Debate about the changing agency model has been raging for a while now. Some indie up-and-comers believe smaller is better, more efficient and less archaic. While bigger full-service multinationals believe the do-it-all-under-the-one-roof approach still works best. Turns out both models are wrong, as this video about the future of advertising made by Toronto agency John St shows.
Who’s it for: Hallensteins by Publicis Mojo and Thick as Thieves
Why we like it: What do Mexico and Matt Dillon have to do with a Kiwi clothes brand? We’re not entirely sure. But it looks good, it’s about Brothers, and it fits into Hallensteins …
Hopefully you’ve already expanded your marketing mind and devoured the November/December edition of NZ Marketing from cover to cover, but in case you missed it, here’s a rundown of the joys you can behold if you get yourself a copy, including the entertaining and enlightening advertising goose chase that ensued in our quest to interview one of New Zealand advertising’s most intriguing characters, Ogilvy’s Greg Partington.
There’s been a lot of chatter about the benefits of sponsorship and the threat of ambush marketing over the past few months. Some believed the All Blacks were a more valuable property to be associated with, others believed the Rugby World Cup was worth the sizable investment. So we were interested to see this Nielsen data showing which brands the hoi polloi perceived as sponsors of the event in June and then again in October.
The dust has largely settled after the glorious Rugby World Cup shindig. But Heineken has kept up the momentum of the 46 percent increase in total sales it recorded in September/October when compared to the year prior after being awarded the Ad Impact Award for October for its new ad ‘The Entrance’, which was launched Super Bowl style at half-time during the final.
First there was award-winning copywriter Nigel Corbett. Then there was executive creative director Nigel Corbett. And now, having sold his shares in Auckland indie agency Sugar late last year, it’s now a case of roving creative director Nigel Corbett.
There have been a few changes in Colenso BBDO account set-up lately, with one big loss and a few smaller gains. And now it’s announced some changes to its senior staff line-up, with executive creative director Nick Worthington being promoted to the new role of creative chairman and long-standing creative director Steve Cochran, who has worked on much of Colenso BBDO’s award-winning work over the past 13 years, replacing him as executive creative director.
Amid all the global economic carnage, Deloitte Fast 50 was almost like an island of business optimism. Powershop took out the top-spot with the competition’s highest ever growth rate of 5280 percent, 2degrees was next on 3761 percent and many impressive smaller, often under-the-radar businesses from across the spectrum were recognised. But Special Group and The Research Agency stood out in the marcomms sector after being ranked as New Zealand’s 16th and 42nd fastest growing companies respectively.
They’re often seen as arch-rivals, but, in what appears to be a prime case of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer, TVNZ and Sky are thought to have snuggled up for a new digital TV product called Igloo that could be launched before the end of the year.
We knew it was going up for sale after a glittering career spent promoting the nation in some of the world’s busiest urban hubs. But we still had to laugh when we saw this unusual item come up on the government tender site last night. Only in New Zealand, you might say. Although it’s a shame it’s not on TradeMe. We think you creative types will be able to come up with a few interesting ideas for the next phase of the magnificent Giant Rugby Ball (imagine how impressed your clients would be if you had your Christmas party in this bad boy) and the best suggestion wins themselves a subscription to NZ Rugby World, some Cadbury chocolate and a new book by Jack Ralston and Steve Kilgallon The Sports Insider.
Who’s it for: Mitre 10 Mega and Plunket by DraftFCB and Flying Fish
Why we like it: We’re suckers for time-lapse, especially when it’s used to promote a campaign helping to raise money for Plunket. A good idea, well-made and a nice original track from …
It’s been a tumultuous time for our Christchurch friends of late. But the team from UMC advertising is feeling pretty positive about the future after a surprisingly good year on the business front and a recent rebrand to Simpatico.
The party may be over. But, as expected, there are plenty of sponsors trying to bask in the reflected glow of the All Blacks Rugby World Cup victory, including Adidas with its new ‘all ours, again’ spot.
As a grand finale to its 75th anniversary year, the Home New Zealand editorial team and Inhouse design have given the mag a spruce up for the Dec/Jan Summer issue. And, to showcase both the new design and the collaborative process required to create it, they’ve produced a cool little ‘home movie’.
When it comes to valuable marketing commodities, celebrity chef, food writer, publisher and TV star Annabel Langbein is basically the Dan Carter of cooking. And Silver Fern Farms has signed on to use Langbein as its meaty ambassador for her property Fresh Everyday.
The Air New Zealand business is thought to be up for pitch, with a rumoured list of Saatchi & Saatchi, DraftFCB, Special Group and the incumbent .99/Colenso all gunning for one of the country’s best-loved brands.
MediaWorks revealed its new season line-up in fairly understated fashion last week. But TVNZ was ‘avin it large on Wednesday night and took it back to the good old days with a big, expensive, Hollywood-esque launch event for its 2012 season.
Ondemand is proving very popular with Kiwi audiences, with the stream view worm heading swiftly upwards for both major broadcasters and online video content on the major news sites going through the roof. And TVNZ is aiming to replicate the success of its interactive, digital Emmy award-winning, Ondemand-only show Reservoir Hill with a follow-up along similar lines: a new spoof comedy show called Auckland Daze.
