Whether you’re a copywriter, a journalist, a press release peddler, a social media guru or a ‘content producer’, it’s worth paying a visit to departing Metro editor Simon Wilson’s school for people who can’t write good. Here’s what he’s learned about the mysterious art of writing over the years.
HSBC has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent years, with the LIBOR scandal, fines for its role in assisting tax evasion, supposed media manipulation in the Telegraph and a recent proposal to lay off up to 50,000 staff around the world. It’s still making truckloads of cash, of course (although profit was down 17 percent to a mere $18.7bn in 2014) and it’s also making good ads, with a beauty from Grey London that, like Mad Men, uses the humble elevator as a storytelling device and plays up the emotional side of owning a business.
Blunt – the Kiwi makers of “The World’s Best umbrellas” – have paired up with Tile, the location-tracking device from Silicon Valley, to produce the first “unlosable umbrella”. Does this mean it’s less cursing and frustration on a rainy day, or just another thing that’s wirelessly tethering you? PLUS: a look at how geo-location technology straddles the line between being useful and a little creepy.
Industry happenings at Metro, Colenso BBDO, NZME, NBR, Showcase Workshop, 3rdeye Recruitment, Font and Naked Recruitment.
The latest issue of Home magazine features a powerful campaign that shows a multi-page profile on what at first appears to be just another affluent home. However, on closer inspection, it quickly becomes clear that something is amiss. Blood stains are on a stairwell, chairs have been knocked over, ceramic pieces lie shattered on the floor and tables have been smashed.
Last year, as part of the Herald Advertising Challenge, NZME asked agencies to come up with a big media idea for a client that used its assets in an interesting way. FCB Media came out on top with Sony’s Sideline Challenge, a campaign that saw the Herald relinquish editorial control to a handful of passionate photography readers and publish weekend sporting highlights captured on the Sony a6000 DSLR camera (it went on to win three Axis Awards and four golds in the Beacons this year). Since then, the many media strands of the company have come together, so this year it has renamed the competition the NZME Ad Challenge—and the deadline has been extended by a week.
StopPress revealed a few weeks back that Whybin\TBWA’s executive creative director Dave King was departing (along with Jodi Willocks, who moved to Assignment) and it’s been announced he’s heading back to Australia to join Innocean Australia in the newly created role of executive creative director. Now chief executive Todd McLeay has confirmed that TBWA\ Melbourne creative director Andy Lish has stepped in to the breach in Auckland.
TSB has released a new commercial via Special Group promoting its Connect Plus everyday account which uses an adorable miniature gardener to pull on viewers’ heartstrings.
Just over 17 years ago, Remix magazine founder Tim Phin published the first edition of his magazine. At only 24 pages, this early iteration would today be dwarfed by the 300-page behemoth that causes an unstable table at Atomic Coffee to lean to one side as Damien Venuto sits down to chat with Phin.
One of NZTA’s recent campaigns, ‘Numbers’, focused on how your speed can impact—perhaps quite literally—on others and it’s released an extension to that campaign called ‘Community Speedo’ that shows bringing speeds down is a collective effort.
Given the extent of the ad-blocking problem, The Guardian recently took a novel approach to addressing the issue. Instead of following the German example of taking ad blocker software providers to court, the UK publisher has reached out to its readers with a strong moral message.
As Snapchat has nudged its way into the advertising world over the past year, businesses have made use of the tool to reach out to a younger audience. One of these businesses is ASB Bank, which has seen huge success through its use of Snapchat to reach tertiary students, and ASB general manager of marketing Shane Evans says it plans to keep using it.
Accenture recently showed that 87 percent of individuals watch TV with their devices within arm’s reach, meaning that a smartphone can quickly become a medium by which to escape the advertising that punctuates a television show. Add to this the fact that Google’s recent Consumer Barometer report showed that 72 percent of Kiwis own a smartphone and that almost a quarter of the population now access the internet more often via a smartphone than any other device and it becomes clear that smartphones are a place where brands should be. This is not to say that television, which continues to reach 92 percent of the population, should be abandoned as an advertising channel, but that it should rather be used in conjunction with other available channels. Snakk Media has just launched a way for Kiwi advertisers to do this.
For those Kiwi gamers who play GTAV and just wish they could feel more at home by seeing familiar New Zealand advertising … and gangs, well this might just be the opportunity.
Uber’s entrance into markets throughout the world has generally been typified by controversy, and the New Zealand is no different. Drivers have been arrested, the taxi lobby has come out swinging and there are some serious concerns about the company’s approach to collecting customer data. The company’s general manager Oscar peppit recently chatted to StopPress’ sister publication Idealog about these and other issues.
