Engagement Lead - Temporary Worker

Dentsu Aotearoa partners with Sir John Kirwan's Mitey programme on major fundraiser. Dentsu Aotearoa has partnered with Sir John Kirwan's Mitey programme to launch a nationwide fundraising campaign, 'Drive for five'. The aim is to raise $5 million to bring mental health education to more children across Aotearoa. The resulting integrated strategy brings together creative, community engagement and experiential activation, inspiring Kiwis to support a cause that gives young people the tools, language and confidence to manage their mental wellbeing. The funds raised will help reduce the current waitlist of 236 schools seeking access to the Mitey programme, while also extending its impact to thousands more tamariki across the country. Nationwide roadshow. The campaign centres on a roadshow, which sees Kirwan visit 18 regional stops across New Zealand. Communities will be invited to meet Kirwan and special guests, see the Bledisloe Cup and participate in a series of sports-focused events. The campaign will culminate in the Mitey Match at Eden Park, where 521 kids from around the motu will take on a squad of athetes and celebrities, a non-contact curtain raiser ahead of the Bledisloe Cup match on October 10. It will also attempt to break the world record for the most participants in a touch rugby exhibition match. Children who register to fundraise through Mitey's website will also have the chance to win a spot on the Mitey Squad. To Kirwan, the Mitey Match is more than an attempt at a rugby world record. It represents the massive effort to engage all New Zealanders in Mitey's aspirations. "We are rallying the ultimate team to get behind Mitey's cause," says Kirwan. "The Mitey Match isn't just a rugby game; it's a historic moment that mirrors the scale of our $5 million fundraising ambition." Both New Zealand Rugby and Eden Park are supporting the Mitey Match. Bold strategy. Kirwan commends the All Blacks and Black Ferns for helping raise awareness of how importance of positive mental wellbeing for all young New Zealanders. Dentsu New Zealand head of activations Alex Barlow says the agency was honoured to help bring such an important initiative to life. "'Drive for five' is one of the most ambitious purpose-led activations we've helped deliver. With a goal this bold comes the need for an equally bold strategy. From developing the campaign platform to orchestrating a nationwide activation culminating in a record-breaking event at Eden Park, it's been an incredibly rewarding campaign for our team. And we're honoured to help Sir John Kirwan create a movement that will expand access to mental health education for thousands more young people." Since 2021, Mitey has successfully worked with hundreds of schools to embed mental health and wellbeing into the way they operate - from governance and leadership to classroom learning, the playground and wider school community. This whole-school approach helps create an inclusive school environment where every child feels seen, valued and supported. Tackle the waitlist. However, with 236 schools on Mitey's waitlist, Mitey CEO Sarah Manley indicated there is a clear demand for increased mental wellbeing education across New Zealand. 'Drive for five' donations will help tackle the waitlist - upskilling teachers and school leaders to confidently educate year 1 to 8 students about mental wellbeing. "We know $5 million is a bold target, so we are calling on thousands of people, clubs, schools, businesses, and fans to add their effort to something far bigger than themselves," says Manley. "Five dollars from one million New Zealanders has the power to create a generational shift in youth mental health for our tamariki." Roughly one in five young people in New Zealand experience major mental health challenges by age 18. To date Mitey has equipped over 100,000 5 to 13 year olds with the vocabulary and emotional capabilities they need before hitting the challenging teenage years. "Youth mental wellbeing concerns every single New Zealander, young or old, we are all impacted if a young person faces crisis-point," says Manley. "The 'Drive for five' campaign symbolises a turning point for all young people and New Zealand."

