Author Damien Venuto

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Sky becomes more democratic, extends Sky Go app to (some) Android users—UPDATED
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The wait for mobile viewing is over for Sky subscribers who don’t own iPads, as the broadcaster has just announced the launch of a new version of the Sky Go app that’s compatible on certain versions of Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets. Since launching in December last year, the Sky Go app has only been available to subscribers via Apple’s products—and the popularity of this initial release has led Sky to increase the inclusivity of its offering. Updated with statistics from Nielsen and with comments from TVNZ’s general manager of on-demand Jason Foden.

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Facebook’s Mark D’Arcy on Colenso’s double at the Studio Awards and why Kiwi agencies punch above their weight
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As in 2013, Facebook again only handed out two of its coveted Blue Awards at this year’s edition of the Studio Awards. The difference this year, however, was that one of the Blue Awards—the Facebook for Good award— was awarded to an agency for work done for a not-for-profit organisation. And the emergence of this change came with good news for Colenso BBDO/Proximity, as the agency won the first gong in the newly created category for the ‘Trial by Timeline’ campaign, which was executed for Amnesty International. PLUS: Facebook’s chief creative officer Mark D’Arcy chats to us about why Kiwi agencies are so good at advertising on digital platforms.

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Telecom’s Giganaires rap about living it up with uncapped broadband
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The telco that will soon be formerly known as Telecom has launched a new campaign to announce that it is now offering residential customers unlimited broadband data plans. And while this might seem like a smart move to separate its offering from its competitors and potentially attract new clients, the Saatchi & Saatchi-created ‘Giganaire’ TVC used to relay the message has divided public opinion, with some describing the spot as annoying, cringe-worthy and racist while others say it’s brilliant, hilarious and entertaining. Whether for good or bad reasons, the ad has gotten people talking and this has led to a YouTube clip of the TVC tallying up over 20,000 views (at the time of writing) since it was first launched.

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Lotto Powerball shares celebratory high fives with Kiwi heroes
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In a continuation of its ‘High Five’ campaign launched last February, Lotto Powerball NZ is sending a bearded protagonist around the country to celebrate the successes of Kiwis. And while it might sound reminiscent of ASB’s ill-fated campaign starring Brian Blessed, Lotto’s effort, conceptualised by DDB, differs markedly from the approach used by the bank. Rather than dressing its protagonist in colonial clothing and placing him in the homes of Kiwi families, Lotto NZ is instead sending Craig, the likeable Kiwi Everyman figure from the ‘High Five’ Campaign, to engage with a range of Kiwi heroes.

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Vodafone launches digital treasure hunt for release of Samsung Galaxy S5—UPDATED
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Earlier this month, Telecom opted for a sadistic promotional approach by forcing comedian Guy Williams to endure a range of painful experiences as part of its ‘Extreme Unboxing’ campaign for the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S5. And while this certainly generated quite a few laughs and YouTube hits for Telecom, actor Cliff Curtis will no doubt feel relieved that FCB veered away from schadenfreude when developing a campaign dedicated to the technological device for Vodafone. Rather than harming anyone in the making of its campaign, Vodafone is instead offering to reward one lucky subscriber with $100,000 worth of gold. Updated with comments from a Vodafone spokesperson.

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Big data and politics: OptimalBI campaign compares politicians’ tweeting performances
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Rather than simply contributing to the extensive canon of big data worship, Shane Gibson, the owner of data intelligence agency OptimalBI, has launched a topical campaign that aims to give a visual representation of the type of information that can be extracted from big data. Hosted on a specially dedicated microsite, the campaign will give a data-driven comparative analysis of key poltical figures in the lead-up to this year’s election.

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Colenso BBDO and State Insurance aim to keep Kiwis safe with discount app
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Given that an insurance claim is equally undesirable for both the insurer and the insured, State Insurance has launched a new campaign that it hopes will ensure that Kiwi drivers don’t get to the stage where they have to deal with the unceremonious clang of metal colliding on the tarmac. The ‘motor services pack’ campaign, launched via Colenso BBDO on Easter Monday, gives State clients exclusive access to a range of deals at VTNZ, Z and Bridgestone via a specially designed app that can be downloaded from the insurance company’s website.

