Author Elly Strang

News
If the shoe fits, watch it: ShiftWear’s animated, customisable kicks
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Customisable shoes have been around for a while now and they don’t come cheap. But a US company called ShiftWear has taken it to the next level by creating kicks that can be instantly updated in their design, with an e-ink display that can show detailed artwork or animations of the wearer’s choice beamed straight from the wearer’s smartphone.

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Is commercialisation killing Christmas?
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With the annual slam of Christmas commercial messaging hitting us from all sides, it comes as little surprise that 59 percent of Kiwis feel that Christmas has become too commercial. So are brands doing themselves a disservice by focusing on sales rather than more authentic Christmas messaging?

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The scary reality of retail robots
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It’s happening, the robots are preparing for world domination. Well, not really, but they are beginning to take our jobs. Here’s a few examples of robots who have made it to the shop floor as retail assistants.

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Selling out: does packaging with a point of difference equal more sales?
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At the moment, it is near impossible to escape the rugby madness that has hypnotised the nation. Many of our beloved products from the supermarket have turned black, one of which being Anchor’s milk bottles, which turned the shade in support of the All Blacks. Dow Design provided us some insights on what makes good product design, and what sells.

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The ban-effect
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When something has been banned it immediately becomes that little bit more alluring. Why else do teenagers sneak into their parents liquor cabinets and haphazardly smoke cigarettes. Recently Kiwi novel Into the River was banned by the Film and Literature Review Board, so we thought we’d look into this and other outrageous bans and from a marketing perspective, is a ban such a bad thing?

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Brands hail Snapchat at NZ’s SMCAKL Awards
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Snapchat was an unofficial star of the annual Social Media Awards last night with many brands citing it as a great marketing platform to engage with their audiences, including the Blogger of the Year and People’s Choice Award winner NZGirl.

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Hold, beep, ride: Semble adds public transport to its contactless payment portfolio
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The days of wallets being crammed with loyalty, bank and business card might soon be coming to an end. In fact, wallets themselves could well be headed for obsolecence if Semble has anything to do with it. The company has already been facilitating contactless mobile phone payments across the country, and it has now announced that it’s expanding into public transport. The expansion is part of Semble’s plan to become a one-stop mobile shop for every card in a person’s physical wallet, chief executive Rob Ellis says.

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Mapping the good: new tech tracks where socially responsible consumers spend their dollars
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Many studies have proven that consumers care more than ever about a brand’s social responsibility when shopping, but businesses are still tentative over whether being sustainable has monetary gain. Conscious Consumers wants to show businesses how highly shoppers value ethical companies with the Good Spend Counter.

The Good Spend Counter is a way for consumers to show the causes they support through both an app and a website.

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I buy with my little eye
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Soon, your face will be useful for more than just looking pretty. MasterCard is developing a new programme that lets you approve online purchases with a simple blink of the eye. And it believes this will cut down on fraud.

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Droning on: A New Zealand parcel becomes airborne
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Many of us remember the story some of our parents spun to us when we were young to avoid the truth of “where we came from”. A stork delivering soft plump babies to new mothers is a much nicer tale to tell young’uns than what really went on. Well, those storks might well be out of a job, as it looks like drone delivery services might be the future after a parcel delivering drone successfully completed a flight in Auckland. And while we’re all familiar with airmail, this is something else.

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New realities: the brands mixing digital, mobile and real life
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Virtual reality systems Oculus Rift and Microsoft’s Hololens have been getting plenty of attention recently. And while it remains to be seen whether humans will be happy to strap something to their face (or whether they’ll plug technology straight into their DNA, as is being predicted), what’s clear is that they are willing to give augmented reality a whirl. And retailers from Walmart to Freedom Furniture to New World to Lego are all trialling it.

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The kids aren’t alright: Child Labor Free and Saatchi & Saatchi bring conscious consumerism to the fore with new scheme
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A few years ago, Michelle Pratt and Nikki Prendergast were sourcing toys for their New Shoots early childhood centres. And they realised they had no way of knowing where the products came from – or if children made them. So they created an accreditation system and charity foundation Child Labor Free (CLF) to help businesses show consumers that their supply chains are free from child labour and, after two years and with the help of Saatchi & Saatchi, it launched last week and it already has New Zealand Fashion Week on board as a partner, with fashion brands such as Hailwood, Kate Sylvester, Nom*D, Ruby and Stolen Girlfriends Club piloting the scheme.

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AMP Capital adds another dimension to its social accounts through 3D video
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Jamesons was reportedly the first brand to embrace the nascent realm of 3D videos on social media when it slid a sponsored shot across the bar for St Patricks Day. Now AMP Capital, which owns four malls across New Zealand, is using the multi-dimensional technology across its social media channels to create a series of short, innovative videos showcasing its food and fashion.

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Button madness: big tech players make buying a click away
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The human psyche is seemingly embedded with an unrelenting draw toward buttons—something illustrated in the exasperation of a parent begging a toddler to leave random switches alone. And this base impulse is something that brands are looking to capitalise on by putting ‘buy now’ buttons just about everywhere (those with koumpounophobia are advised to look away now).

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With this rose, I give you … increased e-commerce sales
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Contestant Matilda Rice may have won the heart of bachelor Arthur Green on The Bachelor NZ, but online clothing retailer The Iconic won the eyeballs of the hit show’s viewers. In a clever retail marketing strategy, the Australian site was the exclusive wardrobe provider of dresses for the rose ceremonies.

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McDonald’s flips Hamburglar, embraces kale
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McDonald’s is working to bring the lovin’ back into its brand after its sales dropped seven percent in 2014. CEO Steve Easterbrook said this week he plans to completely overhaul the company, cutting costs, sprucing up its menu and restructuring its empire. But to remain relevant, McDonald’s is going down some wacky avenues, pursuing a revamp of its Hamburglar character and adding kale to breakfast meals.

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