Last night, at an event hosted at the Mental Health Foundation in Auckland, Google announced to 70 representatives from 50 Kiwi not-for-profit organisations that it will give eligible New Zealand charities and community organisations free access to advertising and technology worth $120,000 in each case per year.
TVNZ is bringing a Netflix original to Kiwi screens in the shape of Orange is the New Black, in a move that will see all the episodes of both seasons of the popular prison dramedy, which recently won three Emmy Awards, streamed via the TVNZ Ondemand service for the month of September. PLUS: we look at how Netflix decides on which shows to invest in.
Last night, the launch of the third season of The Block NZ kicked off a ratings war that will see the DIY-themed show take on TVNZ’s My Kitchen Rules over the next few months. And the overnight figures seem to indicate the first battle has gone to the side of DIY porn, with The Block NZ winning the lion’s share of the audience in the key demographic categories.
One Weather’s introductory ident has been given a makeover—and it comes with an impressive combination of sideburns and a monobrow so seamless that omnichannel marketing campaigns would applaud it. Rather than simply running into the weather report with the usual “proudly brought to you” phrase, Saatchi & Saatchi have instead opted for a quirkier activation of its sponsorship deal with TVNZ by having the pie-loving protagonist from the elaborate 2011 Hilux ad introduce the daily weather report. PLUS: we also look at some other funny weather-related clips.
APN’s first half figures for 2014 for the six months ended 30 June show that the company’s overall revenue across its Kiwi and Australian offerings climbed three percent, rising from AU$394.6 million last year to A$405.9 million this year. Statutory net profit after tax followed the revenue trend rising 77 percent from A$12.8 million from the previous year to A$22.6 this year. But it wasn’t all good news, with several of the Kiwi categories suffering year-on-year dips. PLUS: we look at Fairfax’s figures and the News Corp debacle.
As part of an experiment to gauge the utility and efficacy of the technology, Vanilla Brief Director Ben Slater has had an NFC-enabled RFID chip inserted into his left hand. PLUS: see what other tech-related project he is currently involved with.
On Sunday, 17 August, APN launched ShopViva, a fashion e-commerce collaboration between GrabOne, the third biggest e-commerce platform in New Zealand, and Viva, the New Zealand Herald’s flagship lifestyle magazine. The new venture is based on the premise that readers should be able to purchase the items that are displayed editorially in the popular inserted magazine, which is circulated every Wednesday.
The quarterly magazine readership and circulation figures have been released by Nielsen and the Audit Bureau of Circulation respectively, and, in what has been a consistent trend over the last few quarters, weekly publications continue to bleed readers while special interest magazines, released less frequently, continue to hold strong.
Red Bull has appointed Vizeum to its media account, making the Dentsu Aegis-owned agency responsible for the Austrian-owned company’s media strategy, and planning and buying duties across New Zealand.
Earlier this week The Edge was revealed as the brand behind Love You Man, a campaign that will undoubtedly ruffle the feathers of those with slightly more conservative views on the act of marriage. With the confirmation of Jay-Jay, Mike and Dom’s involvement came the announcement that the campaign forms part of a competition that will award a trip to next year’s Rugby World Cup to a pair of best mates who take their friendship to the next level by exchanging vows.
Vodafone has collaborated with Image Centre-owned* digital media agency Ngage and APN Outdoor to launch a series of interactive LED billboards that members of the public will be able to engage with via their mobile phones. The content displayed on each of the three billboards, currently on display in Ponsonby, Eden Terrace and Parnell, is delivered in real time via Vodafone’s machine-to-machine technology, which negates the need for additional cabling and infrastructure.
For this year’s edition of National Rail Safety Week, KiwiRail and TrackSafe NZ have followed in the New Zealand Transport Association’s footsteps by launching a game to get their message across to the masses.
Colenso BBDO has partnered with Mountain Dew to develop a novel range of skateboard decks that reveal a hidden message as the skater grinds away the bottom. And what makes this project even more interesting is that Colenso owns a share of the IP that comes with the innovation, meaning that the agency could stand to profit if the concept attracts interest from players in the skating industry (production company Finch officially owns the IP and Colenso shares in it).
Foodstuffs has collaborated with one-to-one agency JustOne to launch a new loyalty programme exclusive to New World. In the past, the company has relied on the Fly Buys reward scheme to give its customers added incentive to shop at the store, but Foodstuffs group general marketing manager Steve Bayliss says that it was time to develop something discrete. And while this is a novel move for New World, it comes well after Countdown first launched its loyalty programme in 1994.
In an effort to subvert the preconceptions attached to working at the company, McDonald’s has a launched a new campaign via DDB that gives viewers a look at some of the success stories that have emerged from starting a career at one of the stores.
Bauer-owned Home magazine has updated its website, giving it a slick new online abode that’s more befitting of the stylish print publication.
As Telecom poises to jettison its three-syllable moniker for the punchier Spark title, it’s worth looking at Vodafone’s 1998 rebrand that saw the company change its nationwide identity almost overnight, a move that is today considered by some as one of the best examples of rebranding in the nation’s history.
Yesterday, Slingshot sent out a release to the media saying that Sky had taken the “unjustified and petty” step not to play any ads from the internet service provider (ISP) that feature references to global mode, a new service that hides the IP addresses of users and gives them access to international video streaming websites such as Netflix and HULU. And now, in a follow-up announcement, Slingshot has confirmed that TVNZ has followed suit by also pulling the plug on ads that reference the controversial service that was unveiled a few weeks ago.
