The correlation between digital marketing excellence and revenue is on the rise, says Adobe’s Tamara Gaffney. And New Zealand and Australia are doing well when it comes to engagement and conversion rates.
Banking is becoming increasingly mobile, with all the major banks offering apps and a whole range of different ways to pay, from Bump to Facebook to NFC-enabled stickers. And now The Co-Operative bank has joined the fray, albeit slightly belatedly, with what it’s calling “a ground-breaking new mobile banking app”.
The classic Mac vs PC campaign was a master-class in comparative advertising and helped cement the impression of Apple as a brand suited to those striving to be cool and Microsoft as a brand suited to those who wore cardigans. But Microsoft is fighting back with a bit of comparative advertising of its own and showing that its Cortana system is smarter than Siri.
Last week, Vodafone released its Fantastic Fridays TVC, a creative effort that stoked the dying embers of hate that viewers still held for Rebecca Black’s 2011 viral song while simultaneously introducing the telco’s new reward programme. And while the spot was greeted with revile from some quarters, there were few complaints from the Vodafone customers who stand to receive rewards as part of the programme. Here’s a breakdown of how Fantastic Fridays has been incorporated into Vodafone’s existing MyVodafone app.
Interacting with a government department is not something most normal humans look forward to. But a new website www.govt.nz hopes to make those interactions slightly less wrist-slitty.
TRN has launched Kiwi Kids, a new iHeartRadio radio station that continuously plays songs and rhymes written for Kiwi Kids and performed by the nation’s top children’s musicians. And while, to some parents, this might sound like a scene borrowed from Dante’s Inferno, iHeartRadio’s artwork accompanying the launch carries the promise that the new station “won’t drive mum and dad crazy”.
Consumers—especially the younger ones—are increasingly checking out whether companies have been naughty or nice. And research shows an average of 55 percent of global online consumers are willing to pay more for products and services from companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact. So, as Kath Dewar writes, it pays to keep it clean.
When it comes to the idea of self-driving cars, there are plenty of concerns over safety, primarily because the first stage of robot acceptance among humans is that “a robot/computer cannot possibly do the tasks I do”. But Dutch car insurance company Centraal Beheer is predicting other dangers from the rise of automation.
Amazon has launched a new 3D printing store that offers a catalogue of around 200 different designs, which range from a crane skeleton to a skull with a tree growing out of it. While most products can only be customised in terms of size and colour, the 27 products carrying the phrase ‘create your own’ offer greater flexibility. When it comes to these products, customers can log into Amazon’s personalisation hub and then alter the design in accordance to their preferences.
FCB’s ad for Air New Zealand’s new seating options blew “most of our norms out of the water”, says Harriet Dixon, account director at Colmar Brunton. The ad has stolen the Ad Impact Award for June.
Scandinavia is so hot right now. So hot, in fact, that when Lion decided to launch its new range of low-sugar sodas, the company chose an old Skaldic word thought to mean ‘connected’ as the name of the product. Dubbed Hӧpt and sold in bottles that that seem more suited to beer or cider, Lion’s new range of non-alcoholic drinks is currently being advertised via billboards as a soda alternative that “contains less than half the sugar of leading regular soft drinks”.
Frucor is continuing the shenanigans of the Give it a V campaign, choosing the crowd-sourced suggestion of “Give Darts a V” 24 hours ago which led to the idea of skydiving with giant darts today.
Colenso BBDO has long worked on Fonterra’s major brands like Anchor, Tip Top, Fresh ‘n Fruity and Mainland and it’s gradually been adding new chunks of the business to its roster, with the most recent being the addition of some smaller brands after Shine shacked up with Goodman Fielder. Now it’s added some more after the agency was appointed as the social media partner for all of Fonterra’s brands after a competitive pitch.
In this week’s edition, kudos goes to MediaWorks, VW, Honda and Instant Kiwi.
Honda has a reputation for making great ads, with the likes of Cog and, more recently, Hands, ranked among the best automotive spots ever made. Honda New Zealand’s new ad to promote the Jazz probably wouldn’t be placed in that category, but at least it’s injected a bit of local colour into the brand with its ‘It’s Jazz As’ campaign. PLUS: A newish agency, staff changes and a big sponsorship.
On Sunday night, MediaWorks unveiled the four couples that will gain palm calluses, lose sleep and drink copious cups of Wild Bean Coffee during the third season of The Block NZ. And given the solid ratings the show attracted in previous seasons, MediaWorks has given the latest edition a strong promotional push across its entire offering. Here’s a breakdown of how the broadcaster aims to hold onto its stong fan base. PLUS: find out which brands are partnering with MediaWorks for this season.
