First it was Droga5, and now, in the classic ‘Christmas dump’, where bad news is saved up for when everyone’s focusing on some well-earned festive cheer, it was announced yesterday that Publicis Mojo’s time in New Zealand is also up. It will be replaced by a new agency called Joy in the new year.
As a wise man once said, those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. So, given all the opinions that have flowed forth over the past week from a range of marcomms cutters and thrusters (never fear, we’ve got a few more up our sleeves to ease you into 2013), it seemed remiss of us not to do a bit of reflecting ourselves, both on the industry we cover and on the evolution of StopPress and NZ Marketing.
What’s more Christmassy than an inappropriate pash at the office party? Or a deep ham and alcohol coma? Or the disappointed look on your greedy kids’ faces when they don’t get what they want? A festively-themed, avian-heavy dollop of digital show-offery, says the gang from audio-recognition app Pluk. So Pluk the video and see what happens.
The tenth year of Auckland indie Big Communications has been another solid one, with new clients like Motorcorp, Barfoot & Thompson, ATEED and The Langham, and more good stuff as part of the long-running Vero campaign. Managing director Ant Salmon goes long.
When it comes to mergers, it doesn’t get much bigger than ANZ shutting the stable door on the National Bank. Everyone knew it was coming eventually, but having to say goodbye to the much-loved stallion still came as a shock to many. And from the relatively smooth IT switchover (thought to be the biggest IT project this century in New Zealand) to the roll-out of the different phases of communications, most would agree they did a pretty bloody good job of it. Matthew Pickering, head of retail marketing, pipes up.
Five Kiwi apps have floated above the rest in Apple’s pick of this year’s best in the New Zealand App Store.
A single salty tear runs down our cheek because it’s the last instalment of Woops of the Week for 2012, with Dan News’ always popular yearly blooper wrap-up; Rube Goldberg vs. Isaac Newton; fake fun with lights; driving music; make it count; BBC’s Christmas festivities; a Twitter-powered billboard; an old school musical mash-up; a year in the life of The Yoob; we need more Hobbit; trolling turned on its head in Warm wishes from Adland; an interesting/interactive take on Maurice Levy’s annual address; YouTube’s advertising leaderboard for 2012; poor Dr Hedgeh and the perfect gift for the malodorous.
2012 was a comeback year for the Whybin\TBWA Group after something of an annus horribilis in 2011. It put Middle-earth into New Zealand, oversaw the biggest thing in banking with the surprisingly smooth National Bank/ANZ fusion, launched the Digital Arts Network by merging Shift and Tequila\, and its PR arm Eleven won a couple of PR agency of year awards. So chief executive David Walden, who sold a few shares and began the hunt for a successor, ended the year a pretty happy chappy.
While MediaWorks’ ownership and debt issues continued to bubble away this year, there were plenty of positives for those working at the coalface, including Four’s media brand of the year award and a very successful first run of The Block. Liz Fraser, who moved from MSN and chair of the IAB to take up the role of director of sales and marketing at Mediaworks TV, has her say.
With a new office in Amsterdam, a host of awards, some massive international clients, a few stroke-inducing side projects and a cause-based cat telethon to promote internet freedom, Resn has further cemented its well-earned reputation as one of the world’s best—and most experimental—digital agencies in 2012. Kris Hermansson and Steve Le Marquand log on.
Tourism New Zealand and Whybin\TBWA’s 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand campaign has been the subject of much discussion recently, plenty of it based around the perceived gap between the fantasy of the slogan and the reality of the country’s environmental situation. But after some negative media coverage, it’s put one in the plus column by winning the World’s Leading Destination Marketing Campaign in the World Travel Awards 2012.
New Zealanders really enjoy a catchy tune mixed with a bit of schadenfreude, a fact demonstrated by the most searched for ad on Google this year.
After saying goodbye to BNZ, ‘recalibrating’ the agency and adding a couple of ex-Ogilvy chaps to its creative arsenal, Sugar&Partners had plenty to contend with this year. But it took it in its stride and released some quality campaigns for TAB, new challenger telco Flip and, slightly controversially given its similarity to a popular cat video, Mammoth Insulation. Dave Nash and Damon O’Leary sum up their 2012.
Creative ideas increasingly need to be media ideas—and specifically social media ideas. And OMD recognised this earlier this year by hiring social strategist, self-proclaimed ‘askhole’, opinionated mofo, treasure hunt lover and enthusiastic supporter of the Herne Bay Local Anthony Gardiner. So get these opinions down ‘ya gullet.
