Anchor Partners With Sky And Miss Polly’s Kitchen To Flip The Script On Influencer Marketing

Anchor has partnered with Sky and creator Polly Markus of Miss Polly's Kitchen to launch a new culinary campaign that brings influencer-led cooking content into premium broadcast environments

The approach moves beyond traditional media placements to show how Anchor can help solve a real consumer challenge: elevating simple meals with easy, accessible flavour hacks in line with Anchor’s existing Make Amazing platform, which has already delivered strong results.

Designed to help Kiwis break out of the weeknight dinner rut, the work reframes Anchor Culinary range from passive fridge staples to key flavour boosting ingredients that elevate everyday dishes at home.

The ‘Make Weeknight Meals Amazing’ campaign was developed by WPP Media agency brand EssenceMediacom. It flips the script on influencer marketing and marks a shift in how the brand connects with younger New Zealand audiences.

The work brings Anchor’s Culinary range of cream, sour cream and cream cheese into the cultural conversation by pairing the brand with digital native creator Polly Markus, who has a combined social media following of almost 94,000 via her Miss Polly’s Kitchen channels.

Instead of showing up exclusively across social channels, the influencer and content creator is propelled onto a premium broadcast environment via Sky. In this edutainment content series, including long-form "cook-along" segments where Polly Markus demonstrates recipe inspiration that shows Anchor is the secret ingredient to turning up the taste. This contemporary model for talent driven storytelling at scale enables Anchor to connect with younger audiences in a way that feels modern, relevant, and culturally attuned.

Renee Milkop-Kerr, Marketing & Innovation Director Fonterra Oceania, said:

“At Anchor, our promise has always been to 'Make Weeknight Meals Amazing,' but we know that for many Kiwis, the reality of weeknight cooking can be a chore.

Polly’s cooking style – honest, generous, and absolutely delicious – aligns perfectly with what we stand for.

By leaning into co-creation and partnering with talent who reflect how people cook today, we are showing that simple ideas can genuinely make everyday meals more enjoyable.

It’s a fresh, engaging way to demonstrate the role Anchor can play in kitchens across the country.”

EssenceMediacom New Zealand Managing Partner Megan Smith, said:

“We don't just buy media; we drive business growth for clients through strategic innovation and powerful collaboration.

This campaign is about embedding Anchor inside culture rather than advertising alongside it. Taking a creator who resonates with younger, engaged food audiences and integrating her into a broadcast ecosystem is a breakthrough media idea that modernises how the brand shows up and stays relevant.”

Anna Lloyd, Sky Media Strategist, said:

“This partnership between Anchor and Polly Markus brings a fresh, digital-native energy to the advertising on Sky’s entertainment platforms.

It’s a perfect example of how Sky can collaborate with brands like Anchor to co-create content that feels native to the talent while delivering massive scale across both linear and digital environments."

Belinda Innes, The Story Co. Founder, says:

“It was an absolute pleasure to work with such an iconic Kiwi brand and the super talented creator Miss Polly.

Anchor’s Culinary range provided a great canvas to create engaging and creative content that will hopefully send viewers running to stock up on their favourite ingredients and get busy in the kitchen to make their weeknight meals amazing!“

The campaign launched on January 26 and will roll out across Sky and NEON, NEON social, vertical social video across Polly and Anchor’s owned channels and YouTube.

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Credits

Client:

Fonterra, Anchor Culinary Team

• Renee Milkop-Kerr, Marketing & Innovation Director Oceania

• Stephanie Baker, Group Marketing Manager, Fonterra Oceania

• Laura Blewitt, Group Marketing Manager, Butter & Spreads Oceania

• Lana Blair, Group Marketing Manager, Cultured, Fonterra Oceania

• Natalie Kudryashova, Marketing Manager, Beverages

• Monique Farrell, Senior Brand Manager, Cultured

• Caroline Stedman, Senior Brand Manager, Mainland & Anchor Oceania

• Tyler Petersen, Brand Manager, Spreads

  
  

Talent:

Polly Markus (@miss_pollys_kitchen and @pollymarkus)

WPP Media:

Emily Scovell, Chief Strategy Officer

EssenceMediacom:

Megan Smith, Managing Partner

SKY:

Anna Lloyd, Media Strategist

The Story Co:

Belinda Innes, Founder, Producer/Director

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About WPP Media

WPP Media is WPP’s global media collective, built for the AI era. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, we bring the best platform, people, and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth.

About EssenceMediacom

EssenceMediacom is a WPP Media agency brand, committed to delivering marketing breakthroughs. The agency was formed by merging Essence and MediaCom to bring together complementary capability and skillsets that, combined, are extremely powerful. EssenceMediacom is the breakthrough agency. They blend culture, content, and technology