Monthly Archives: June, 2015

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NZ brands jump on the Periscope bandwagon–UPDATED
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Live streaming app Periscope is relatively new on the scene, but already some big brands are finding creative ways to use the platform to market themselves. After finding some good examples of brands using it abroad we’ve had a hunt around for some New Zealand examples, and the feedback so far is promising. We also take a look at some of the dangers of live streaming and how the content is monitored.

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A new story: Duncan Garner and Helen du Plessis-Allan announced as hosts on Campbell Live replacement
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In a recent opinion piece by Duncan Garner he said he strives to find more of a work-life balance and prioritise the important things after the loss of his father and realising Parliament was “a ridiculous place to work”. He might find that a bit difficult now, as it was announced today he will be a co-host on Campbell Live’s replacement Story alongside Heather du Plessis-Allan while continuing to present his RadioLIVE drive show from 3-6 weekdays. But no doubt the show will be welcomed with open arms after Come Dine with Me has failed to deliver in the ratings department as TV3 hits an all-time low.

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An ever-changing terrain: Reuters’ latest insights on digital news consumption
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A recent Reuters report of 20,000 people in 12 countries shows the way we digitally source news is continuing to evolve globally, with main findings being an increased use of Smartphones, a decreased use of desktops, a higher number of people looking to social media for news, and digital-born brands rivalling traditional players in domestic markets, sometimes beating them internationally.

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Cannes 2015: Colenso, FCB and DDB pick up metal as the celebrations continue—UPDATED
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Each day in Cannes brings fresh batch of awards winners—and inevitable rosé-induced hangovers—as gongs in the various categories are distributed to the agencies that have over the course of the last year produced the best creative efforts. And this continued overnight as the winners in the Outdoor, PR, Media, Creative Effectiveness and Glass Lions categories were announced. This time, Colenso, DDB and FCB were among the winners.

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Future Tense: Radio New Zealand’s Paul Thompson on going commercial, the rise of podcasting and the importance of state-funded journalism
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In a new series, StopPress talks to a range of newsmakers currently trying to shine lights into dark places while also keeping their own lights on and looks at whether commercial realities are leading to editorial compromise. First up, Radio New Zealand chief executive Paul Thompson chats about why it’s unlikely—and important for journalism—for the state-funded broadcaster to go fully commercial.

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Media Munchies: Tim Wilson
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Author, Seven Sharp reporter and dashing raconteur Tim Wilson discusses his fondness for Kanye West backing tracks, his addiction to Twitter and his wife-based media.

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McDonald’s pushes on with provenance, gets its pound of flesh from ‘patty investigator guy’ Guy Montgomery
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McDonald’s may be struggling globally as fast casual chains and the popularity of premium burgers eat into its share, but the Kiwi arm managed to lift sales by two percent last year. And, as part of its mission to be more transparent with the Our Food, Your Questions campaign, it’s got comedian Guy Montgomery to take punters through the patty manufacturing process.

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Nice to meat you
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An art project on the nature of Tinder, named Tender, cleverly (or very grossly) plays on the expression “Treated like a piece of meat”, and given we’ve had a bit of a dating focus lately, we thought we’d better feature it.

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Cannes day one: Colenso picks up gongs across all categories, DDB and Y&R also among winners
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Results for the Promo and Activation, Direct, Press, and Mobile Lions categories came out overnight, and there a few Kiwi winners in the mix. The New Zealand contingent picked up gongs in each of the categories listed, but the only Kiwi gold came in the Press category for Colenso BBDO’s ‘Breast Cream’ campaign developed for Skinfoods and the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation.

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Sharing is caring: The Co-operative Bank trumpets its profit sharing and mobile app
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When banks advertise they usually try to act as if they’re our friends, saying they want us to get the most out of their services, pushing all the opportunities they can offer us – like new homes or successful business start ups. The Co-operative bank has taken a more honest approach saying what banks really want from us and how easy it is to leave that behind and join its bank, and has enlisted the help of a snappy reptilian (or crocodilian to be exact) named Brian to get the message across. We also look into banking profits and ad spend, courtesy of PwC and Nielsen.

