Monthly Archives: September, 2015

News
Sticking to one thing and doing it well: TVNZ’s Jeremy O’Brien on a strong year, SVOD disruptors and changing the way TV sells ads
By

Around this time every year, the television industry erupts in excitement as the shows for the upcoming season are introduced to viewers and—perhaps more importantly—advertisers. TVNZ was the first out the gates this year, putting on another exorbitant show on Wednesday night that left media types with very sore heads on Thursday morning. But before the chaos hit, TVNZ commercial director Jeremy O’Brien took a few minutes to reflect on what has been a good year for the state-funded broadcaster while also looking forward to what the business aims to achieve over the next 12 months.

News
NZ Police embraces public service emojis
By

As Dr Evil said: “I’m with it, I’m hip, takka takka takka takka … ” And it seems the NZ Police have taken a leaf out that book and tried to get down with the kids to warn them to stay safe during the Rugby World Cup.

News
Pegasus and the Job Numbers (aka Colenso BBDO) reign supreme at this year’s BOTAB
By

On a dark and windy night, six advertising-employed goth bands slithered into the King’s Arms, fishnets, face powder, bad eyeliner and all, to pay homage to the likes of 1980’s goth bands The Cure, The Cramps and movement-starters Bauhaus. And despite straying from the theme and playing songs which you couldn’t really call gothic, Colenso BBDO aka Pegasus and the Job Numbers were crowned the winner of this year’s Battle of the Ad Bands organised by CAANZ and Flying Fish, after a polished and upbeat set that wooed the crowd and judges alike.

News
The threat of mobile ad blocking: is there anything publishers can do to save themselves?
By

The amount of ink (mostly digital) that’s been spilled about ad blocking has only increased with the launch of Apple’s iOS9 yesterday. It doesn’t sound like good news for publishers or advertisers, particularly with the amount of time we spend on our phones these days. So, should they be changing their approach? And is there any way to get around an ad blocker? We spoke to the IAB Mobile Council’s Sarah Kavanagh and Postr CEO Milan Reinartz for their opinions.

News
Gladeye works its magic for Huffington Post Highline’s ‘massive, magisterial’ big pharma expose
By

Whether it’s the New York Times’ oft-mentioned Snowfall, Bloomberg Businessweek’s brilliant data visualisations, the story about the rise of Luis Surarez on ESPN, the custom features of Pitchfork, the clever comics of the two Tobys on The Wireless’ and many more besides, digital media offers a big toolbox for storytellers. And local shop Gladeye has played a part in another impressive effort, helping to develop a 15-part online expose—or, as it’s being called, “docuserial”—called ‘The Miracle Industry’ with Huffington Post Highline.

News
Putting finalists to work
By

For this year’s edition of the Webby Awards, the organisers of the event put the finalists to work by asking them to produce a visual interpretation of the phrase ‘The internet can’t be stopped’. And these creative efforts have now been turned into a series of posters that are now being used to promote the event. As is to be expected, every poster takes a slightly different approach to interpreting the phrase, and skeletons, planets, graffiti and a range of surreal images now stand as testament to the creativity that the event celebrates every year.

News
Is it DM?
By

Everyone loves a quiz. That’s why TVNZ is bringing back Mastermind next year. And the Marketing Association is putting the industry’s direct knowledge to the test to draw attention to the fact that it’s time to get your entries in for the NZDM Awards.

News
Haka all around: AIG’s VR app lets fans get all up in the All Blacks’ faces—UPDATED
By

There’s been plenty of talk about the haka in recent days, as there always is when the All Blacks head to Europe. And there’s been plenty of brand activity involving virtual reality recently too, with everyone from Kellogg’s to Contiki getting in on the action. Now AIG, the major jersey-hogging sponsors of the All Blacks, have combined both of those things for the Haka 360˚ Experience.

News
TVNZ to launch short-form play, aims to collaborate with advertisers
By

As part of its new season launch, TVNZ announced the impending introduction of a short-form platform called OnDemand Shorts, which will be housed with the overarching TVNZ OnDemand offering and feature three- to five-minute video clips. And the broadcaster’s looking to collaborate with advertisers to fill the new platform with content.

News
Colenso BBDO and FCB lead as CAANZ announces Effies finalists
By

After an intensive judging process that saw entries scrutinised by 200 preliminary judges and 70 category judges, CAANZ has announced a shortlist of 99 finalists for the 2015 New Effie Awards. Leading the pack this year is Colenso BBDO with 24 nominations across the 15 categories in the award ceremony this year. This is followed by FCB with 17, Saatchi & Saatchi with ten, DDB with eight, JWT and Barnes Catmur & Friends with five apiece, and .99/JustOne with four.

