Z is moving with the times in major brand campaign via Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand
“We’re For Moving With The Times”. This is the new theme of a major brand reset for Z Energy (Z) out of Saatchi & Saatchi.
The idea is designed to reflect both the way Z moves with the time of the day at a retail store level but also, holistically is moving as an organisation with society and culture. The brand platform doubles down on the ‘Z is for New Zealand’ tagline first launched over a decade ago.
Says Debbie Byrom, head of brand and marcomms at Z: “Z was launched in 2010 with a clear point of view on the world and an ambition. We had some great successes as a brand over the last decade, but we also got distracted by competition and short-term tactics. This reset moment is us getting back to who we are and looking to create our future, one that may look quite different from the present.”
A full page print launch advertisement reads “We’re in the Business of Getting Out of the Petrol Business” and talks to Z’s ambition to move to cleaner energies. It explains it’s a journey they have already begun in several ways.
The film elements of the campaign feature a catchy new song called “That’s Where I’ll Be” from Māori artist Rob Ruha. The bilingual waiata was written by Ruha set for release April 2022. It draws on his personal experiences living on the East Cape and his optimistic feelings about a moving Aotearoa. Rob says that what drew him to being involved was the chance to increase the visibility of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori & waiata Māori. It was also the kaupapa, the spirit and progressive intention of the project and Z’s commitment to a future Aotearoa society, to sustainability and manaaki tāngata.
Says Steve Cochran, CCO, Saatchi & Saatchi: “Having Rob agree to collaborate with us was not just a coup, it was an honour. We had called this project Moving Waiata from the outset, so it always demanded a great song. As a respected contemporary artist and voice within modern Aotearoa we were privileged to have him involved. At the first listen of the waiata we all seriously got the feels. Rather than hearing commissioned ad music it truly felt like we were listening to a hit song. One that couldn’t be from anywhere but here. It could be a new Kiwi classic, we think it’s that good.
In the 60 second brand film you see a tapestry of New Zealanders going about their lives as if observed from a passing vehicle. At face value the scenes look quite every day, but each of them has its own story of a moving New Zealand. And although the work has a strong Māori influence in its creation, it also embraces the diversity of Aotearoa today with people of numerous ethnicities featured. A series of shorter length product ads, OOH and online executions utilise the stories within individual scenes.
The film was shot by Māori director Ray Edwards through Collider, who brought his own kaupapa to the project. Many of his production crew were Māori and te reo was widely spoken on set.
Says Edwards: “Collaboration is an integral part of Māori culture and this project had a very unique collaborative nature.”
Adds Cochran: “Getting people involved in a project with an energy company that openly acknowledges their contribution to climate issues required some frank conversations. Before he would agree, Rob Ruha delved deep into what Z say and do, including a very honest korero with Z Energy CEO, Mike Bennetts. But in the end it comes down to recognising we are all part of the problem and that we can all choose to be part of the solution.”
Says Mike Bennetts, CEO of Z Energy: “This is about creating a better Aotearoa, and as a brand that has always been for and always will be for New Zealand, we genuinely plan to play a major role in that.”
Client: Z Energy (Z)
Creative Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi NZ
Media Agency: MBM
Production Company: Collider
Director: Ray Edwards
Executive Producer NZ: Laina Cheung
Music “That’s Where I’ll Be”: Rob Ruha
Music Supervision & Audio Post Mix: Franklin Rd
Editor: Alex O’ Shaughnessy
Colourist: Matic Prusnick
Online: Perceptual Engineering – Jon Baxter & Taylor Hewetson
Photographer: Al Guthrie
39 Comments
Swing and a miss.
Great advert, l say! It’s got everything in it, including a kids kapa haka group, that’s how adverts should be putting everything in it, from a kiwi point of view, good on u sacchi & Sacchi!
Greenwashing AND Māoriwashing.
Whats Māori Washing?