Mitre 10 general manager Dave Elliott gave a full and frank insight into his business at the IAB Vertical Snapshot event on May 27.
It’s no secret that smartphone usage has proliferated rapidly over the course of the last few years. The rectangular glow of these devices provides ambient lighting for virtually every stretch of our nation. And while the ubiquity of these devices is evidenced by their presence in the pockets of Kiwis of all ages, this anecdotal observation doesn’t provide enough accuracy to drive media decisions. This week, Google released its Consumer Barometer report, which provides a breakdown of the media consumption habits of people across the world. And contained within this report was a section dedicated specifically to the Kiwi market.
In the modern world social media is beginning to dominate with folk progressively visiting platforms like Facebook and Snapchat instead of consuming traditional forms of media. And with this audience shift, advertisers are coming up with increasingly creative ways to market through them, travelling to their audience’s turf. Sovereign Insurance has cottoned on to this, and is using social media to educate people about life insurance, offering a free six months of it through its Facebook page.
There was a time when people seemed to get angry about autoplay video, with Fairfax in Australia getting a kicking a few years back. Now it seems to be part of the online furniture. Instagram and Facebook launched auotplay video in 2013 and Twitter has also just announced it. But as those videos don’t play with sound unless users click on them, brands and publishers are adapting to an era of silent video marketing—and, just as some have done with pre-roll ads, they’re starting to find some creative solutions.
ClickHole is, as Slate attests, the best thing on the internet. And while there have been many stories written about Google, its amazing offices and its innovation-centric culture, none of them have been as good as this journey to Mountainview, where we get thrust into the beating heart of Silicon Valley.
By tapping into the unwavering need of surfers to know exactly what the conditions are like at their local spots, surf2surf.co..nz has become an essential pitstop for the nation’s wave lovers on the way to the beach. And the company’s founder and director Paul Brunskill explains that this simple model also makes business sense, attracting a slew of advertisers and making it possible to launch similar services abroad.
Mobile ad spend is increasing rapidly, but advertisers need to be careful in regard to what they’re spending their money on. This week, AdRoll’s Ben Sharp discusses the importance of including mobile in a business’ retargeting strategy and offers a few tips on how to use the channel effectively.
Image and video-sharing mobile app Snapchat has put the spotlight on New Zealand for its “Life” initiative which features everyday clips from famous cities around the world and has thus far included the likes of New York, London, Dubai, Cape Town, Dublin, and Liverpool and as of Tuesday, Auckland. However, many Aucklanders aren’t too happy with how they have been represented and social media agency for businesses, Socialites, is having a crack at its own compilation.
When it comes to creative fundraising, it’s tough to beat the cancer sector. Recently, New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation and Skinfood’s Breast Cream went on sale, with the goal being to raise funds and, at the same time, get women to check for lumps. And there’s another product set to hit the shelves that also aims to raise funds for a cure but might create some initial consternation: Lewis Road Creamery’s ‘Breast Milk’.
The Kickstarter fundraising initiative has given a platform to some delightfully weird ideas over the last few years. Following on from a bizarre catalogue that already includes crystal bacon, combat kichenware and meat soap, a pair of Kiwi entrepreneurs have now announced Poopins via the crowd-funding-based website.
When BP released its lost bunny ad shortly after Vodafone launched its Piggy-Sue spot, various media outlets quickly pointed out that there were some striking similarities between the two spots. And now, to show just how similar the two spots are, Dan News has posted a YouTube clip that has the two spots playing simultaneously, showing how similar the narrative progression is in both spots. This is likely just an unfortunate coincidence for both brands, but it does provide something of a reminder that even in the creative industry ideas are often not as original as they might seem at first. PLUS: a parody of the Vodafone spot.
It started with one desk, three partners and no clients in late 2007. Now, as Ben Fahy discovers, Special Group has 30 clients in New Zealand, an Australian office that’s running hot and a desire to take its mix of magic, logic and decency to the world.
A solemn nod of the head for Gregg’s, Tip Top Bread, Vodafone and Burger King.
As part of a promotional activation for Visa Wellington on a Plate I was very lucky to head to Westfield Downtown Shopping Centre in Auckland this morning and don an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. And while it did make me look like a storm trooper part way through a costume change, it was a fun and enthralling experience. Here’s what it was like.
Leigh Hart has become a familiar face in front of the camera, entertaining viewers with his offbeat satire on shows such as Moon TV, The Late Night Big Breakfast and SportsCafé. And while the funnyman has injected himself into the mainstream Kiwi consciousness through his on-screen work, he has also taken an interest in life behind the camera through his production company Moon Media.