ASB farewells Ira Goldstein

After 11 successful years and numerous awards, the final ASB Ira Goldstein advertisement will air on television this week.

ASB’s General Manager Brand and Marketing, Deborah Simpson says Goldstein will be farewelled with a final commemorative advertisement celebrating his decade-long story on Sunday 26 September.

“Ira Goldstein has been the central character in one of New Zealand’s most enduring and well loved campaigns,” Ms Simpson says. “Kiwis have taken Goldstein into their hearts and homes, and he has become an iconic figure in our country’s advertising.”

“With ASB having entered an exciting new era, it is time now to finally bring the Goldstein chapter of our advertising history to a close. But before we move on, we wanted to celebrate Goldstein - the time he’s spent at ASB and the way he’s entertained New Zealanders along the way. With the final ad, New Zealand can finally find out ‘what happens’ to Goldstein.”

Ms Simpson says the incredible success of Goldstein has captivated not just audiences across New Zealand, but also the hearts of ASB people.

“Goldstein has been hugely popular among our ASB colleagues. Our people across the country have embraced Goldstein’s character, and he has become a unique part of our ASB identity.”

She also attributes the success of the campaign to the creative talent from advertising agency TBWA\Tequila, together with the strong trio of key characters involved in the long-standing series - American actor Stephen Mellor (Goldstein), Australian actor Bruce Venables (the Boss) and Kiwi director Paul Middleditch (a celebrity director in his own right).

Ms Simpson says that after Goldstein, ASB plans to continue to entertain New Zealanders around the country. “ASB has a unique brand and DNA built on our legacy of firsts, dedication to customer service, community partnerships and, of course, our people. New Zealand will see these attributes coming through in ASB’s next advertising campaign. Without giving away any details, I can assure our audiences that ASB’s new campaign will reflect the unique personality of our brand, as well as the humour New Zealanders have come to expect from ASB.”

The final Goldstein advertisement has been produced by the same advertising agency that first launched Goldstein in 1999 – TBWA\Tequila. It will air between Sunday 26 September and Friday 1 October, and will also be available on ASB’s website until 1 October 2010.

ASB’s new advertising campaign will launch later this year.