There was a fair bit of concern after the last election, with the 74.2 percent turn out the lowest since 1887 (the highest was 93.5 percent in 1946 and 1949). So the Electoral Commission is aiming to improve that with a campaign via Saatchi & Saatchi—and it’s even roped in Lorde to try and convince the young’uns to tick the box on September 20.
The Late Night Big Breakfast, a pisstake of morning chat shows that started off on Moon TV, is set in a furniture shop and stars Leigh Hart, Jeremy Wells and Jason Hoyte, is two episodes in and it’s a study in ridiculous, awkward and often-physical humour. Some, like the Herald’s Greg Dixon, haven’t seen the funny side of the interrupting hosts, the confused guests, or the surreal segments. But others seem to like it. And while parodies of advertorials are low-hanging fruit from a comedy perspective, this industry can no doubt see the funny side of Hoyte’s beskivvied perfomances in Health Corner.
A couple of years ago, Volkswagen was a brand struggling to combat the perception among mainstream New Zealanders that it was too stuffy, too expensive and too European. So it did some research, hired new staff, launched some new products, created more localised comms with DDB and did some serious discounting as part of its ‘a car for every Kiwi’ approach. These efforts led to big increases in sales and the top gong at the 2012 TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards. But since then, it’s been fairly quiet. Now, with its new agency Colenso BBDO in tow, it’s celebrating its 60th anniversary in this market with a crowd-sourced ad called The People’s Film. PLUS: a few other classy crowd-sourced campaigns from around the world.
When it comes to media and advertising consumption, the denizens of ad land aren’t normal. While the rest of the world does everything it can to avoid pre-rolls and 60-second TV spots—however creative they might be—those employed by the advertising and marketing machine tend to be far more enamoured with promotional messaging. So, in an effort to remind ad people that their undying love for all forms of advertising might not be shared by everyone, Adshel has launched a campaign that encourages ad people to take a quiz to determine how in love they are with advertising.
Last night Campbell Live broadcast a show dedicated to the generosity of New Zealanders, GJ Gardner and various suppliers who pitched in to help a couple who had bought a house that was infested with termites. And it was a great example of the power of positivity—and the marketing value of good, genuine corporate citizenship.
The European Union declared 2014 as the year against food waste, and Paris-based creative agency Marcel Paris latched onto this to release an Intermarché campaign called Les fruits et légumes moches, or the Inglorious fruits and vegetables.
Macular degeneration is a disorder that is said to affect as many as one in seven Kiwis over the age 50. And while treatable when caught early enough, most people don’t even know what it is—let alone what symptoms to look out for. So, in an effort to demystify the condition and make Kiwis more aware what can be done to counter it, Macular Degeneration New Zealand (MDNZ)—a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the cause—has launched a new campaign conceptualised by Logan Brooke Communications. And to help in delivering the message behind the campaign, MDNZ has called Philip Sherry out of retirement.
For the past two elections, The Green Party’s messaging has been what national campaign director Ben Youdan calls “aspirational”. That’s worked very well, with its vote going from five percent to 11 percent in 2011, making it by far the fastest growing party. But for the 2014 election it’s getting slightly more confrontational, juxtaposing images of open-cast mines, oil spills, Auckland gridlock and poor children with its positive—and protective—campaign slogan of ‘Love New Zealand’.
Compared with the comforting flickering fire on its first billboard, Logan Brooke’s second billboard for Rinnai was too steamy for some, with five fire trucks turning up on Friday to put it out, after receiving reports that the steam was smoke and the building was on fire. The fire service disconnected it.
Last year, as part of a promotional push for its ‘Airline of Middle-earth’ sponsorship activation, Air New Zealand flew three fans to Los Angeles to watch the premiere of The Hobbit: the desolation of Smaug. And now, in anticipation of the release of the final instalment of the trilogy, the airline has upped the promotional ante by flying 150 fans to New Zealand for a week to tour some of the filming locations and to attend a private screening of the film in the company of Peter Jackson.
There are times when pop cultural knowledge comes in handy. And The Herald is no doubt wishing some of its staff had watched a bit more Jackass after an embarrassing blunder on the front page of today’s paper.
As part of our series dedicated to celebrating good work and inspiring a bit more generosity, Steve Kane, Y&R’s managing director, acknowledges the impact of The Warehouse Challenge.
Our weekly wrap of good things, strange things, funny things and other things from inside the intertubes.
Scenario has made a World Cup poster that has deep, deep meaning, in an obsessive way that true football fans will appreciate.