John Halpin, GroupM CEO
What’s the one word to sum up your mood as we look back on 2023 and forward to 2024? Accelerate.
How would you describe your year?
It was a huge year of personal and professional growth; “re-immigrating” to my homeland with my family after many years overseas and stepping into the CEO role at GroupM.
It feels like it was a tough year for businesses and New Zealanders in general. I’ve been reminded how much goodness there is here, and how much this country has going for it.
New Zealand has always punched above its weight, and I’d love people to really take a moment to reflect on the great things that we’ve achieved.
Looking ahead, I’m full of optimism about the future and the opportunities.
What’s the best initiative/project/ campaign in your own business — and one you thought a rival did well?
Our business has been the best project we’ve been working on since I arrived in July. It’s easy to think a network like ours doesn’t change much, but we’ve been reimagining how we’re structured and the way we work. Even the spaces we work in.
It’s been energising and I’ve got a great team helping me craft the solution, with some more great hires to come in the new year. We’ve even got the attention of the global network because what we’re doing is so different. It’s not every day you get to redesign a network structure from New
Zealand . . . except, I guess it is our every day, which is awesome.
It’s probably sacrilege to reference an Australia campaign, but I loved the Yes Vote ad with John Farnham’s You’re The Voice soundtrack from The Monkeys supporting The Voice to Parliament. It was a powerful message and beautifully made. Unfortunately, The Voice didn’t pass, but I think us Kiwis could use a bit of a pep talk and be reminded of the great things we’ve achieved.
How do you think 2024 will play out for New Zealand media — what’s the biggest priority for you?
2024 is going to be a big transitional year for New Zealand media.
I don’t expect ad spend to grow in a hurry, but there are a lot of media organisations undertaking big internal transformation to get future-fit.
We made changes of our own in ’23 as we shaped our business for the next era of media, so now I’m looking forward to unleashing our revitalised teams on our clients’ businesses.
What’s the biggest issue that keeps you awake at night?
My 3-year-old.
What’s the biggest mistake media/ marketing /advertising people need to avoid in 2024?
This makes me think of Amara’s Law and the impact that AI will have on how we currently deliver advertising.
“We tend to over-estimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.”
There’s no doubt that AI will be transformational for media and marketing, but we need to make sure that we are approaching it in ways that add value, drive us forward, and make things better — not getting distracted by the hype.
There’s a lot of s*** advertising in this world. AI will be very good at replicating s*** advertising, so we all need to up our game.
What are your plans for the summer break?
It’s been amazing reconnecting with friends and family in New Zealand since moving back last year. I’m looking forward to spending the break with my family and enjoying what New Zealand has to offer — depending on what El Nino allows!