In an open letter sent to Reserve Bank governor Graeme Wheeler, YWCA Auckland is calling for Kiwi suffragette Kate Sheppard’s image to be removed from the ten-dollar note and replaced with that of a man. This request, which comes as part of a new campaign developed by DDB, aims to draw attention to the fact that a woman remembered for fighting for equality would not be pleased to have her face on the note at a time when for every ten dollars men earn, women only earn nine. PLUS: we take a look at whether the 10 percent reference is accurate.
Last week, Vodafone released its Fantastic Fridays TVC, a creative effort that stoked the dying embers of hate that viewers still held for Rebecca Black’s 2011 viral song while simultaneously introducing the telco’s new reward programme. And while the spot was greeted with revile from some quarters, there were few complaints from the Vodafone customers who stand to receive rewards as part of the programme. Here’s a breakdown of how Fantastic Fridays has been incorporated into Vodafone’s existing MyVodafone app.
TRN has launched Kiwi Kids, a new iHeartRadio radio station that continuously plays songs and rhymes written for Kiwi Kids and performed by the nation’s top children’s musicians. And while, to some parents, this might sound like a scene borrowed from Dante’s Inferno, iHeartRadio’s artwork accompanying the launch carries the promise that the new station “won’t drive mum and dad crazy”.
Scandinavia is so hot right now. So hot, in fact, that when Lion decided to launch its new range of low-sugar sodas, the company chose an old Skaldic word thought to mean ‘connected’ as the name of the product. Dubbed Hӧpt and sold in bottles that that seem more suited to beer or cider, Lion’s new range of non-alcoholic drinks is currently being advertised via billboards as a soda alternative that “contains less than half the sugar of leading regular soft drinks”.
On Sunday night, MediaWorks unveiled the four couples that will gain palm calluses, lose sleep and drink copious cups of Wild Bean Coffee during the third season of The Block NZ. And given the solid ratings the show attracted in previous seasons, MediaWorks has given the latest edition a strong promotional push across its entire offering. Here’s a breakdown of how the broadcaster aims to hold onto its stong fan base. PLUS: find out which brands are partnering with MediaWorks for this season.
When it comes to media and advertising consumption, the denizens of ad land aren’t normal. While the rest of the world does everything it can to avoid pre-rolls and 60-second TV spots—however creative they might be—those employed by the advertising and marketing machine tend to be far more enamoured with promotional messaging. So, in an effort to remind ad people that their undying love for all forms of advertising might not be shared by everyone, Adshel has launched a campaign that encourages ad people to take a quiz to determine how in love they are with advertising.
Macular degeneration is a disorder that is said to affect as many as one in seven Kiwis over the age 50. And while treatable when caught early enough, most people don’t even know what it is—let alone what symptoms to look out for. So, in an effort to demystify the condition and make Kiwis more aware what can be done to counter it, Macular Degeneration New Zealand (MDNZ)—a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the cause—has launched a new campaign conceptualised by Logan Brooke Communications. And to help in delivering the message behind the campaign, MDNZ has called Philip Sherry out of retirement.
Vodafone has dug into the annals of recent pop culture and emerged with what is often referred to as the worst song ever made, Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’. And rather than keeping the nauseatingly catchy tune restricted to a private boardroom listen between the marketing managers, the telco has decided to unleash a cover of it through a new TVC by FCB.
This week, data specialists Nielsen and Roy Morgan both unveiled new data segmentation approaches that will see the insights they provide take on a more granular form. And in a rather uncharacteristically quirky move, both organisations have given their respective strategies somewhat interesting monikers.
Green Cross Health, which owns the Unichem and Life Pharmacy brands and has a range of other medical interests, has announced the launch of Living Well, an owned media channel that is being produced and published in partnership with Tangible Media. The first issue of the quarterly publication will be released in September 2014 and distributed by name to 100,000 households in the defined target market, which will be drawn from Green Cross Health’s loyalty programme. An additional 50,000 units will then also be distributed via the pharmacy conglomerate’s network (phase two of the project will also see digital and social elements introduced). PLUS: What are the legal rules that govern content marketing of products that make therapeutic claims? Updated with answers from Brook Milbank, the head of marketing at Green Cross Health.
Over the course of the last week, the nation’s major supermarket chains have been embroiled in a discount battle that the Herald has dubbed ‘bread wars’. The first shots of this this retail skirmish were fired on 17 July, when Countdown dropped the price of its budget white bread from $1.48 to only $1, a discount that was immediately promoted via radio and television advertisements under the ‘Price Lockdown’ banner that has been giving Kiwis reduced prices since October last year. On the very day that Countdown dropped its bread prices, New World released a similar campaign and shortly thereafter Pak ‘n Save did the same. And this effectively served as the next phase of a back-and-forth discount battle that has seen both Foodstuffs and Countdown taking aim at each other in numerous campaigns.
Much like Clemenger Shop today, .99 originally shared office space with Colenso BBDO. However, while Clemenger’s new shopper marketer offering is still in its infancy, .99 has since moved out of its first home on College Hill and now employs over 120 people at a formidable space on Richmond Road. And given that the impressive office was refurbished back in 2008, StopPress decided it was time to have a look behind the scenes.