The entire ad has the camera moving from left to right aside from a specific shot which begins at 00:46.
I’m sure I’m not the only one that found this inconsistency quite jarring and really affected my ability to sit back, relax and enjoy.
To make matters worse there is a one-way sign in that same shot, pointing in the direction that the camera should be moving in – was this some kind of cruel in-joke from the director?
Let’s just put it this way, I am not laughing.
… All the time. Watch it again.
Australian petrol company Ampol has been given the green light by the Commerce Commission to buy Z Energy for just under $2 billion.
If that was “feeling like you’re listening to a hit song” I’m worried what Steves Spotify looks like. Let’s make the manifesto, a song!
Agree with the other commenters. Feels like token, not meaningful, gestures on all fronts.
Apart from putting fast chargers in.
If we lunched and partied more often then less commercials like this would be made.
I also couldn’t understand why there was suddenly in the camera moving in a different direction. That’s odd, not clever and looks like a mistake which I’m guessing it was.
This is so heavy-handed and condescending – “We see you NZ”, really? You’re an oil company.
Another ad that mirrors all audiences and shows all walks of life, but connects meaningfully with none of them.
This is the modern version of a tobacco company on its last legs. I like the constant travel of the camera, but the ad says nothing. Actually it says, “We see you changing around us for the last decade and we’ve resisted as long as we could but now we’ll join you. Very slowly” Evil.
it’ll help the sale go through. Maybe The Point ?
This is really disappointing.
You’re about to sell to an Aussie company. And your tagline says ‘Z is for New Zealand’.
How can you justify that?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/463476/ampol-gets-clearance-from-commerce-commission-to-buy-z-energy
I liked this one. Quintessentially kiwi.
I‘m not a fan of this ad, but I am a fan of your comments.
I love this advert. That song is awesome, I’ve searched it everywhere, not released yet? Very cool!
the song is good though
They’ve been pumping out ads as of late. Not top notch work but just grinding. Better than nothing but make sure to not capitalise on the Maori card and use them to win public attention. Don’t be like aunty and her vax tax campaigns.
Classic te reo
Leveraging Māori culture in this way is pretty gross. Z should be ashamed.
If it was token I might agree but given how many Māori were involved in the creation of this, perhaps it’s not gross. Where’s the line between leveraging and celebrating? Has Z done enough to further/better the interests of Māori that they’ve earned the right to bring this through in their brand comms? Possibly? Only Māori can really answer this.
Impossible not to like this
Yeah? Hate it. Good reason not to go to Z energy.
The work is awful and the accompanying press release is even worse. Both sadly do a disservice to the industry – really disappointing Z and Saatchi.
Why is Saatchis making all the big work lately? Anyone?
If LinkedIn wrote a script for this brief, it would be this ad.
and what have you made lately?
Like what?
Export. Toyota. Z. Fiji. Sport NZ. Chorus.
The comments are always so toxic but are not wrong. The overly positive ones are obviously written internally from their young account execs or friends thereof.
Any chance you could have the woman driving the kenworth have at least one hand on the steering wheel other than holding a pie with one and tooting her horn with the other.
Camera is.
I like the long copy ad. Don’t see those very often.
sadly more than you
Makes me want to throw up.
Thank God for MySky and the fast forward. Need it more than ever with the ads these days. “Hey, move with the times?!”-Yeah? Naff off I say (along with the majority of the country).
Good luck with the increase in sales expected aye…
Where can we get this great song????
I enjoy the advert and montage of people, lifestyles and demogs. The song is Osum and I came to this page to get the waiata kupu as the tune is stuck in mind, in a good way. I love that te reo is being used here. I’m not expecting the advert to change the world or fix te ao maori. Why should celebrating Māori culture be a prerequisite when using Māori content or creators. It’s not asked any other time. Make te reo normal and everyday and you do that by just having it used everywhere and without rules and expectations. Can’t we just say great tune, good job everyone.