The World: Insider's View - New Zealand.(advertising)

A small market with tiny production budgets has bred a lean, hard-working advertising industry, where creativity and simple solutions are cherished.

Twelve months ago, I was living in London, working at Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, with assumptions of what the ad market in New Zealand would be like. Now I can begin to describe what it's really like.

It's a tiny market. New Zealand's population is 3.8 million - around the size of South London. So budgets are tiny too. The average production budget for a 30-second TV ad is around NZdollars 250,000 (pounds 96,000), but ads are regularly shot for just NZdollars 20,000. That's pounds 7,500. It still amazes me that production companies and agencies can do this and win not only the hearts and minds of consumers, but industry awards.

Another assumption was that the smaller budgets would mean less TV and more print and press. I couldn't have been more wrong. Airtime is cheap, and every man and their dog is on TV.

Naturally, the brands we deal with are global brands. However, it's heartening to find that much of the work is generated locally, not global work that's adapted for the New Zealand market.

This mix of big-name brands and small budgets is challenging, but it's also exciting. It has made New Zealand a place of innovation and experimentation.

Brands can move fast here. Products can be launched, tested and rolled out - or quietly de-listed - without too much fuss. And with smaller ...