Adam Strange was killed in a shark attack as he swam off Muriwai beach last night, and tributes are flowing for a great father and husband and a talented artist and TVC director. Updated with trust account details.
For some, advertising is an irritating intrusion to be avoided at almost all costs. But every once in a while a great campaign comes along that gets everyone talking. And for the third year, TED has compiled a 10-strong list of Ads Worth Spreading, honouring ads in just this vein.
I may be the only person to ever come out of the Sub-Continent to think cricket is boring, but even I’m more likely to head to a game if my mates tagged along. This is the idea at the heart of Fuse’s recent campaign for New Zealand Cricket.
Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook says there’s “great stuff” on the horizon. And we think we may have found it.
It’s been a while between drinks for Sony PlayStation, with the PlayStation 3 launched in 2006. But given the first three generations of the machine sold more than 300 million units, there was plenty of interest in the announcement about no. 4, which some have said is a ‘tablet-inspired console’ that hopes to face up to the host of new screens it’s now competing against. And the hype film showing how to ‘push the boundaries of play’ was no.1 on AdAge’s viral video chart, clocking up more than 18 million views.
Digital Arts Network’s Ross Howard talks about the year-long development of TVNZ’s OnDemand app, building an in-app advertising platform, and the possibilities of integrating major social elements into the product in the near future.
Vodafone launches 4G internet in New Zealand, leaving Telecom looking rather silly with its 100-person trials. Includes new TVC featuring Boy star James Rolleston, and a time-travelling DeLorean.
Digital, online, interactive, cyberspace, the intertubes … whatever you like to call it, there’s no denying it’s all up in everyone’s face at the moment—and it’s growing rapidly (not your face, the techy space). And, as we’re sure you’ve noticed, this evolution is having a rather large impact on the marcomms industry. So, not surprisingly, there is a huge appetite for stories and information on the subject from those who are hoping to harness it. As such, the March/April edition of NZ Marketing magazine is dedicated to all things digital, from search engine marketing to the changing face of TV to the importance of social media to the need for agile thinking to the rise of collaborative consumption and plenty more inbetween.
Understanding what gets consumers buying is a core marketing skill, but in the world of retail, experimentation is often limited to a few variables—and expensive. So Colmar Brunton has launched a new product called CXS, or Customer Xperience Simulation, to solve those issues by allowing products and shopper marketing campaigns to be tested virtually.
The mobile age is most definitely upon us. And, after hitting the $1 million turnover mark recently, doubling its growth rate in the past year and upping the number of employees from four to 15, Sush Mobile is welcoming it. Co-founder Sheenu Chawla dials in.
The winner of the annual Glossie Award—and of the $10,000 travel prize from OMD—will be announced at an event next week. But we wanted to know if our dear, opinionated readers felt the same way as our dear, opinionated judges about the country’s best magazine ad. So select your favourite ad (the list is made up of all the winners across the competition plus a few wildcard entries we felt deserved to be in the hunt for the major prize) and then click on the vote button down below.
Outdoor media is doing it pretty tough at the moment, but Adshel had a stellar 2013, both here and in Australia. And now it’s got something else to shout about because, after 15 years of loyal service from the old brand, it has unveiled its new one.
Hobbit mania has thankfully subsided (although some embers sparked yesterday after the release of a few interesting emails). And Air New Zealand is back with another new safety video, this time featuring intrepid explorer/eater/showman Bear Grylls, who traipses around the Fiordland wilderness and helps to promote the airline’s $3 million commercial partnership with the Department of Conservation.
Victor Hugo said “puns are the droppings of soaring wits”. But while it could be said the new ad from New Zealand labour provider Allied Work Force fits the first half of that quote, it’s doubtful it could be included it in the latter.
Kiwi directing duo Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland, collectively known as Mark & Louis, have picked up a Grand Prix at the Berlin International Film Festival for their feature Shopping. And, in more good news for The Sweet Shop gang, it has also been named as one of Creativity magazine’s stand-out production companies of 2012.
Last year, when Lindsey Redding passed away, one of the posts he had written called a ‘A Short Lesson in Perspective’ started circulating again. In it, he concluded that life in this industry didn’t really pass his ‘overnight test’ and that those sitting in “a darkened studio or edit suite agonising over whether housewife A should pick up the soap powder with her left hand or her right” should do themselves a favour and go home to see their family. There’s no doubt this profession is a demanding one—and it seems to be becoming more demanding by the day—but it’s also got plenty going for it and, in a new video series aimed at promoting the industry, the Marketing Association has decided to get some of those positives from experienced campaigners.
Ogilvy’s ode to the magical, wonderful pig, Lisa Carrington’s gentle encouragement for Southern Cross and Sorted’s closure of the loop reach the dais.
According to the latest figures, Kiwis consumed 20 million fewer litres of beer in 2012 than the year before, something put down to a combination of average summer weather and a general shift away from the brown stuff towards wine and spirits. But there is growth in craft beer and Lion is continuing to get in on that act with its new Crafty Beggars range, “a craft beer you can actually drink”.
It’s been more than a year in the making, but TVNZ has finally launched its OnDemand app for iOS, meaning Shortland Street and Seven Sharp is now viewable across iPhone and iPad.
After nine years at TBWA\, Andy Blood, one of the industry’s most awarded, respected and well-liked creative directors, is handing the reins to Toby Talbot. How’s that for disruption.
Visa is partnering with the world’s largest seller of mobile phones, Samsung, to make Visa-flavoured near field communication (NFC) payments an off-the-shelf option in the Korean manufacturer’s future devices. Snapper’s Miki Szikszai says he’s not worried Visa will encroach Snapper’s revenue stream.
Auckland is currently in the midst of the kookiness that is Fringe, and as a sponsor of the festival, taxi media company Taxi Impact wanted to celebrate the creativity and originality on display with its Taxi Art Project, which asked entrants to plaster a taxi with whatever the hell they wanted. And Marcus Brill and Seth Zwart, with their submission ‘The People are the Artists’ was chosen as the winner.
Following on from Subway and justONE’s Grand Prix win at the NZDM Awards on Friday—the second grand prix the pair has won at the awards—here’s a column by Ben Goodale that featured in the November/December edition of NZ Marketing magazine about how Subway has used mobile technology to enhance both the customer experience and its own marketing.
Banks are increasingly cottoning onto the importance of the customer experience, and Westpac’s signature store at 79 Queen Street (which opened late last year) is a prime example.
The winners of Bauer Media’s Best in Beauty Awards were announced last week at the Langham Hotel in Auckland, and, alongside the vast array of winning tonics and tinctures, a few industry folk were also acknowledged.
The Marketing Association has announced the return of its Brainy Breakfast event series for 2013, and there’s a new sponsor on board, with Ubiquity taking over from past sponsor Jericho.
Forbes to the fore on Maori TV, Susan Wood makes a TV comeback, Young & Shand & Growing, Clemenger Group welcomes its annual influx of young’uns, The Sweet Shop adds some more talent, The Blue Rose shifts timeslot, and jobs.co.nz hunts for a new way.
The government’s $1.5 billion Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB) network is now in reach of 135,000 end users, but less than 4,000 New Zealanders have connected so far, according to ICT minister Amy Adams, and without Telecom and Vodafone to market the benefits, it’s unlikely to go mainstream in the near future.
In its 25th year celebration, and fresh from a major overhaul that saw the RSVP and Nexus Awards renamed as the NZ Direct Marketing Awards, justONE, Colenso and Barnes, Catmur & Friends stood out.
It’s hard times to be in Australasian media, that is unless of course you’re Sky TV and you have a monopoly to help you.