Digital Marketing Mastery in New Zealand for 2025

Denese Konowe

Kia ora, everyone—welcome back to Kiwi Real Estate, Inside Out! I'm Denese, joined as always by Dr Lee and the incredible Trish Love. It's spring, things are buzzing, and today's episode is all about digital marketing mastery for 2025. Seriously, if you missed our last talk on social media, pause and go listen—so much is connected! But let's jump in. 2025 is shaping up to be the year AI stops being this futuristic toy and just—well, becomes your daily co-worker, right? AI tools—I'm talking ChatGPT, Gemini, Adobe Firefly—are all just, everywhere, not just for big multinationals. Even our local sparky down the street is tinkering with ChatGPT for email replies now. It's wild.

Dr Lee Konowe

And, yeah, there's this shift—AI isn't just about saving time. It's about, y'know, tailoring the experience, like hyper-personalising what we do for every single lead. There’s Harvard data saying people using AI finish their work like, twelve percent faster with forty percent fewer errors, something like that. And here in NZ, we've gone from basic automation—think old-school drip emails—to stuff that genuinely feels like "Hey, I see you, I know you want that Grey Lynn bungalow!" but without being creepy or losing the Kiwi feel. Countdown, for example—with their Certainty Model, merged online and physical data using predictive analytics, and wham, their SEM went from typical results to outperforming their search budget by ten times. They literally used data to target customers likely to convert in real time. It's next level.

Trish Love

Yeah, and I reckon the trick—especially for us in real estate—is using AI to serve but not sound like a robot, right? Like, AI chatbots booking viewings or giving pricing info is fab, but as soon as someone spells "colour" without the 'u', my Kiwi sensors are tingling. We want tech that fits our audience, not something that feels flown in from Texas. Denese, you've got a story about this from e-Agent NZ, don't you?

Denese Konowe

Oh, totally, Trish! I remember the first time we plugged an AI-driven CRM into our workflow—I'm slightly embarrassed to admit it took me way too long to trust it. But let me tell you, it saved us, I dunno, five to ten hours a week just on routine stuff. But, aha, there was a learning curve—if you let it drive, your email voice risks going from local friendly to "Dear Valued Customer," and nobody in NZ wants to be a "valued customer," they want to be called by their name. I had to go in and, like, re-Kiwi-ify our comms, adding those colloquialisms, little bits of local culture, so it didn’t feel like an algorithm from somewhere in Arlington was writing for us. That balance is huge.

Dr Lee Konowe

Exactly—AI is an "ebike for the mind," as someone put it. But you still need to steer. For agents listening—seriously, blend those efficiencies with your Kiwi brand and you'll stand out. Or end up sounding like a bot made by NASA on a flat white binge. Not the look.

Trish Love

And where all that customisation's headed, honestly, is video, video, video. If you're not on TikTok, Insta Reels, or at least YouTube Shorts… what are you even doing? Back in the day it was all text listings and glossy brochures—now my phone is full of agents doing walk-throughs with their dog in tow and people absolutely love it. It’s raw, it’s real, and it works. Kiwis don't want perfection; they want a peek behind the scenes. That applies to brands too—look at Whittaker's or Allbirds, casually showing their team mucking around in the office or talking about their process. That's what people want to see.

Denese Konowe

The numbers are wild too—short-form video’s engagement in NZ outpaces pretty much everything else, and let’s be honest, it’s way more fun to shoot a 15-second clip than write a blog post sometimes. But there’s a bigger shift happening in how people search for what they want. Gen Z, Millennials—they aren’t going to Google for "best house in Mount Eden," they're typing—or rather speaking—into TikTok or Instagram, or even just asking Siri. That means if your content isn’t optimised for those platforms, you might as well be standing at a roundabout with a sign.

Dr Lee Konowe

Yeah, I always trip over this—so it's called "Ask Engine Optimization" now? AEO instead of SEO. You need to answer questions like a human, not just stuff keywords onto your website. And it keeps getting more fragmented. TikTok SEO... who even saw that coming? But here we are.

Trish Love

I tried going live during an open home last month, right—just me, the house, a bit of banter, my camera halfway fallen over, and suddenly more folks hop in the comments than actually rocked up in person. Total win—I booked two new appraisals just from those ten minutes. Proof that behind-the-scenes and genuine moments matter more than slick editing—especially here. The Panasonic #NZRenoTok campaign’s proof, too—sixteen million views, just by handing the mic to real Kiwi renovators on TikTok. That’s the audience we’re after.

Denese Konowe

The big lesson? Don’t worry about being perfect. Get the core message, answer questions, keep it authentic, and adapt it for everywhere. Repurpose a video for Shorts, Reels, LinkedIn—meet people where they are searching. That's digital marketing in 2025.

