It was a successful evening for Cardrona Alpine Resort at Tuesday’s (November 10) prestigious TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards. 

A finalist in two excellence categories, the Cardrona team was awarded New Zealand’s best in-house marketing on the night. 

“We are absolutely blown away to be recognised at a national level,” Cardrona marketing manager Nadia Ellis said.

“The other finalists in the category included iconic kiwi brands such as J. H. Whittaker & Sons, Meridian Energy and the NZ Police, so it was humbling to have our hard work validated after such a challenging year.”

Cardrona earned the accolade for its Winter 2020 pre-season campaign and COVID-19 response, a hard-won success.

“Half-way through March, Cardrona’s largest online selling month, the COVID-19 global pandemic led to a full lockdown in New Zealand under Alert Level 4,” Cardrona said in a statement.

“With reduced hours, and 65 days without paid activity, Cardrona’s in-house marketing team pivoted from a sales focus to one of open and empathetic messaging, cementing the brand’s position as industry leaders in communication.”

Cardrona’s 40th anniversary provided an opportunity to create a unique campaign that was distinctive and used history and authentic narratives to reinforce the brand position.

The small team of marketers and creatives drew on archival material, Cardrona personalities and online fans to bring the anniversary campaign to life.

The TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards, in its 29th year, celebrates the collective excellence in creative and strategic thinking that goes into award-winning marketing. 

The Cardrona team said they were incredibly proud to represent Wanaka and Queenstown on a national level. 

PHOTO: NZ Marketing Association