PERCEPTION VS REALITY

“Reality is ultimately a selective act of perception and interpretation. A shift in our perception and interpretation enables us to break old habits and awaken new possibilities.” – David Simon, US journalist and TV writer

Changing people’s perception of something is easier said than done. Serious struggles and many years can often produce little change – think the Covid-19 pandemic, anti-vaxxers and MMR, the gender pay gap, #metoo and chardonnay being only for older white women (sorry, Mum. I’m an ‘ABC’ kinda guy).

The conundrum, though, is that often perceptions are reality. It’s only by talking things through, researching and understanding why and how people come to have certain views that realities can be shifted.

Our Agency Perception Survey was first commissioned in 2017 and set out to understand how marketers perceive the advertising- and media-agency lay of the land in this country – what Adland looks like in their eyes. This year, our focus has shifted slightly to interpreting the reality of the relationships marketers have with their Adland colleagues, unpacking the challenges they encounter when working together, how these can be overcome and what more is expected. More than 40 of Aotearoa’s senior marketers from some of our biggest brands responsible for a large chunk of the country’s total spend on creative services and media buying shared their thoughts for 2021’s report. And let’s just say that for those in Adland, perception is not always reality. Read the results and get the insights from page 21.

The agency theme runs throughout this issue as we focus the lens on independent agencies looking to stake a claim on the Kiwi creative space (page 45). We lift the lid on Wellington, as agencies explain why it’s considered the country’s creative capital (page 74). And why is creativity king? The judges of this year’s Axis Awards explain (page 62). Our attention also turns to the media side of Adland, when we talk consolidation as more players and technologies enter the market.

It’s a packed issue, tackling several important topics of the day, including the impending end of cookies, and what it means to be a woman in marketing. It’s a great issue too – possibly our best yet. Well, at least that’s our perception.

Enjoy.