While the press and pretty much anyone with a Twitter account seemed to jump on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launch like it was going out of fashion (it’s not), Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 4 this week with a notable lack of column inches in the press.
Much in the same way that client demand has driven the search for more granular audience insights, the outdoor industry has also been making moves to meet the growing expectation of digital solutions. APN Outdoor was first to that large-format party with its digital billboard network in Auckland and now it’s set to switch on New Zealand’s largest high-resolution digital billboard at Auckland Airport in December. PLUS: Two new screens coming to ASB Showgrounds.
On 25 September 2013, skipper Jimmy Spithill led Oracle Team USA to victory in the final race of the America’s Cup, orchestrating one of the unlikeliest comebacks in sporting history while simultaneously breaking the hearts of every Kiwi that had stopped working to watch the race. Undoubtedly, there are more than a few sailing fans who would go to great lengths to take on Spithill and reclaim New Zealand’s honour. So, in a new mobile campaign launched on 14 October, Vodafone is giving Kiwis a chance to do just that. But to take on Spithill in a live race, Kiwis first need to show their thumb-tapping prowess by playing Vodafone’s new America’s Cup-themed sailing game hosted on the microsite Vodafonesailing.co.nz.
Got a spare six hours? Well, you’ll need it if you want to sit through Virgin’s strange—and strangely compelling—new online campaign.
… and that’s a wonderful thing, says Sugar & Partners’ Dave Nash, who’s putting on an event tonight where three speakers will argue that ‘done is better than said’.
In recent months, on-demand streaming and subscription video on-demand services have enjoyed column inches in pretty much every publication even mildly interested in the changing media landscape. The emergence of Lightbox, the decision of Slingshot to launch Global Mode to give customers access to Netflix, Sky’s plans to launch an SVOD service in the near future and the on-demand streaming deals signed by MediaWorks and TVNZ have been just some of the areas of intrigue that this space has delivered—and a Kiwi public that previously had very limited viewing options suddenly finds itself spoilt for choice. So what exactly are Kiwis choosing and which shows are attracting the biggest audiences?
With the launch of Apple Pay last month, Semble last week and various other schemes, being able to pay with your mobile phone is fast becoming a reality. But bank customers have been doing it for a few years now. And ASB says financial transactions through its mobile app have increased by two thirds in the past year, pushing internet banking firmly into second place.
A great digital user experience has an absolute correlation to a great brand experience, says Springload’s Adam Cansino.
“Orcon is shining the spotlight on bandwidth throttling used by big telcos, including Vodafone and Spark, in a new campaign that encourages Kiwis to look at the fine print before signing up to broadband plans that could unnecessarily be slowing then down,” touts the media release from Orcon that accompanies the launch of its new campaign featuring a plum-dressed dictator of ambigious origin removing the wig of what is meant to be the chief executive of a major telco (seemingly Spark, if the colour scheme of the faux promotional material is anything to go by). UPDATE: ASA confirms that complaints have been lodged.
While trying to buy the latest Ken Ring book, StopPress inadvertently put a thoroughbred on the company credit card instead. So help us give it an appropriate name and the best suggestion will win two tickets worth $95 to the Melbourne Cup festivities at Ostro on November 4.
Volvo has the honour of creating what many view as the best truck ad ever made with Epic Split. But two can play at that surreal game and Mercedes has decided to let a couple of its creations get freaky in a Dirty Dancing-inspired ad for the Vito van.
MyRepublic, a new internet service provider offering ultra-fast fibre broadband, has touched down in New Zealand in its big purple rocket, and it’s using William Shatner to communicate with us slow-internet users.
To celebrate the world’s ‘Universal Pen’, Bic has sought to discover the world’s ‘Universal Typeface’ .
A while back Swedish hair brand Apolosophy got plenty of attention for its creative use of subway advertising. And a Swedish cancer charity has added a little more emotion to that idea.
BNZ is getting involved in the world of forums by launching BNZ Community, a social hub “where New Zealanders can give, and get, guidance on all things banking and money-related”. Coinciding with the start of Money Week, BNZ’s director of retail and marketing Craig Herbison says that BNZ Community will help make it easier for New Zealanders to talk about money and banking. BNZ Community has two main components: a forum where users can post a query, start up a conversation and search out the best answers to questions; and the separate ‘Good with Money’ blog, where BNZ’s staff will be providing information on how customers can be smarter with their money.
