Author Amanda Sachtleben

After one accelerator programme, a spell in a start-up incubator and a tonne of two minute noodles, digital venture Mish Guru, which has developed software designed to help businesses get bang for their marketing buck on Snapchat, has a springboard of nearly half a million dollars to break into the US market.

A harvester that converts vibrations from city traffic into electricity, handles that turn sticks into sophisticated tramping poles and a 3D printed anchor to affix prosthetic noses to have been named as the three finalists in the New Zealand leg of the annual James Dyson Award global product design innovation contest.

With Spark livery freshly stamped over those of the corporate we used to know as Telecom, the organisation is expanding its Givealittle fundraising platform from charity to individual projects. Spark My Potential will pick out some of the projects listed on Givealittle and give them crowdfunding coaching and in some cases match pledges dollar for dollar.

Over the last week, Heart of the City has been promoting its ‘Where Next?’ app, which was first announced in May. Designed in collaboration between VMob and Colenso, Where Next? puts VMob’s platform to work with a free iPhone and Android app designed to personalise the information visitors get about events, attractions, retail and hospitality, venues, deals and places to find out what’s on.

Where once social media was seen as a harbinger of doom for traditional media, the enthusiasm has been tempered somewhat in recent years as algorithms have changed and questions have been asked about the return on investment. But there are still plenty of success stories, often from a customer service point of view, and Amanda Sachtleben went along to the #NZSOMO conference to find out about a few of them from New Zealand.

The Designers Institute has a fresh website, which puts the spotlight on organisation members. The simplified homepage, with ‘760 Designers’ in large type, links to a member directory, while a pared back menu has information about the institute, its events, sponsors, awards and business resources.

Jasmax had about 10 target audiences to cater for with its website overhaul, handled by creative partner BKA. The companies replaced the previous Flash-based site with a magazine style to make information more accessible and flexible.

Touchcast has developed a new site for Forest and Bird to tell a new audience about the organisation’s mission and supporters the chance to donate. Inournature.org.nz also helps people spread the word via social sharing.

ASB is hunting an edge in attracting and keeping corporate banking talent with its Work For ASB app. The app is part of the Growth story initiative and has an augmented reality functionality developed by trans-Tasman agency One Fat Sheep.

Little Giant has produced a new website for family-run wholesaler and distributor Marlborough Wines. The image-rich site has a CMS that allows staff to add new wines, brands and staff details.

Domino’s has continued its bid to boost online sales as a proportion of overall purchases to 80 percent in the next couple of years with a new orders app. It’s designed to replace paper vouchers and lets users views deals from their local store or those in the vicinity.

Ogilvy has launched the global Neo network in New Zealand with a new digital division. Led by Eddy Whatt, Ogilvy’s digital media director since 2010, Neo will get five new staff, bringing its total to 10 by June.

Back in the day, giving up food or money was the ultimate sacrifice for a cause. But in an age when parents punish their children by taking away electronic devices, ASB is taking social media use away from its most avid team member for a week to help its sponsor organisation St John.

When a company grows its revenue 1116 percent in three years it’s obviously young. But software developer Alphero is wise beyond its years thanks to co-founders Caroline Dewe and Kostia Shinderman, well used to specialising at the big end of town.

Trade Me is touting the transformation of its clothing category into a more fully fledged e-commerce experience as an opportunity for Kiwi retailers to go omni-channel. The company began the process of transformation late last year to allow greater customisation and recommendation and to target big labels users couldn’t find on the site.

Yahoo has brought back the Digital Stars programme, which recognises the work of up and coming digital media planners and buyers. This year it’s partnered with Yahoo7 in Australia and is offering two winners a trip to Mumbrella 360 in Sydney.

Trade Me-owned site Holiday Houses is moving with the shift to mobile, getting a new version that caters for changing traffic trends. Visits to the site from tablets have jumped 75 percent since this time last year while smartphone visits have more than doubled in that time.

APN is extending its network of digital billboards with four new sites around inner city Auckland to launch in August. It’s also got big plans for new options at Auckland International Airport when it takes over those sites in November.

Vodafone is bringing its own version of a global app to Warriors matches, letting fans zoom in on a 36-billion-pixel image to spot themselves in the crowd. It captured 1400 of the 22,000-strong crowd at an Auckland stadium last week and plans to offer the engagement tool at more upcoming matches.

APN has replaced the Foodhub online brand with Bite, bringing the print liftout into alignment with the online presence. It’s also been working behind the scenes to make its recipe collections more searchable.

Massey University’s College of Creative Arts specialist studio Open Lab has finished what it says was an epic project: Land, Air, Water Aotearoa. The 18-month project brought together 16 councils nationwide, along with the Ministry for the Environment and the Cawthron Institute.

Yealands is on a mission to toast six Kiwis on sustainable journeys with its online campaign Raise a Glass. The campaign website, developed by Satellite Media, showcases each finalist’s story, including musician Iva Lamkum, Frank Stationery owner Jason Holdaway and Sea2Summit7 adventurer Dave Williams, who raises awareness and funds for male mental health.

NZ Tax Refunds has complemented its desktop and mobile offerings with iOS and Android apps that let users apply for a refund and get updates on the status of their cash boost. And the 60 seconds it takes via browser to find out whether a windfall is in the offing will be a similar speed on the app.

TUANZ CEO Paul Brislen will step down in June after more than three years in the role to join former Porter Novelli execs Jane Sweeney and Carolyn Kerr at their yet-to-be named agency. Brislen’s focus will be on much broader subject matter than the technology sector he’s worked in since the 1990s.