MEA Mobile has rounded out the platform suite for its iSupr8 app, which lets uers add vintage-style filters to video in a range of resolutions. It hopes to rival the likes of Vine and Instagram by catering to pro photographers as well as consumers.
Heyday has given Z Energy’s Token Hunt game a spruce up this year, expanding it to six challenges and including a strong focus on Google Maps integration. And it’s made smart use of data to keep participants involved.
Facebook remains our dominant social network when it comes to user numbers and engagement, but it’s betting its future on an increasing array of options for users from what it’s brought into the stable and in-house development of standalone apps with mobile at their heart. And it touts itself as the logical partner as data-centric decisions become more central to personalised marketing off the desktop.
The Press Council is weighing different fee levels for bloggers and digital media organisations starting in the hundreds of dollars for non-commercial organisations. Bloggers could also be considered as representative members if they become significant funders, the council’s executive committee chair says.
New Zealand on Air says a Netflix deal to stream Rhys Darby comedy Short Poppies, which it funded, is great for the Kiwi content. The eight part series will be offered to offshore Netflix subscribers and is also on the schedule for TVNZ’s 2014 season.
The Starship Foundation and Whittaker’s Big Egg Hunt already has one live website and will soon get another to support the campaign. The organisers are also going big on social media with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and ‘Egg-stagrams’.
Telecom plans to find a new name for its internet TV and movie service after similarly-named Kiwi companies raised concerns about ShowmeTV. The company says it could have faced a legal challenge and a prolonged dispute wasn’t in anyone’s interest.
The Warehouse Group’s new shopping app includes the ability to scan products in its stores and that of its competitors to compare pricing. The app, created by Sush Mobile, is also an e-commerce platform and provides offers and store information.
Luke Pierson started the agency now known as Heyday as a 20-year-old, cold calling prospects for web builds. Now its speciality is working with private sector organisations that just want to get stuff done — and making content the starting point for every project.
Ride sharing service Uber is opening its doors to Auckland passengers, with its website saying a limited numbers of cars are already available. The company is encouraging first time users to give it a try and leave feedback, and it’s offering an online fare calculator.
The New Zealand student team behind a new social media platform based on horizontal scrolling hope it will be a platform for brands — and achieve the right balance between functionality and aesthetics.
Gladeye carried out the full range of digital services in creating a site that showcased Air New Zealand’s support of scientific research in Antarctica. The website made full use of imagery and video supplied by National Geographic. Plus: Gladeye gets international recognition for its own site.
Freeview is set to launch Worldnet TV, the niche Asian-focused channel, free to viewers using home broadband. Freeview says the channel is technically ready to go, with launch timing to be determined by WorldNet.
Facebook is dominating Kiwi social media use, not just in the number of New Zealanders using the network, but also in the amount of time spent dwelling on the activity. The social network’s local dwell time far outpaces the next best performing channel here, Reddit.
TVNZ Blacksand’s microsite for the Step Dave show could be the forerunner to further efforts to complement on-screen viewing. The site has character information, video, extra scenes and a virtual version of the fridge that features on the show.
The Tui campaign that began with a video prank and ended with a stack of YouTube views and media coverage around the globe has won this year’s Grand Prix prize in the Yahoo! Digital Strategy Awards. The campaign’s authentic content resonated with the target demographic, Yahoo! awards organisers said.
A new website developed by Wellington economic development agency Grow Wellington and built by DNA showcases the capital’s tech success stories, with the aim of stirring more to invest and work in the city’s high-growth sector.
ASB’s Like Loan promotion, where Facebook fans determine how low its home loan borrowing rate will go, is back for a second round. This time live TVCs, banners and radio streams have joined the mix as the bank tries to draw participants into a conversation.
Monteith’s new augmented reality app designed to show consumers how they can match beer, cider and meat dishes, was part of a wider campaign that brought a hunting experience to downtown Auckland. And it’s a chance for the brand to attract new people to its category.
Former Guardian interactive editor Jonathan Richards has entered a shiny new world of storytelling at Google’s Creative Lab in Sydney. But he warns ad industry members that they ignore traditional techniques and media at their peril.
B Magazine, a partnership between Clanmouse and Bronwyn Williams, is offering iPad users the chance to buy products within its virtual pages. Clanmouse says it’s a model that seeks to bridge the gap between advertising, retail and publishing.
The ‘Spark Should’ page Telecom set up to take feedback on its name change later this year has seen customers complaining about a range of product and service issues as well as the new brand. The company says the page could become a permanent feedback mechanism.
Telecom continues to search for ways to reach a mobile-savvy audience beyond the traditional landline. Hard on the heels of announcing a name change to Spark and its planned internet TV and movie service ShowmeTV, it’s partnering with Spotify to offer the Premium version on certain mobile plans.
Contact Energy and one its agencies, JWT, are diverting from their traditional audience focus with promotions based around events. A Twitter contest to help decide the People’s Choice winner at this year’s Fringe Festival is aimed squarely at a youth demographic.
Digital and content roles should attract bigger pay this year than the other creative and marketing sectors surveyed by Font in its Market Pulse report. Candidates with a diverse skill set and strong digital competency will be in high demand, with an integrated approach becoming the norm.
Socialize Media has created a new site, The Big Upgrade, aimed at showing off what Kiwis can do with ultrafast broadband. It’s created its first set of online videos and launched the site across a number of social media channels.
Powershop wins the prize for best use of the doge meme on Trade Me with an ad that’s drawing the eyeballs. Hunting a Ruby on Rails developer, the ad secured 22,000 views in a day, well over the average 200 views the company’s job ads normally get.
Local mobile advertising spend made the biggest leap among the categories the IAB reports on in its quarterly figures and this time it achieved a 73 percent jump. However, mobile remains a small part of the overall spending mix.
Vodafone is giving Snapchat a baptism of fire among students at Canterbury and Otago University orientation weeks. It’s a targeted test that will decide whether the telco uses the messaging platform for future promotions.
Augview’s augmented reality app opens a whole new view of utility infrastructure under our city streets, but the makers also see big possibilities for creative marketers and outdoor games. The company has already has interest in virtual universes in outdoor spaces.