NZ ad land too tough for Naked Communications

Naked Communications Australia and New Zealand chairman Mike Wilson tells NBR ONLINE on the eve of his Auckland branch closing that the Kiwi market is just too tough.

He confirmed Naked Communications NZ will close on Thursday, making five staff redundant. It listed Coca-cola, Fonterra and Unitec among its clients.

Just last year it was appointed the agency for the ‘Glenn Inquiry’, Sir Owen Glenn’s initiative against domestic violence.

Mr Wilson says New Zealand budgets are smaller and the environment is too tough, adding that the network had other areas to concentrate on. 

“The global priorities of Naked are to focus on the key hubs of London, New York, Brazil and Australia. That’s where we want to be.”

While he was working with the Auckland staff through the transition, none had expressed interest in moving to other network offices around the world.

He says he loved his time in New Zealand. “We had great clients, we won awards and we did good work.”

“I would have liked to have won some more business, “ he says.

Mr Wilson says all clients have been informed, and the Coca-cola account will be worked on from the company’s Australian offices.

Naked NZ managing director Matt O’Sullivan – who was at the helm of the agency for four years – says he will start a new business.

He declined to comment further on the new venture, but says it will start trading from April 1 and include local shareholding.

Naked Communications NZ had no local shareholding and was solely owned by Naked Communications Australia.

It is most recently publicly available statements from the year ending June 2011 reveal the agency had a net profit of $140,301 from billings of $2.47 million, up from a loss of $12,094 the year before.

vyoung@nbr.co.nz

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