The Year in Review: Jacqueline Ireland
Having spent over 30 years picking Kiwis’ brains, Colmar Brunton is pretty close to a household name in New Zealand. But it decided to get itself out there a bit more last year, with a new award on Fair Go rewarding companies with the best customer service and the Ad Impact Award on StopPress to celebrate the ads that have the biggest impact on consumers. Managing director Jacqueline Ireland tells us about a few of her favourite things from 2011.
1) Favourite campaign: 
Toyota’s chimp and warthog wins hands down. The only ad I remember from 2011 that had me laughing out loud and waiting for the next frame. Pure entertainment, pure brilliance.
2) Least favourite campaign: That awful Pure Energy ad. Can’t help thinking it’s a really poor quality, bad taste take off of the Old Spice guy.
3) Best brand: Apple. A market leader that’s also a strong challenger and game changer. According to the latest BrandZ it’s worth about three times New Zealand’s GDP.
4) Best stoush: Although the impressive royal PR machine kept it in lock down, I bet the catch up between Tindall and Zara Phillips was a real doozie if the speed of her arrival down under was anything to go by. “A mutual friend” indeed!
5) Heroes: It can only be the mighty All Blacks, World Champions in more ways than one.
6) Villains: Whoever was responsible for leaving thousands of Aucklanders and visitors stranded in suffocating trains and missing the opening of the Rugby World Cup.
7) Most memorable marketing moment: 
I loved the 40 foot rubber duck in the Auckland Harbour to promote the new Channel Four. We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that sometimes we should just do it because it’s fun.
What do you think?