News
From grainy webcam footage to content deals: the faces behind NZ’s top 10 YouTube channels
By

Over the past few years YouTube celebrities and content creators have become a great platform for advertisers to market through. The target market already actively seeks out the material, so all they need to do is weave a bit of marketing magic into the content and see themselves put in front of a million pairs of eyes. Here’s New Zealand’s top 10 subscribed-to accounts making waves over the interwebs.

News
‘The rise of digital influence … will rock the world of retail over the next five years’ – Paul Manning
By

While e-commerce only contributes a small percentage of sales to the overall revenue of the retail industry, Ogilvy managing director Paul Manning argues the influence of digital can’t be emphasised enough. With shoppable content, personalisation and real-time customer service becoming increasingly common, digital touchpoints often serve as important links to the final purchase—and this is only set to become more prominent as the industry evolves.

News
How do you solve a problem like New Zealand? Mike Hutcheson examines the blessing/curse of Kiwi creativity
By

When former Saatchi & Saatchi boss and ICG executive director Mike Hutcheson decided to do a master’s thesis on New Zealand creativity, he didn’t want to produce an unreadable 60,000-word treatise. Instead he used interviews with four senior New Zealand business leaders – former Saatchi colleague Kevin Roberts, Les Mills International chief executive Phillip Mills, Hobbiton director and ex-Tourism NZ head George Hickton, and Innovation Council chief executive Louise Webster – to put together a 30-minute video examining the paradox that New Zealanders come up with great ideas and largely fail to commercialise them. But the attitude that creates the problem may also be part of its solution, he says.

News
Energy Online and Contagion repel door-to-door salespeople with an angry doorknocker
By

We’ve all had it. You’re having a nice relaxing evening at home after a busy day, and then you hear it. The dreaded door knock. You think, ‘But I’m not expecting anyone’. Then you open the door to see someone standing there, smiling nervously, clipboard in hand before they start awkwardly or over-enthusiastically bumbling through their speech on how you should switch internet provider, switch power company or switch religion. As you stare at them trying to look earnest, nodding and lapping up a healthy dose of second-hand apprehension and embarrassment you think to yourself, why must doorknockers exist? Power company Energy Online, which has vowed not to have doorknockers, has released an ad showing the most ideal doorknocking scenario.

News
ASB concedes good-luck jerseys don’t help when buying a home
By

While not rational by any stretch of the imagination, superstition is an integral part of sporting culture. And as the World Cup approaches, fans across the country will dust off their lucky trinkets and get them ready for the biggest tournament in the rugby calendar. However, these magical items aren’t only pulled out during big sporting events. When we need luck, they’re also dragged from the dark recesses of our wardrobes and put to good use. And in quirky new spot, ASB has through Saatchi & Saatchi poked fun at the tradition of rugby fans to wear their lucky jerseys during important events.

News
Genesis Energy shines a light on everyday heroes
By

We often hear about the good work celebrities are doing for charities and communities, but it’s quite rare that we get the opportunity to celebrate those who are out there, unrecognised, doing good deeds every day. To celebrate these individuals, Genesis Energy has released a heart-warming new campaign through .99 which praises the “ordinary, yet extraordinary” things these unsung heroes are doing in our local communities.

News
Scout’s honour? MediaWorks’ Glen Kyne on the business behind its new celebrity site–UPDATED
By

There’s been plenty of ink and a fair bit of fury dedicated to yesterday’s launch of scout.co.nz, MediaWorks’ first digital-only brand and joint venture with gossipmonger Rachel Glucina. Most of that seemed to be of the ‘please God, tell me it isn’t so, we are all doomed’ variety. And while many believe the media’s focus on celebrity and entertainment—and the takedown culture often associated with it—is bad for society, Glen Kyne, director of integrated content at MediaWorks, is right when he says it’s also bloody popular. So how is the site going to make money? And how did it perform on its first day?

News
Choose wisely
By

Living in the relative safety of a western democracy means that we are often disconnected from the struggles of those living in war-torn regions. Because we don’t see or experience the suffering on a daily basis, we don’t often feel the need to act against it. So, in an effort to bring the plight of Syrian refugees home to Australians, Amnesty International has released a new mobile-based campaign that illustrates what little choice those in these situations often have.

News
I will survive
By

Blue Cross, an organisation which specialises in rehoming and veterinary help for pets as well as education on how to care for them, has released a new spot, featuring a neglected dog who sings a heart-warming version of ‘I will survive’.

News
Newspaper readership and circ results: Otago Daily Times, Nelson Mail and Wairarapa Times-Age buck the downward trend
By

For some time now, reporting on the newspaper results has been a repetitive exercise of commenting on the downward trends in the print industry. Each time the results come out, it again confirms that the print is in decline. Rather predictably, the latest slew of results again told a similar story. However, despite all the doomsday prophesying in the industry, there were a handful of standout papers that bucked the overall trend and successfully managed to lift their readership results. And none more so than the Otago Daily Times.