Dr Lee Konowe

Let’s stick with that realness for a minute. The old "brand first, community second" playbook? Leave it in 2019. 2025’s about nurturing your local crew, building little regional tribes. Kiwis are, I think, pretty allergic to faceless big-brand hype. They want to hang with their people, not just be talked at. So we're seeing more brands building spaces—private Facebook groups, local LinkedIn threads, even Reddit NZ popping off—for actual two-way chatter, not just megaphone stuff.

Trish Love

Yep, and honestly, the power is in those micro-communities. I was reading about ASD Dads—the grassroots group for Māori and Pasifika fathers of children with autism. Started with one parent wanting a space and now it’s a full-on national movement, with events, support, cultural hooks—all the stuff mainstream marketers can’t fake. Their success? Not from ad spend, but by simply connecting people who needed it. In real estate, building those little local circles—“Birkenhead parents club” or “Grey Lynn gardeners”—is what gets you organic referrals, loyalty, sometimes even lifelong friends.

Denese Konowe

I’ll jump in here—community’s always been core to our business, even back in the States. I used to run agent breakfast clubs, then Zoom groups here during lockdown—it's not about flogging the next listing, it's about being helpful and human. It’s how we grew e-Agent NZ—by focusing on small, passionate groups who spread the message far wider than any paid ad could. That—paired now with all this tech—is the secret to sustainable business growth, hands-down.

Dr Lee Konowe

Honestly, if you’re in real estate or any local business, don’t look for mass engagement—look for the right engagement. Niche, dedicated, and true to your patch. That’s where the magic happens, every time.

Trish Love

That brings us neatly to something so many marketers overseas miss—tying what you do to actual purpose, sustainability, and a sense of place. Kiwis can spot greenwashing and fake virtue signals a mile off, eh. They want real action, real proof.

Denese Konowe

Exactly. Local brands doing this well—Whittaker’s with their Peanut Slab gold ticket hunt, celebrating 75 years of Kiwi heritage, is one. They wove in nostalgia, fun, and community. Another campaign that sticks in my mind is the Herpes Foundation's "Best Place to Have Herpes". Wildly brave, but it worked—local humour, candidness, tied to a social issue. The reach on these is massive, but it’s the authenticity and local connection that cause people to get involved, not just click ‘like’ and move on.

Dr Lee Konowe

And—let’s not forget—sustainability’s more than just sticking a green logo on your ad. Kantar data shows nearly half of NZers actually check for genuine sustainability credentials. Toitū Envirocare certification, local sourcing, even how you communicate your carbon footprint—people notice that, especially in property. If you’re pitching a home with double glazing or a rainwater tank, shout about it. But only if it’s real; nothing worse than getting called out for “eco-fabrication.”

Trish Love

Exactly! If you’re an agent, get in the habit of showcasing what’s local and sustainable—feature community gardens, solar installs, or even support local charities in your listing videos or open homes. Make your marketing an extension of your values. Not performative, just honest. That builds trust faster than any discount commission ever will.

Denese Konowe

So, let’s wrap up with something that kind of underpins all these trends—combining everything into seamless omnichannel journeys. Social, search, email, in-app shopping—they’re all connected now. Kiwis expect to click from a TikTok to your website to your booking page with zero friction if you want to win.

Trish Love

Absolutely, and with mobile use up over seventy percent, if your website isn’t mobile-first and loading fast, you’re basically invisible to half the market. Google’s Core Web Vitals matter more than ever—things like site speed and responsiveness aren’t just “nice to haves.” They make the difference between a new lead and a bounce.

Dr Lee Konowe

It all comes down to technical basics, doesn’t it? Schema markups, privacy compliance under the NZ Privacy Act—the not-so-glamorous but essential stuff. I always tell people, set up your Google My Business profile right or risk being missed by local search entirely. Denese, you recently did a technical overhaul at e-Agent NZ, didn’t you?

Denese Konowe

We did! Honestly—even after years in the game, giving our site a refresh, improving load times and making sure sign-ups were a breeze led to a noticeable uptick in lead quality and more inquiries that actually converted. But be warned: keep an eye on mobile UX, and don’t skimp on privacy compliance. That’s where people trip up—especially with all these “free” plugins floating around. Fundamentals first, then get creative.

Dr Lee Konowe

Couldn’t agree more. Nail those basics, then layer the fun stuff—video, community, AI—on top. That’s the stack you need for 2025 and beyond.

Trish Love

That’s a wrap, I reckon! We’ve covered a lot—from AI to authenticity, short-form video, local values, omnichannel setups… Whew! Any final thoughts, you two?

Denese Konowe

Just—don’t be afraid to try, tweak, and ask for help. Marketing here works best when you’re connected to your community and not afraid to experiment. And hey, keep in touch—next episode we’ll be tackling the ins and outs of building your professional presence for 2026. Lee, Trish—thanks as always. Been a pleasure!

Dr Lee Konowe

Always a pleasure. Thanks everyone for listening. Denese, Trish—I’ll see you at the next coffee-fueled brainstorm. Ka kite!

Trish Love

See ya, everyone! Keep it real, keep it Kiwi. Bye for now!