Pizza Man named NZ Marketer of the Year

Pizza Man named NZ Marketer of the Year: Lotto woman takes Rookie title

A cold Auckland evening was warmed by the fires of Hell for the country’s top marketer last night, when Callum Davies, the founder of Hell Pizza, was announced the FCB New Zealand Marketer of the Year for 2005, at the annual Marketing Magazine Marketing Awards.

The accolade recognises more than just Davies’ edgy, daring and bold strategy to establish and then grow a new brand in a hotly contested marketplace; it recognizes his vision and a passion which has seen him, almost single handedly, develop Hell Pizza from a single shop in Wainuiomata in 1996, to a 38 store chain today, with 60 outlets planned nation-wide by 2006.

In a saturated marketplace dominated by price-driven marketing, Davies has differentiated Hell Pizza through brand personality and communicating the ‘Hell Experience’ and its scandalous delights.

Creative and strategic thinking have been combined into a powerful force hugely appealing and entertaining to his targeted 20 – 39 year-old audience and in turn to a franchise business market, all clamoring over hot coals to be in line for the next planned outlet.

Award judges said it was Davies’ innovative thinking that separated him from his fellow award finalists and set the path for Hell Pizza to be a major marketing success story. He is, they said, “one hell of a marketer”.

Judges also awarded a Highly Commended in this individual award category, acknowledging the outstanding work of McDonald’s vice-president of marketing, Ian Sutcliffe, in spearheading a change in the fundamental service offering of the brand and in the process moving it away from a growing negativity relating to obesity and globalisation.

Other finalists for the FCB Marketer of the Year Award were Rob Berman, director, Westside Media and founder of fatso.co.nz and Vicki Taylor, marketing director, Griffins Foods.

The Manukau Institute of Technology Rookie Marketer of the Year for 2005 is Rosa Jacobsen, assistant product manager – Lotto Suite and Keno – at New Zealand Lotteries. In what judges described as a closely fought category, Rosa Jacobson took the Award ahead of two other finalists for her strategic abilities as much as her strong implementational skills.

At New Zealand Lotteries, Jacobsen is responsible for devising and overseeing lottery product promotions aimed at keeping the offerings fresh and player numbers high, something which she has achieved with great success. A specific example is the 2004 Lotto Christmas promotion, the largest the organisation has ever undertaken and which returned a massive 47 percent increase in sales over previous period highs.
Appreciation of and respect for her abilities within the organisation are such that Jacobsen is now a member of a wider company group that develops and sets overall strategic direction for the organization.

Judges described Rosa Jacobsen as an insightful marketer, wise beyond her years and contributing significantly to her business.

Rosa Jacobsen took out the title of Rookie Marketer of the Year from two fellow finalists, Monica Gitts, assistant brand manager - chocolate biscuits, Griffins Foods, and Todd Wackrow, assistant brand manager – Export Gold, DB Breweries.

ENDS

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