Monthly Archives: January, 2014

News
SuperBowl ad rundown
By

The SuperBowl has become the red carpet event of the year for the advertisers, in the sense that they get to unleash the work that they are proudest of on arguably the most well-watched stage in America. This year, the hype has not disappointed, and major brands have unleashed a plethora of high-budget teasers and ads, some of which have already attracted millions of views. So, here’s a rundown of the some of the more popular offerings thus far.

News
Annual reviews reimagined
By

While most annual reviews are jargon-loaded examples of corporate self-adulation, some businesses see it as an opportunity to engage with consumers by using a more creative and accessible approach. Over the last few years, four corporations that took latter approach were Z Energy, Warby Parker, Adris and Heinz.

News
Former Ikon managing partners start new family
By

In late November last year, Ikon restructuring led to the rather unexpected ousting of then-managing partners Lee Parkinson and Tom Davidson. And now, fewer than two months later, the pair has announced the launch of a new agency called The Family.

News
Get your .GIF on
By

The much maligned .GIF format, star of hackneyed electronic cards and dated websites, now has an awards site to call its own. LA agency CP and B has formed The Gifys, which sorts the image format stars in a raft of categories.

Opinion
Where’s our digital TV revolution?
By

There’s no reason New Zealand can’t be world class when it comes to online TV. If broadcast viewership was eclipsed by massive online engagement it’d be a win for viewers, networks and advertisers alike. So why is it so hard to make this digital product work online?

Opinion
Why lawyers make bad marketers
By

How can companies ensure that fans who inadvertently use the wrong nomenclature continue to feel good about buying, using and recommending their products? Jennifer Duval-Smith, a recent recipient of some unexpected legal communication, offers a few suggestions.

News
What it takes to become a pop star
By

Hungarian pop singer Csemer Boglarka has undergone a live Photoshop face transplant for her new music video. And although such uses of Photoshop are by no means new or original, the way in which it is done in this video is particularly impressive. All the changes made to Boglarka’s face are effected while she is singing her new song.

News
Gamers in paradise
By

Call of Duty’s trailer for its Ghosts Onslaught content pack starts as every person’s nightmare with kidnapping, but ends with the gamer’s dream of time to satisfy their addiction without interruption.

News
A depressing space
By

Squarespace has followed its Superbowl trailer with the full clip of A Better Web Awaits, but the lasting memory is an extended version of everything that’s wrong with cyberspace.

News
Old Spice conducts nine ‘internetaventions’
By

By tapping into a marketing budget that other companies could only dream of, Old Spice has launched a series of nine websites dedicated to fake (and unavoidably uncool) products. But instead of actually sending the products to those who attempt to purchase them, Old Spice commissions the services of the bare-chested one to conduct an ‘internetavention’ to encourage buyers to stop making stupid decisions.

News
Celebrating the mutts
By

In order to encourage prospective pet owners to consider adopting abandoned dogs, Costa Rica-based dog rescue centre Territorio de los Zagautes commissioned the creation of a campaign that highlighted the uniqueness of mixed breeds.

News
In your space: Y&R
By

The old Auckland City Council workshops are now home to a much groovier bunch of tenants: ad agency Y&R. Here’s how artist Jason Dempsey overhauled the space.

News
Controversy bubbles over
By

SodaStream is no stranger to controversy—and, in quintessential challenger brand style, no stranger to directly confronting the big drinks companies it competes against. It had its first major brand ad pulled in the UK for being “too disparaging towards soda manufacturers” and its Super Bowl spot from last year was rejected by CBS because it showed truck drivers in clothing featuring Pepsi and Coke logos (in the end, it ran a tweaked version of the UK ad). There’s obviously a fair bit of PR value in having your ad banned from the Super Bowl (and these banned ads often live on in the online world) and, surprise surprise, this year SodaStream’s ad featuring ambassador Scarlett Johansson, who utters the the line ‘sorry, Coke and Pepsi’, has also been knocked back.

1 2 3 … 5