Author Ben Fahy

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Next magazine mans up
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Next magazine has recently embarked on a mission to reinvigorate itself after a period of significant circulation decline, and as well as a thorough redesign, a new masthead to give it a more sophisticated feel and a new size, it’s also targeting a younger audience, taking a few more risks and flouting a few well-established commercial publishing rules. And its just launched June issue is maintaining that trend by breaking with more than two decades of tradition and featuring a man—MasterChef judge Josh Emett—on the cover. 

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TVNZ shares the love, Contagion steals some thunder
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Colenso was named as TVNZ’s ‘agency of choice’ in October 2009, when the Brent Smart/Jason Paris agency-client combo was in effect. But, judging by some of the national broadcaster’s recent projects, that doesn’t appear to be the case any more.

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ANZ adds to its high-profile sponsorship medal haul with three-year OIympics deal
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The cover story in the latest NZ Marketing discusses ANZ Group’s mission to win the hearts and minds of New Zealanders and mitigate the effects of inevitably sending the well-liked National Bank brand to the glue factory. It’s one mother of a marketing challenge. And the financial vultures are circling. But ANZ, a brand that’s long been at or near the bottom on the customer service/satisfaction league tables when compared to its competitors, is doing everything in its power to better connect with Kiwis by spending up large on above the line advertising, dropping rates, supporting communities, raising funds and snapping up a host of high-profile sponsorships. And it’s added another big one to the list by announcing a three-year deal with the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

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Countdown lets your fingers do the shopping with new mobile app
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Smartphone penetration is now thought to be around 30 percent in New Zealand, and that number is increasing rapidly. So Countdown has jumped on the mobile bandwagon and upped the ante in terms of customer experience by launching what it’s calling a New Zealand-first iPhone app that features a digital shopping list and barcode scanning technology, as well as the ability to check prices, find recipe ingredients, collect loyalty points and shop online.

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Jump in my karma: Mercury’s Good Energy Taxi hits the streets to promote good deeds
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First Mercury and TBWA\ talked the Good Energy talk in February with the launch of a big TVC featuring Tiki Taane and his version of ‘Over the Rainbow’. And it’s backed that feelgood brand sentiment up in meat space as well, with all proceeds from downloads of the song going to Starship Foundation and a ‘good samaritan’ social experiment on the side of the road that showed how helpful Kiwis are. Now it’s taking the karma bank concept to the city streets with the Good Energy Taxi, where rides are paid for by good deeds rather than cash. 

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Vero and Big’s reliable bovine aviator takes April Glossie honours
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Vero’s 1300kg Black Angus bull burst onto the scene in 2003 when Big launched the brand in New Zealand with the memorable TVC ‘Bull in a China Shop’. Fast forward about nine years and the Hawke’s Bay-based Sensation is still going strong and is one of the most enduring and well-liked mascots in the country, as evidenced by the fact an ad featured in Kia Ora magazine has taken out the April round of The Glossies with 24 percent of the vote, beating Landrover’s double-page spread in NZ Rugby World’s 1st XV with 19 percent and Team Architect’s ad by Glow Consulting in Home magazine with 12 percent.

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The rise and rise of online video—and how brands can benefit from it
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Given YouTube’s current pervasiveness, it’s hard to believe it didn’t exist until February 2005. And back then, the expensive tools of the trade meant high-quality video was largely inaccessible to the hoi polloi. Now, recording technology is cheap and ubiquitous and broadband means consumption is rising rapidly. The seemingly insatiable desire for online video means it is a huge area of focus for brands and marketers and how to tap into some of the possibilities this exciting realm affords was the topic of discussion at the Marketing Association’s Brainy Breakfast last week.

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Cadbury keeps the Olympic glass half full with couch-based emotional journey
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Cadbury’s been fairly busy lately. It recently launched a new global campaign out of Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney called Joyville and it has followed up the ” class=”oembed” >”>first spot (hmmm, where have we seen the ‘lots of funny looking people making chocolate in a secretive factory’ thing before?) with a TVC currently running in Australia announcing the arrival of its new ” class=”oembed” >”>Marvellous Creations bar. But, closer to home, as part of its sponsorship of the New Zealand Olympic Team, it has also launched an ad showing its support for the athletes—and the supporters of those athletes.

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Partington’s Shopping Channel reaches for the Sky, as TVNZ shifts time for ‘plus one’ channel—UPDATED
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Sparks are already flying over TVNZ’s decision to replace TVNZ7 with a ‘plus one’ time-shifted channel that repeats TV One content, with United Future leader Peter Dunne calling it an insult to the intelligence of New Zealand viewers. And he may have something else to complain about because Greg Partington’s The Shopping Channel has, after two years of planning and a few hiccups along the way, finally got the green light and will feature on Sky channel 18 from 1 October.

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Testing mettle/testing metal as Audi opens up its Driving Experience Days
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Aside from being a perennial favourite in the most hated jobs list, another peril of being a journalist is what some may call ‘income disparity syndrome’. Those from the fourth estate often liaise with successful types who earn too much, eat at nice restaurants and drive nice cars, before heading home to eat gruel for dinner, keep warm by hovering around the fire in the 40 gallon drum and wrap up lumps of coal in newspaper to give to their children for birthday presents. So it was with a mix of excitement and depression that I ventured out to Hampton Downs last week to test my driving skills in an array of magnificent German machines that I will probably never be able to afford. And in a new move for Audi, it’s opening up its Driver Experience Days to corporates and individuals.