Dentsu tops Irish media agency New Business rankings in H1 as global pitches reshape market. September 25, 2026 Dentsu emerged as the leading media agency group in Ireland during the first half of 2026, as a relatively small number of major international account reviews had a significant impact on the Irish media agency market, according to new figures from the media research firm COMvergence. The research firm's latest New Business Barometer tracked 28 media account moves and pitches in Ireland during the six months, representing approximately €40.5m in media spend. Of this, around €13.2m related to pitches originating in the Irish market while €27.3m was associated with regional or global pitches. Around €19.4m, or 49% of the total spend reviewed, related to accounts ultimately retained by incumbent agencies. Dentsu topped the Irish agency group rankings with approximately €14.7m in total new business, including retentions. Its performance was largely driven by the Heineken account, valued by COMvergence at around €10.4m, and Netflix, worth approximately €4.8m. WPP Media was second with around €5.5m, helped by business including Jaguar Land Rover, valued at approximately €2.1m, Just Eat at €1.7m and Demant Group at €1.4m. Core and Omnicom Media followed with approximately €2.6m each, according to COMvergence. However, the underlying figures also show significant differences between new client gains and retained business. According to the COMvergence table, Dentsu's Irish result included around €15.2m in retained business, leaving the group approximately €500,000 down on a net basis when retentions are excluded. WPP Media recorded approximately €2.9m in net new business excluding retentions, Omnicom Media around €2 million, and Core Group with approximately €700,000. At individual agency level, Red Star headed the Irish rankings with approximately €10.4m followed by iProspect on €4.8m, Mindshare (WPP Media) on €4.5 million, PHD (Omnicom Media Group) on €2.6m and Spark Foundry Ireland (Core) on €1.9m. The largest accounts reviewed during the period included Heineken at approximately €10.4m, Netflix at €4.8m, Allianz Health & Life at €2.8m and JLR and Adidas, each valued at around €2.1m. The figures also underline the extent to which developments in the Irish media agency market are being determined by international rather than locally-run pitches. While local pitches accounted for 58% of the media spend reviewed by COMvergence globally, they represented just 28% of the spend reviewed in Ireland during the first six months of 2026. In the UK, meanwhile, WPP Media emerged as the leading media agency group during the first half of the year. COMvergence tracked 88 account moves and pitches representing $1.1 bn (€967.6m) in media spend. Of this, $475m (€417.8m) related to local pitches and $658m (€578.8m) to regional or global reviews. Retained accounts accounted for $223m (€196.2m), or 20% of the spend reviewed. The global picture was different again, with Publicis Media taking the top position among the five largest international media agency groups. Publicis Media generated $3.24 bn (€2.85 bn) in total new business, including $903m (€794m) in retained billings. Omnicom Media was second with $3.15bn (€2.77 bn), including $1.68 bn (€1.48 bn in new-client wins and $1.48 bn (€1.30 bn) in retentions. WPP Media ranked third on $2.98 bn(€2.62 billion). Dentsu and Havas Media Network, by contrast, finished the first half in negative territory, with Dentsu recording minus $181m (€159m) and Havas minus $343m (€302m) as losses outweighed wins and retentions. COMvergence also identified a wider structural change in the international agency market, with increasing volumes of major advertiser business being consolidated within bespoke or centralised operations run directly by the large agency holding groups rather than being assigned solely to their traditional agency networks. These centralised operations accounted for $5 bn (€4.40 bn), or 26%, of the $19.2 bn (€16.89 bn) in media spend reviewed globally during the first half. Overall, COMvergence assessed 1,970 media account moves and retentions across 49 countries, involving 1,070 advertisers and $19.2 billion (€16.89 billion) in reviewed media spend during the first half of 2026, an increase of 9% on the same period in 2025. Independent agencies captured $3 bn (€2.64 bn, representing 16% of total global spend reviewed. Olivier Gauthier, founder and CEO COMvergence, commented:"What Adworld is seeing is a clear shift towards the consolidation of media business within bespoke, centralized solutions operated directly by the Big 5 holding groups, outside their global agency brands. In H1 2026, these solutions secured 26%, or $5.0 bn, of the $19.2 bn in total reviewed media spend. "WPP Media led this shift, assigning $2.24 bn, or 69% of its total new wins, to its standalone group unit. Publicis Media followed with $1.50 bn (47%), and Omnicom Media with $1.11 bn (34%). Our H1 2026 New Business Barometer confirms that this model is becoming an increasingly significant force in the media landscape," Gauthier added.