Just as sales of tennis racquets always go up in the UK after Wimbledon when mere mortals are inspired to play, thousands of rugby balls were being kicked around the day after the All Blacks’ victory as kids all over New Zealand dreamed of becoming the next Beaver. And, in an effort to tap into the increased interest in the sport at all levels and, at the same time, prepare future stars for life in the professional era, NZ Rugby World and the New Zealand Rugby Players Association (NZRAP) are set to release a special annual publication dedicated to First XV rugby.
Who’s it for: Steelfort ‘Lawnmaster’ by Seed Group
Why we like it: Kudos for being a New Zealand company that’s still actually making things in New Zealand (Palmerston North to be exact). Kudos for somehow making the creation of lawnmowers look cool and dramatic. And kudos …
One of the surprises of the Effie awards was not seeing DrafFCB and The Electricity Authority’s What’s My Number campaign up on the podium. Turns out it was ineligible for this year’s competition because of the dates it ran, but it looks set to be a shoo in for next year, because you don’t get much more effective than a campaign that ends up influencing the nation’s interest and inflation rates.
Fresh from an impressive Best Awards haul, its first Effie accolade, a big Kathmandu rebrand and the global launch of MahiFX, Strategy Design and Advertising has ramped up its expansion plans by bringing Wellington’s Cue Design into the fold, with the studio adding to its existing offices in Christchurch, Auckland and Sydney.
New Zealand likes Vogel’s. And puns. And, when it comes to the rules around RWC advertising, loopholes. So it was no surprise to hear actual humans—not just marcomms insiders—commenting on how much they liked the combination of these three things in Publicis Mojo’s recent work for the Goodman Fielder bread brand. In our eyes, it was one of the best outdoor campaigns of the year, so, as a tribute to impressive punmanship and supreme confidence, here’s the lot of them, including a post-victory billboard that oozes smugness.
The latest numbers for newspapers have just been released and, according to Nielsen, readership levels for all dailies via print decreased ‘significantly’, as they did for the country’s biggest newspaper, The New Zealand Herald. But there were plenty of positives, with some readership increases, circulation remaining fairly static for most papers and massive rises in the online and mobile realms taking up some of print’s slack.
Back in the day, NZ Marketing magazine ran a salary survey and, given the rampant desire humans seem to have to find out what their peers are paid —and, by extension, whether they’re being paid enough—its inclusion always made it a very popular edition. But, due to a number of factors, it was put out to pasture a few years back. With all that’s happened in the marcomms industry in recent years and the effect that has had on recruitment, we decided it was high time to resurrect the survey and try to find out what you all do, how much you get paid for it, what motivates you, what annoys you, what your goals are and everything inbetween. Obviously we need your support to ensure this once again becomes the most comprehensive view of the New Zealand marcomms job market. So we hope you can spare 5-10 minutes to answer a few questions. All those who complete the survey, which is brought you in association with The Research Agency, will go into the draw to win a collection of booty, including a two-night stay for up to four people at Glen Aros Country Estate in the Hawke’s Bay valued at $2,350, a STORM London watch valued at close to $400 and one of six 1.5 litre Moa Methode magnums. The results of the survey, which closes on November 14, will run in the January/February issue of NZ Marketing. Click here to complete.
Tourism New Zealand has appointed Whybin/TBWA and reappointed Mindshare to service its Australian creative, media, digital requirements and global brand strategy, beating out rumoured fellow pitchers Clemenger Group, Droga5 and Publicis Mojo.
It’s taken a helluva long time, but the big news from Nielsen’s latest magazine readership data is that ACP’s Woman’s Day has finally taken over from New Zealand Woman’s Weekly (NZWW) as “the number one magazine in every way”, with higher readership and circulation figures than its long-standing arch-rival.
Not surprisingly, the All Blacks’ celebrations with Old Bill in the changing rooms was the most popular photo gallery of the tournament on nzherald.co.nz. But, given the marketing battle royale that has played out between Steinlager and Heineken, we couldn’t help but notice one photo in particular. If you look closely you’ll see some members of the team—and the Dear Leader who never misses out—drinking the team sponsor’s product (good to see Andrew ‘The Seal Killer’ Hore rocking a white can) in the supposedly ‘clean’ stadium. But, blow me down, Piri Weepu is supping from a bottle of Heineken. Someone call the IRB. A fine must be dished out.
New Zealand’s passion for the RWC has already been shown through the massive TV ratings. And, not surprisingly, the major online publishers are also sitting pretty, with Nielsen Market Intelligence data showing the aggregate average daily unique browser numbers for all New Zealand websites in the sports category in September increasing by 58 percent to 332,837 compared to September 2010 (210,408) and 62 percent compared to March this year (205,688).
Marcomms folk chatted, the huddled masses voted, a fair amount of live broadcast awkwardness ensued at Tyler St Garage and common sense eventually prevailed at the always extremely popular Fair Go Ad Awards, with DDB, Lotto and The Sweet Shop’s ‘Lucky Dog’ epic taking out Best Ad and ‘Kerrrazeee Lily Salter’ from Big Save Furniture fronting up to accept Worst Ad honours.