Monthly Archives: April, 2014

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Inside: Alphero
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When a company grows its revenue 1116 percent in three years it’s obviously young. But software developer Alphero is wise beyond its years thanks to co-founders Caroline Dewe and Kostia Shinderman, well used to specialising at the big end of town.

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Trade Me encourages e-commerce polygamy with new fashion site
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Trade Me is touting the transformation of its clothing category into a more fully fledged e-commerce experience as an opportunity for Kiwi retailers to go omni-channel. The company began the process of transformation late last year to allow greater customisation and recommendation and to target big labels users couldn’t find on the site.

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TV on fire
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There’s method in Amazon’s madness as it breaks into the streaming media market, if the new TVC for Amazon Fire TV is anything to go by. The madness is the star courtesy of crazy specialist actor Gary Busey, who in talking to inanimate objects shows the value of a voice search feature that actually listens.

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For the love of cars
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Nissan is using its 80th birthday celebrations with a very techy promotion to pay homage to owners of its vehicles who find it hard to part with their steeds in favour of a new model. ‘Love stories’ between owners and their cars can be shared on a new website or social media and some families even get a 3D printed model of the family with their old vehicle when a new one is delivered.

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Food selfies to the value of X
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The burger selfie trend, or food selfies in general for that matter, are a strange reflection of the smartphone era. But while the trend is hot Carl’s Jr in the US is grabbing a bite of the action ahead of the latest X Men movie release, Days of Future Past.

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Thorn and Trubridge put Heineken posters through their paces for global charity campaign
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Over the past few years, Heineken and Wieden + Kennedy’s Legends brand platform has resulted in some brilliant ads and increased sales around the world. For its latest trick, it’s managed to convince more than 40 legends from the world of sport, art and entertainment to create a unique poster that will be auctioned off to support Reporters Without Borders, a global non-profit organisation that protects journalists and ensures freedom of information worldwide. And there’s a Kiwi connection to this one, with ex-All Black Brad Thorn and double world record holding freediver William Trubridge enlisted for the campaign.

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Georgie Pie, Fuse, hit Facebook sweet spot
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McDonald’s brand Georgie Pie has tracked up to more than 25,000 fans in a bit over a month since agency Fuse launched the Facebook page. The 25-44 year old demographic who ate all the pies back in the day are a key target, but pie newbies are also on Fuse’s radar.

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Holiday rentals site moves with mobile
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Trade Me-owned site Holiday Houses is moving with the shift to mobile, getting a new version that caters for changing traffic trends. Visits to the site from tablets have jumped 75 percent since this time last year while smartphone visits have more than doubled in that time.

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Why digital investment doesn’t always pay off
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If your company is investing heavily in digital but it’s not paying off, your CEO, head of marketing or IT boss could be the problem. Top performing companies are those whose chief executive sets and follows a digital strategy and those who can identify a strong relationship between marketers and those who spend technology dollars.

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Sugar & Partners’ first campaign for World Vision asks ‘What if?’
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In its first piece of work for World Vision since winning the not-for-profit’s account at the end of last year, Sugar & Partners has released a new campaign that enables Kiwis to contribute capital to the entrepreneurial endeavours of people living in disadvantaged circumstances throughout the world. Launched via a series of billboards that pose the question ‘What if the next Richard Branson, [Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison or Trelise Cooper] couldn’t afford to start up his [or her] business?’, the campaign serves to remind viewers that even the most successful people needed that initial investment to get their ideas off the ground.

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It’s all about the eyeballs
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Not many ads tend to completely steer away from showing off their product when making a 60 second TVC, but that is exactly what Leo Burnett and Canon Australia have done in the latest ad. “No One Sees It Like You…#whatdoyousee?” is the newest addition to the ‘No One Sees It Like You’ campaign.

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Vero connects the dots—and the shots—to prove its worth, bull usage hits all-time low
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For many years, Vero has taken a bovine-heavy approach to its advertising. And while Sensation, the company’s 1200kg Black Angus bull mascot who burst onto the scene in 2003 when Big launched the brand in New Zealand, features at the end of its new 60 second spot, the company has taken a different, more serious tack in an effort to show that insurance ‘is not about things going wrong, it’s about an insurer putting them right’.

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Kiwi production team uses Grand Theft Auto V to make music video
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As digital technology advances, the lines between reality and virtual reality become increasingly obscured. And while this trend has spawned some disturbing results, the team at Auckland-based production company Mr Señor has twisted it into something creative by developing an entire music video using footage from Grand Theft Auto V.

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Taste, the final frontier
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Lurpak has a rich heritage when it comes to creating quality food porn. And now, to launch its new Cooks Range, Wieden + Kennedy has created another stunner, with the adventure-themed spot imploring home cooks to ’embrace the unknown in wide-eyed wonder’.

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FCB puts a robotic fashion critic outside AS Colour
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In an effort to overcome the colour discrimination that causes consumers to opt for black, white or grey apparel instead of experimenting with alternative options in the palette, AS Colour has launched an experiential campaign via FCB that encourages shoppers to diversify their wardrobes.

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Electricity Authority takes its own advice and switches to Y&R
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Last week, the Labour Party said the $15 million campaign that aimed to prompt consumers to check out different electricity suppliers and decrease their bills was a failure after a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment report found it had not led to lower retail prices overall and didn’t increase competition. The Electricity Authority’s agency FCB won plenty of awards for the campaign, with 350,000 people visiting the sites and 70,000 people saving $16 million as a result of switching. But that relationship is now over, with Y&R thought to have won the business after FCB declined to pitch.

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The Mediaweb debacle: liquidation, false invoices and possible lawsuits
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An email leaked to StopPress late Friday afternoon revealed that McDonald Vague, the receivers assigned to Mediaweb last month, found several anomalies when analysing the financial records of the struggling company. The message, written by McDonald Vague director Jared Booth, was initially intended only to be read by those involved in the tender process, and comes shortly after Mediaweb went into liquidation on 21 March.

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HRV rides on Game of Thrones’ coattails, Hell Pizza gets meta
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Season four of Game of Thrones screens in the US today and on SoHo in New Zealand tonight. Sky and DDB have ensured Kiwis know about that with its very well-received, social-media fuelled campaign to bring down a statue of the much-despised King Joffrey. But HRV is also getting in on the act with a tactical spot called ‘Winter is Coming’ that’s set to run in the slot just before the premiere. Plus: Hell Pizza supports the bad guy and other entertaining parodies of the show.

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Business mixed with pleasure in inter-agency football and basketball comps
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Football fever (and football-related advertising fever) is ramping up as Brazil gets ready to host the World Cup in June. And there was a bit of fancy footwork in New Zealand last week when a selection of Auckland agencies put down their iPhones and laced up for the inaugural CAANZ soccer tournament. Plus: agencies also skive off to play basketball for TRN’s 3 on 3.