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The Cannes case study template
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There were over 40,000 entries to the Cannes Lions this year, and while there is currently much excitement and hedonism in the South of France, there also seems to be a growing sense of cynicism about the importance placed on the awards, with Tom Goodwin’s thought-provoking article in The Guardian questioning the industry’s reality distortion field and inward-looking nature. And for the cynics who think these clever ideas on display are all a bunch of arse that are unlikely to solve real business problems, you’ll probably enjoy the Grand Prix Generator.

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Air New Zealand shakes up the seasons for winter push
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Air New Zealand’s most recent safety video was all about surfing. But the wetsuits are being swapped for woolly onesies and, following on from last year’s efforts to lure Australians (mostly) to the now well-covered slopes, the airline and a few of its friends have created a beautiful timelapse video that focuses on the thrill snow lovers get from the change of seasons.

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NZ Book Council shows how the greats inspire the greats via Colenso
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Last month we wrote about a clever ad we saw on the back of AUT’s Debate magazine, which looked like an old library list showing the generations of great minds and talents who had been inspired by George Orwell’s 1984. We’ve now learned more about the campaign, which includes other influential texts such as the Holy Bible and Romeo and Juliet with the goal of exploring how digital natives view great pieces of literature in an online world.

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Google puts the spotlight on transgenderism
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Given the recent media focus on the transgender community, Google has shown its support through a moving ad that provides a glimpse into the life of Jacob, a transgender man who finds a gym where he can safely exercise without the fear of being ostracised (or worse). The spot tracks Jacob’s journey through a series of archived YouTube clips and shows how hard the transition has been both physically and emotionally.

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Farmstrong raises awareness of farmers’ mental health with new TVC via BCG2
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Farmstrong is an organisation which looks out for the well being of farmers, which in recent times has become an area which needs attention, with 14 farmers taking their own lives during the second half of last year. The organisation has released a TVC addressing the issue in a subtle way, using a farmer as the protagonist who has a nonchalant approach to well being, which illustrates how easy it can be to slip into bad habits.

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A dog’s life—and death
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Pedigree and Colenso’s latest work aims to show us that dogs bring out the best in humanity. This short film about a very special relationship between a man and his best mate backs that up—and is likely to lead to a bit of moisture on the eye.

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Reach vs. revenue, smiles vs. sadness: a look at the latest newspaper numbers
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Last week, after a few months of subscribing to the print version of The Herald, my wife decided to cancel it (despite my initial reservations given we have access to the internet, I actually quite enjoyed getting the paper version). With the circulation declines in recent years, this certainly wouldn’t have been an unusual conversation for those in the subscriptions department, but she said they sounded quite sad when she told them the news. And while there are a few areas of positivity in the latest readership numbers, putting a smiling man on the first page of the Nielsen readership report might have been overly optimistic.

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Do Good Dating, not swiping: young Auckland trio launch a unique matchmaking site
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Yesterday we looked at Tinder’s disruption of the online dating market, today we look at a new dating site promoting itself as a more respectful alternative to the app. Love our loathe Tinder no one can deny it has a reputation for being a less wholesome form of dating. Rather than being matched through similar interests or the calibre of one’s personality, superficially, it’s based on aesthetics in the form of the user’s best selection of Facebook pictures. Three young innovators are looking to change that, with their own matchmaking creation called Do Good Dating, which would see the mutually interested parties getting to know each other by undertaking community work together. And only three days after its launch, the site already has over 600 sign ups.

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Swipe left: why online dating sites are proving no match for Tinder
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Mobile dating app, Tinder, famous for right vs. left swipes, bad dates, good dates, the odd marriage proposal and sore thumbs has taken the world by storm since it launched three years ago. Data analysis shows former popular US dating sites are on the decline as Tinder’s popularity soars, and it appears we’re seeing a similar trend here in New Zealand.

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Wouldn’t you?
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The wealth of streaming services now available is proving to be hard on New Zealand’s broadband infrastructure, and, according to the NBR, Chorus, the largest network operator, recently said traffic increased by 40 percent on its network between January and April. Playstation is also getting on the act (in the US, at least) with Vue, and it’s launched an ad showing a number of situations where using new technology is a no brainer.

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