Twas the night before the night before Christmas, and Rudolph is hungover in the corner. Mrs Claus gives a bourbon fuelled rant about how her life with Santa is no fairy tale. She stumbles off stage, but not before threatening Rudolph with a shit-stained dildo. Thus ending the opening scene of Mega Christmas, playing at the Basement Theatre in Auckland this week.
Following up from a win in August for Consumer NZ, Ogilvy Wellington duo Nigel Richardson and Steve Cooper have taken the November ORCA with their ‘Silly Season’ ad for Consumer NZ.
Once again, online advertising continued its steady rise in New Zealand in 2012, hitting its high water mark in the last quarter. And as the head of Yahoo! New Zealand (which recently launched its year-in-the-making new homepage and mobile site) and the new chair of the local Internet Advertising Bureau, Laura Maxwell-Hansen is well placed to see where it’s heading next. Here’s her take on 2012.
Dow Design is on a mission to prove the commercial value of good design. And with a win in the TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards for Fonterra, a finalist in the new Best Effect Award for Hellers, a number of big redesigns for big FMCG brands, it seems to be doing a good job of it. Founder Annie Dow and business development director Jenny McMillan speak their piece.
Following on from last week’s well-received column about why social media was like talkback radio, Jennifer Duval-Smith puts forward her views on why a combination of paid tools and manual monitoring is the best option for a consistent, timely and comprehensive overview of your social media chatter.
Search giant Google has released the results of its 2012 top search trends, including the most searched for terms in New Zealand this year.
‘Twas a big year for Barnes, Catmur & Friends, with plenty of success and international attention for the sado-masochistic Pizza Roulette, a long-awaited BOTAB victory for Friends Electric, one of the country’s best hauls at the EFFIES and some consistently good low-budget work for Independent Liquor’s Boundary Road Brewery, which is now thought to have gained 20 percent of the ‘gateway craft’ market after its launch last year. Say hello to managing creative partner Paul Catmur.
Fresh from Rapp Tribal’s hiring of ex-BMF Sydney creative director Tim Wood, DDB Group NZ has made it a double, with Shane Bradnick, the current executive creative director at BMF Sydney, joining DDB in February 2013 as creative director.
With a newish chief executive, a switch to Saatchi & Saatchi without a pitch, a rejigged marketing team, record profits, a new HQ being built, a couple of awards, a few more impressive innovations like Facebook payments and a classy if comparatively subdued response to the National Bank’s departure (something big might be brewing, however), ASB had a fairly eventful year. Executive general manager marketing and online Roger Beaumont shares the love.
New Zealand-based fundraising startup Donate Your Desktop has partnered with eight new charities, with the hope that added choice will bring in new users and boost struggling advertising sales.
It’s been a watershed year for APN NZ, with the Herald’s shift to tabloid and the resulting campaign by DraftFCB, a new nzherald.co.nz, the launch of The Listener’s digital subscriptions and restructures of the IT, editorial and marketing departments. Chief operating officer Todd McLeay, the man who swapped the comparatively easy job of selling Lotto tickets for positioning a newspaper for the rather uncertain future, looks back on an eventful 2012.
Fresh from judging at Young Guns, Contagion’s Verity Dookia says TV has most certainly got some competition in the form of maverick media, digital and ‘something else’. But it’s not quite as simple as trawling the internet for the latest gadget and then sticking a brand on it.
It’s been a cracking year for the crew of Clemenger BBDO Wellington, with the agency winning four Cannes Lions, three Gold Effies, New Zealand’s only D&AD Yellow Pencil for Ghost Chips and securing more work in The Work than any other Kiwi agency. Here’s what caught the attention of the lads at the helm, Philip Andrew and Andrew Holt.
Panasonic and Trade Me have teamed up to take advantage of televisions becoming more and more computer-like, with the launch of the Trade Me app for Panasonic Smart Viera TVs.
With five golds at the Media Awards, a host of Yahoo DSA gongs, big campaigns for Vodafone, Instant Kiwi and ANZ, a re-signed agreement with Unilever and a new gamified planning system about to come onstream, Spark Group has had plenty to crow about this year. Chief executive Louise Bond takes the wheel.
When it comes to Kiwi viral sensations, we may have a new champion, because DraftFCB, Mini and the SPCA’s campaign that put homeless mutts behind the wheel of a modified Mini has been picked up by most of the world’s major media outlets, been the most shared video on BBC three days running, with 225,000 shares to Facebook and 7,900 to Twitter, and ranks as the biggest news event on Campbell Live in its seven-and-a-half year history.