Brother New Zealand and WAVE Agency take out B2B category at TVNZ NZ Marketing Awards

A straight-talking campaign created for Brother New Zealand by Wave Agency, that has shaken up how Brother is seen and pushed the tech-brand into the business sphere, won big at the TVNZ NZ Marketing Awards.

Brother won both its nominated categories for Best B2B Marketing Campaign, and Excellence in B2B Marketing Strategy, following the launch of its ‘It Just Works’ campaign last September.

While the mass market has traditionally perceived Brother as a retail printer brand, in 2020 Brother became New Zealand’s authorised distributor for Konica Minolta’s range of A3 office equipment and document solutions. Then in 2022 Brother was appointed as a member of the All-of-Government (AoG) Print Technology and Associated Services panel. Both moves saw the need to revisit Brother’s marketing strategy to tap into the business audience.

Craig Parker, creative director at Wave Agency, says the team couldn’t be more proud of the ‘It Just Works’ campaign, which was the first major refresh of the Brother brand and their first Aotearoa-facing brand platform.

An on-demand commercial was supported by print, radio, digital and OOH, which reflected honestly on how Brother printers don’t change the world, but that they support people who use them to create change. The media strategy was developed and executed by the talented team at MBM.

Says Parker: “It Just Works was born in response to the exaggerated promises of modern technology advertising – instead owning quality as a benefit. We are so often bombarded with commercials where tech products promise the world. All you need your printer to do is work, and work well.”

Marketing manager for Brother, Julie Chappell, says the team was ecstatic at the win, reaffirming the new creative strategy and direction the team has worked so tirelessly on over the past year: “The win reflects the success of the campaign, which has grabbed the attention of professionals and boosted market share, without negatively impacting retail sales.

“In the context of a tight economy where many customers are spending less, increasing our market share is the ultimate measure of the campaign’s success.”

Chappell said that since relocating the Brother head office to Tauranga in 2016, Brother has strengthened its position in the market, and partnering with world-class locally-based partners like Wave Agency has undoubtedly contributed to this success.