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StopPress/ThinkTV TVC of the Year 2011
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Television viewing in New Zealand is at its highest ever level and television advertising took the top spot off newspapers for the first time ever last year according to the ASA ad revenue figures. So reports of its death appear to be, as the saying goes, greatly exaggerated. Of course, recording technology means interruptive advertising ain’t what it used to be and you can’t just buy attention like you used to, but despite the many digital distractions that are now available to brands and agencies, the power of a good TV ad is still unquestionable, primarily because it is one of the best ways for brands to convey emotion, tell stories and, in most cases, get their messages in front of as many humans as possible.

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Greed, swiping, sex, eagles and distractions
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Who’s it for: RaboDirect by Shine and String Theory

Why we like it: It’s a common trick for challenger brands in the banking space to target the big boys, but this spot communicates the savings message and it’s very well made (take a bow, String …

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Rural delivery: FMG and Saatchi & Saatchi take to the Tube
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In late 2010, FMG shacked up with Saatchi & Saatchi Wellington, embarked on a bit of a brand refresh and ramped up its advertising, both to position itself as risk advice specialists with an in-depth understanding of the unique issues New Zealand farmers face, but also to try and move it further into the mainstream insurance market. And it’s taken a fairly novel, and some might say fairly un-rural approach to attract customers: a YouTube channel that was launched mid last year.

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APN switches off Volume
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APN launched its weekly street-zine Volume on September 6, 2011 and started competing head-on with Groove Guide and a host of other online outlets. But the tough music/youth/pop culture media market has claimed another victim, because APN has decided to discontinue the print edition after just 33 issues—and on the first day of NZ Music Month. 

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As questions linger over 60 Minutes, MediaWorks expands current affairs offering with Three60
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There’s been a bit of chatter in the media recently about whether MediaWorks will renew its licensing deal with CBS and whether the end is nigh for its flagship current affairs show 60 Minutes. That decision is still up in the air, but what is clear is that 60 Minutes host Mike McRoberts and new arrival Guyon Espiner are involved in a new international current affairs show called Three60 that’s screening on Sunday mornings and is being sponsored by Massey University. 

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The art of distraction: Tui and Saatchi move away from the brewery—and into the lounge
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The relative lack of sun—and therefore barbecues—over the summer months hasn’t been ideal for the booze industry (craft beer continues to grow, while the overall beer market is thought to be down around five percent). But as the inside months approach and the rugby season gets into full swing, Tui’s new ‘Halftime Distractions’ spot by Saatchi & Saatchi and The Sweet Shop’s Stuart McDonald (he of Summer Heights High fame) is hoping to ensure the boys will focus on the brown stuff should they be required to provide for the group.

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State-funded media gets a fillip as Nielsen report puts Radio New Zealand National on top
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Supporters of publicly-funded media in New Zealand are feeling fairly tormented at present, with the National Government’s apparent ‘nice to have’ stance manifesting itself in a five year funding freeze for Radio New Zealand and the imminent switch-off of TVNZ7. But Nielsen’s Year That Was report, which includes info on New Zealand media trends, has provided more proof of the importance—and popularity—of Radio New Zealand National by showing it was the top ranking radio station in New Zealand in 2011 with a market share of 11.1 percent.

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Things that go Bump in the night: TSB puts the power in customers’ hands with new bank-building app
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TSB has a stellar record when it comes to customer service and customer satisfaction, and it is, as its advertising says, New Zealand’s most recommended bank. And its latest innovation aims to enhance the banking experience even further with an impressive—and significant—new mobile banking app called {my}bank that was more than one year in the planning, comes complete with Bump technology and employed the branding and design services of Special Group. 

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Baker and Dykzeul take senior MPA roles, look to lead mag revenue renaissance
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The MPA has chosen its new board, with Tangible Media’s John Baker replacing Fairfax’s Lynley Belton as chair and ACP’s Paul Dykzeul replacing acting deputy chair Cathy Parker from Adrenalin. And the new heads have some big plans to breathe life into the sector—and, more specifically, promote the unique benefits of the medium to advertisers and eventually increase its share of the revenue pie.

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OMANZ blows its outdoor trumpet with new ad campaign
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The outdoor sector had a pretty good 2011, not just in terms of the sizeable revenue increase of $13 million over 2010 to reach its highest total yet of $83 million, but also because the industry body OMANZ was given a bit more love. The brand was overhauled, the website was redone, it is hoping to resurrect the Outdoor Awards, and this month it has taken to the streets to spread the outdoor gospel with an out-of-home advertising campaign. 

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Fairfax rings the changes
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Following on from last week’s story about Fairfax Media halving agency commission, it has sent out a release detailing the changes to its business model and its effect on customers. And it’s also announced some changes to its sponsorship programme by aligning itself with Spikes Asia rather than Cannes Lions. 

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Kiwi e-heroes go huntin’ for Webby votes—UPDATED
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The Webby Awards aim to honour general internet awesomeness, and fighting it out for gongs with big global beasts like Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest are local hopes Shift for Tourism New Zealand, Resn for Toyota’s Camry Effect, Xero and DDB/Rapp Tribal for McDonald’s. And they need your votes. 

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ACP and TVNZ embrace healthy ‘co-opetition’ with win-win hybrid show
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Print and TV are usually fairly uneasy and rather competitive bedfellows. But the once disparate media realms are steadily converging as TV websites embrace print and print titles increasingly embrace video. And TVNZ and ACP’s North & South have converged on each other with a new show based on the long-running My Space section in the magazine that will screen on its patriotic pay TV channel Heartland. 

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Lip synching, poverty and rule breaking
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Who’s it for: TVNZ’s Judge the Jury app/website at the AXIS awards by Contagion

Why we like it: There’s almost nothing better than Bad Lip Reading, so this in-housey, piss-takey spoof ad to draw attention to an AXIS gimmick got our vote.

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