Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Building brands by adding value
It’s all about adding value.
That was MediaWorks account manager Hamish McKenzie’s advice to aspiring marketing professionals.
Nominated as one of Marlborough’s young business people of the year McKenzie’s mantra has obviously put him in good stead.
‘‘Whether it’s a radio ad or a post on Facebook it needs to be adding value to the customer to help drive that engagement with the business or brand,’’ he said.
Originally from Rotorua, McKenzie’s radio career began with audio engineering in Invercargill, followed by his first job in Whangarei recording ads.
When his partner became pregnant, they packed up and moved to Marlborough, a move that the keen fisherman embraced.
‘‘An opportunity came up with Mediaworks and I thought that I would make the most of it,’’ he said.
McKenzie, 26, said he was ‘‘pretty excited’’ about being nominated as one of the finalists at the prestigious awards.
‘‘That someone out there thought I was worthy is some really positive feedback of the work I’ve been doing with my clients,’’ he said.
The family man’s secret to success was being open-minded and listening to ideas.
‘‘Fortunately, I had that two years of production ... not being on the front line so to speak,’’ McKenzie said.
His idea of adding value was driving engagement with a business or brand.
‘‘If a Sounds tour business put up a post or made an ad with just statistics, it wouldn’t have as much engagement as saying how great a family day out it is, as an idea,’’ he said.
He said being nominated was a bit of a surprise, that he wasn’t seeking out ‘‘anything like that.’’
‘‘I’m a bit of a head-down bum-up kind of guy,’’ he said.
He still occasionally got into the recording booth to produce content for clients.
‘‘It’s great to be in an environment to have some fun with the clients and really collaborate on their own productions.
‘‘I know there’s a lot I don’t know, there’s a lot to learn.’’