MediaWorks is playing the Paul Henry card next year and moving him to a hybrid TV/radio/digital breakfast show that will spell the end of The Paul Henry Show, Firstline and Marcus Lush on RadioLive. MediaWorks says his show was a success. So you can judge for yourself with a comparison to the last year of Nightline from Nielsen’s TAM ratings. PLUS: Firstline vs. Breakfast.
Orcon, a double for ANZ, Lift Plus and Semble walk under our guard of honour this week.
Republik’s new campaign for Fuji Xerox New Zealand had it achieve the highest international sales figures at launch for the new Versant 2100 digital printing press. So how did the campaign engage the print industry?
As well as its focus on the dangers of drugs and booze, NZTA and Clemenger BBDO have also been pushing the dangers of distractions, and while most of the attention has so far been focused on phone use, its Party Crashes campaign aims to show how passengers can be also be the cause of accidents.
Winners of the Best Design Awards, the Oscars of the New Zealand design industry, were announced last Friday night at Auckland’s Viaduct Centre, and showed off how talented our country’s designers are. The night belonged to Alt Group, which scooped up six gold pins, four silver pins, three bronze pins and a coveted purple pin, recognising its designs for Auckland arts organisation Studio One Toi Tū (formerly Artstation). The studio was also host to one hell of an after party.
MediaWorks announced yesterday that Paul Henry would host a new show that will be simulcast across TV3 and RadioLive and have “a significant digital component”. Not surprisingly, social media lit up with commentary on the bold decision to give the polarising broadcaster such a prominent role at the expense of his eponymous late-night show, Firstline and RadioLive breakfast. So what’s the strategy? And will it work?
Customer backlash has forced Sealord to cast its latest ad, starring reality TV star Heidi Montag, to Davy Jones’ Locker. After screening the new campaign for less than two weeks, Sealord has pulled the ads from YouTube and television.
In an effort to attract a younger market to its range of life and health insurance products, increase the nation’s happiness and save the company some money on claims, Sovereign has rebranded around the line ‘Life. Take Charge’. But rather than just talk about itself and continue to drum home the classic insurance message of it will be there when you need it, it’s aiming to create healthier Kiwis by equipping them with a range of practical tools.
Wellington’s Ocean Design has been around for 26 years, but it’s been content to float under the radar. Now, after adding some new business to its list of very longstanding clients and bringing a few new staff onboard, managing director Blair Mainwaring pipes up.
ANZ is understandably keen to get more Kiwis buying, building and renovating, so it’s bringing Kevin McCloud, design expert and host of the British home renovation show Grand Designs since 1999, to visit New Zealand to offer some inspiration to property lovers. He’ll talk about the highs and lows of the show (MediaWorks is currently looking for houses for a New Zealand version of the show) and offer his thoughts on how that relates to New Zealand at a one-off speaking event on 22 October at the Viaduct Events Centre. And we’ve got a couple of tickets to give away, so post a link to the coolest/funniest piece of design you’ve seen recently and to the winner shall go the spoils.
The expression ‘a third wheel’ and the oft-used phrase ‘two’s company, three’s a crowd’ are usually employed to describe a situation whereby a third participant somehow ruins the dynamism between a couple. However, DDB doesn’t agree with this sentiment. In a trio of new TVCs, which aim to draw attention to Lotto NZ’s new game called 3 Play, DDB attempts to show that ordinary activities are way better when done in a group of three.
Next’s annual Woman of the Year awards took place last night, with Sita Selupe, founder and principal of Rise Up Academy and chief executive of Rise Up Trust, taking the supreme and education awards, Lisa Carrington taking the sport category, Miranda Harcourt taking the culture gong, My Food Bag co-founder Cecilia Robinson taking the business category and psychologist Sally Merry earning the health and science winner. So sit back, grab a saveloy from the Friday snack table and check out some glamour shots from the night.
Our weekly wrap of good things, strange things, funny things and other things from inside the intertubes.
After five successful seasons, TVNZ has decided to pull the plug on MasterChef NZ to focus on other multi-night formats, including new drama Filthy Rich and new DIY porn Our First Home. And while TVNZ basks in the soapy ratings sunlight of Home & Away and Shortland St, MediaWorks is looking to follow suit and is asking for submissions for its own multi-night soap.
