies Save: Save Account With No Limits

Best not-for-profit marketing campaign: Variety – The Children’s Charity, Variety Christmas Appeal; Multiplied, Warner Brothers Discovery, TVNZ, MediaWorks, JCDecaux, Shout Media, Trade Me, Parachute Digital

Best public sector/government marketing campaign: New Zealand Police, In Your Element – Finding the Best People for New Zealand Police; Bastion Shine, Spitfire

Best retail & e-commerce marketing campaign: McDonald’s NZ, The Best of ‘91 is Back; DDB Group Aotearoa, Mango, Track, OMD, Fuse, Akcelo

Best use of content marketing campaign: 2degrees, First Phones Programme; TBWA\New Zealand, OMD New Zealand, Eleven PR, Netsafe New Zealand

Best use of video marketing campaign: 2degrees, Good Tings – The Grime Video That Helped Kiwi Kids Learn About Online Safety; TBWA\New Zealand, OMD, Eleven PR

Excellence in B2B marketing strategy: Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare myMask App; Beehive Creative

Excellence in brand transformation strategy: FreshChoice/WDL, FreshChoice – Becoming the Local Favourite; Multiplied, Dentsu

Excellence in consumer products & services strategy: NZ Post, Choose Courier; FCB, PHD, TRA

Excellence in data insights strategy: Colorsteel, Roof ID; Together

Excellence in fast-moving consumer goods strategy: Prolife Foods, Mother Earth Nutty Sensations; Rainger & Rolfe, Spark Foundry, Social Sugar, Orbit Marketing, Precision Media, Cartology, Fiftyfive5, Kantar

Excellence in financial & banking marketing strategy: AA Pet Insurance, You Never Know What They’re Up To; Quantum Jump, Rocket Media

Excellence in healthcare/beauty marketing strategy: Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare myMask App; Beehive Creative

Excellence in long-term marketing strategy: Turners Auto Retail, Tina From Turners Turns Three; SO Creative (Darryl Parsons and Olivia Woodroffe), Lassoo Media & PR, stitch, David (DT) Thomason

Excellence in marketing communication strategy: ANZ Bank New Zealand, Make The Best Call In Home Loans; TBWA\New Zealand, PHD

Excellence in MarTech strategy: Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare myMask App; Beehive Creative

Excellence in new brand development strategy: Frank Energy, The Year NZ Got Franked; PHD Media, Motion Sickness, Purpose Business

Excellence in not-for-profit marketing strategy: Aged Care Association, Aged Care Association; Chemistry, Anthem, Corner Store

Excellence in public sector/government marketing strategy: Health New Zealand, Winter 2023 – Keeping the Public Healthy and the System Running; Clemenger BBDO, Wawata Creative, OMD, TRA

Excellence in social purpose-driven marketing strategy: ASB Bank, ASB – Bagels by Benee; The Monkeys Aotearoa, dentsu Media, TRA, Search Republic, Acquire Media

Excellence in sponsorship strategy: ANZ Bank New Zealand, ANZ & The Cancer Society – Daffodil Day 2023; TBWA\New Zealand, PHD, Warner Bros Discovery

Excellence in travel/leisure & entertainment marketing strategy: NZ Mountain Safety Council, Plan My Walk by the NZ Mountain Safety Council; Supergood

Excellence in utilities/communications marketing strategy: Frank Energy, The Year NZ Got Franked; PHD Media, Motion Sickness, Purpose Business

Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.