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BuzzShift’s Cameron Gawley on hybrid agencies, digital snake oil and ceiling fans named after him
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Next week at the The Project: Digital Disruption conference being hosted by AUT on 30 April and 1 May, Cameron Gawley will appear as one of the international speakers at an event jam-packed with 30 of the sharpest minds in the industry. Gawley’s success has seen him ranked fifth on Business Insider’s list of the 25 most influential ad executives on Twitter, and he is also a founding member of the Social Media Club of Dallas and a Board Member for the American Advertising Federation of Dallas. On Tuesday, StopPress sat down with Gawley for a Skype conversation, which although distorted at times, gave us a glimpse at what to expect from the entrepreneur during his visit. PLUS: enter our competition and be in to win a ticket to The Project: Digital Disruption worth $599.

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Mad Butcher turns cleaver toward bullies—UPDATED
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A recent submission made by the Dunedin Social Services Council and Community Law Centre said that as many as nine out of ten teenage girls in counselling had been encouraged to end their lives via social media. Add to this the fact that New Zealand still grapples with a disproportionately high suicide rate among young people, and it becomes evident why the Mad Butcher has decided to back a new anti-bullying campaign that was launched by Pead PR. From now until 23 May, high schools around the country nominated by the Mad Butcher will produce two-minute anti-bullying videos, which will then be posted the company’s Facebook page. PLUS: see which celebrites have gotten involved. Updated with additional comments from Mad Butcher chief executive Michael Morton.

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Pandora’s founder Tim Westergren on entering the Kiwi market—and what it means for Spotify and iHeartRadio
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Only a few hours after stepping off a plane at Auckland Airport on 7 April, Pandora founder Tim Westergren sat down with us for a quick chat at the Generator, the New Zealand headquarters of the company. Although Westergren’s arrival in the country came as part of a promotional push to officially introduce the music-streaming platform to the New Zealand market after its release late last year, Pandora is by no means new to the Kiwi market. PLUS: a look at how Pandora’s offering compares to Spotify and iHeartRadio.

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Stepping out of radio’s dark ages: TRN rebrands Classic Hits and incorporates cross-channel content delivery
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At an ad-hoc conference held this morning at Ponsonby Central, TRN announced several significant changes to its offering. The key announcements, delivered via TRN’s chief executive Jane Hastings, chief content officer Dean Buchanan and commercial director Laura Maxwell-Hansen, were presented as part of the overarching ‘Change is Now’ campaign, which will serve to promote all the updates over coming months. In addition to rebranding Classic Hits, TRN has also invested in a multimedia studio and shuffled its staff.

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Radio survey results: the battle for ears continues across the radio divide
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The moment TNS New Zealand releases its radio survey results, the media industry generally buzzes in competitive chaos as everyone vies to get the often confusing statistics published as quickly as possible. Given that we all know that the storm is coming, this one of the few times when interviews are scheduled weeks in advance, questions are emailed pre-emptively and past results are collated in an anticipatory move. This year did not disappoint, and we were again given a fair dose of chaos. So without further ado, here’s a breakdown of some of the key trends recorded in the latest results.

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Superlatives abound as Auckland Transport unveils electric trains via Work Communications
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Auckland Transport has rolled out the superlatives in a campaign for its new range of electric trains, which will start running in the Super City from 28 April. Developed by creative agency Work Communications in conjunction the production company Useful Films, the ‘Smarter, Better, Quieter’ campaign gives New Zealanders a sneak peek at the culmination of the $500 million project to electrify the city’s rail system.

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Monetising slacktivism: how Colenso is making likes and shares count for something
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Abused animals, war-torn villages and malnourished, distended bellies have become common inhabitants on Facebook feeds, as increasing numbers of social media users share imagery of causes they supposedly support. The only problem with this approach is that it achieves little more than unsettling those that see these often graphic images. But rather than calling people out for their inaction, Pedigree has launched a new campaign via Colenso BBDO that makes video sharing central to raising funds for a good cause.

