AUCKLAND (November 15, 2023) – dentsu’s global sports agency MKTG Sports + Entertainment’s APAC MD, Matt Connell, today announced the launch of the MKTG New Zealand. The team will be headquartered in Auckland.

Building on the long-term success of its Australian operation and in strategic partnership with established New Zealand sports talent management and brand activation business Halo Sport, MKTG enters the market to provide an expanded service set fully supported by market-leading creative, content, public relations, and analytics including:

• Strategic sports consulting and management services

• Stadium media and operations

• In-game sports presentation

• Event production

• Sponsorship activation

• Sponsorship and commercial sales

• Creative and content production

MKTG's APAC Managing Director, Matt Connell: "The reinvigoration of MKTG in New Zealand signifies an important milestone in the evolution of our MKTG business, in the region . Equipped with formidable talent on the ground and the resources in the region and around the globe, MKTG NZ stands committed to delivering exceptional value and innovation to our current and future client partners and creating new career opportunities for our team."

Leading this endeavour locally will be Hannah Hickling, an accomplished executive from Halo Sport based in Auckland.

Hickling shared: "In a dynamic market like New Zealand, there is a clear demand for a versatile and integrated sports marketing agency that combines expertise with innovation. MKTG NZ aims to expand on the strong foundation laid by Halo Sport, and enhance sports sponsorship consulting services and introduce new capabilities leveraging its Australian and global teams. MKTG NZ, coupled with the Australian team, is here to meet the opportunity by providing a comprehensive range of services tailored to the needs of our clients and the broader industry.”

This announcement also provides the pathway to formally introduce the intelligence of dentsu Sports Analytics to deliver global and hyper local insights to help the industry understand its fans, assess value and measure impact of sponsorship.

Simon Porter, CEO of Halo Sport, adds: "The launch of MKTG New Zealand, under Hannah's leadership, signals a dynamic new chapter for this market. With the enhancement of our sports marketing services at dentsu NZ and to support both the existing business of Halo, we will now be able to offer a whole new set of capabilities to add new value to the New Zealand industry, whether that be for local rights holders, brands or talent."