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Sugar & Partners’ first campaign for World Vision asks ‘What if?’
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In its first piece of work for World Vision since winning the not-for-profit’s account at the end of last year, Sugar & Partners has released a new campaign that enables Kiwis to contribute capital to the entrepreneurial endeavours of people living in disadvantaged circumstances throughout the world. Launched via a series of billboards that pose the question ‘What if the next Richard Branson, [Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison or Trelise Cooper] couldn’t afford to start up his [or her] business?’, the campaign serves to remind viewers that even the most successful people needed that initial investment to get their ideas off the ground.

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Kiwi production team uses Grand Theft Auto V to make music video
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As digital technology advances, the lines between reality and virtual reality become increasingly obscured. And while this trend has spawned some disturbing results, the team at Auckland-based production company Mr Señor has twisted it into something creative by developing an entire music video using footage from Grand Theft Auto V.

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FCB puts a robotic fashion critic outside AS Colour
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In an effort to overcome the colour discrimination that causes consumers to opt for black, white or grey apparel instead of experimenting with alternative options in the palette, AS Colour has launched an experiential campaign via FCB that encourages shoppers to diversify their wardrobes.

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The Mediaweb debacle: liquidation, false invoices and possible lawsuits
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An email leaked to StopPress late Friday afternoon revealed that McDonald Vague, the receivers assigned to Mediaweb last month, found several anomalies when analysing the financial records of the struggling company. The message, written by McDonald Vague director Jared Booth, was initially intended only to be read by those involved in the tender process, and comes shortly after Mediaweb went into liquidation on 21 March.

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Get your O-face on a promotional poster for Nymphomaniac
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To promote the release of Nymphomaniac, Lars von Trier’s two-part, four-hour journey into the psychology of sex, Flicks.co.nz has launched a campaign via Trigger Marketing that stays true to the film’s provocative, and sometimes humorous, narrative. Given that the promotional art for the film portrays the stars seemingly posing in moments of climactic ecstasy, Flicks.co.nz is now inviting its readers to send in snapshots of their own O-faces.

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A brief history of Morning Report told through theme tunes
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This morning, Susie Ferguson and Guyon Espiner hit the airwaves as the new co-presenters of Radio New Zealand’s Morning Report, and the start of their tenure coincided with the release of new theme music for the long-running show. Since 1970, each decade of the show’s history has been given its own theme tune, and the new version, which comes a day after Geoff Robinson’s last show, serves to usher in a new era for the radio show.

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Elaborate folly: BMW’s April Fools tradition
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Since the 1980s, BMW has been using the April Fools tradition as a canvas to showcase a series of imaginative, and somewhat insane, faux products in the hope of catching out gullible or unsuspecting consumers. And this year, DDB NZ decided to continue the frivolity by launching the BMW ZZZ Series cot, an egg-capsule contraption that simulates the noises and G-force of a road journey to encourage the little one lying inside to fall asleep.

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More love for Kiwi agencies at AWARD Awards
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If the results coming in from the international awards shows are anything go by, then New Zealand clearly enjoyed a strong year in terms of creativity in 2013. In addition to winning several nominations toward Yellow Pencils at the D&AD Awards, Kiwi agencies also appeared consistently across most categories at the 35th edition of the AWARD Awards, which are held annually to honour the best creative communications work in the Asia Pacific region.

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Kiwi agencies put in strong performance at D&AD Awards: attention now turns to Yellow Pencils
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It was a case of the usual suspects with last week’s announcement of the D&AD Awards nominations, as most of the recent winners at the Axis Awards were also honoured with nominations for the international show. At past events, New Zealand has confirmed itself as a creative hub, and this year’s shortlist of nominees served to reiterate this point. Here’s a breakdown of who’s in contention for the coveted Yellow Pencil awards.

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