When thinking about the kinds of brands that would dabble in virtual reality (VR) technology, probably one of the last that would come to mind would be a healthcare brand. But, New Zealand-based global healthcare brand Comvita has given it a crack to share how it sources its manuka honey, so I went along to try it out.
While the 2016 Rio Olympics is still a while away, the NZ Olympic Committee launched into action months ago, developing a complex, long-running campaign to start promoting New Zealand’s athletes and get Kiwis amped up for the games. Here’s a look at the cogs and wheels behind the massive campaign.
Three-hour queues, people pulling up on bikes to snatch away chocolate and a determined three-year-old boy are just a few indicators of the success of last year’s Wondrous Wellington Advent Calendar campaign run by the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency. Here’s how the agency combined the digital with the physical to bring joy to city-dwellers.
Auckland-based coffee retailer and café Kokako started from humble beginnings in 2001 when former owners Helen Ollivier and Christian Lamdin slung their steamy brews out of a coffee cart. Now the Kokako brand can be seen in cafes and stores all over the country, while its flagship Grey Lynn store has become a hub for customers who enjoy slick surroundings, organic food and perhaps a glass of cold brew coffee or two. Having just celebrated its 15-year anniversary, it seemed like the perfect time to chat to owner Mike Murphy about the brand and why he thinks it’s been so successful.
Kellogg’s has launched a new campaign via Pead PR, Mindshare and JWT social for its Special K brand dubbed ‘Own it’, in partnership with Women’s Health Action, which celebrates women and encourages them to embrace their bodies, whatever the size, shape or form and celebrate their inner strength. The initiative is being pushed out through social media using some Kiwi role models to help get the message across. PLUS: while the message for women to embrace their bodies is good, is it going to be taken seriously when the Special K brand was built around the idea dieting and losing weight? FABIK’s Angela Barnett shares her view.
The Health Promotion Agency has launched a new campaign for the Health Star Rating system through Y&R on the health star rating system, featuring a couple of lovable animated cereal boxes having a bit of an existential crisis about their health content.
Today MediaWorks launched a new and improved version of its 3Now app for mobile and tablet including a new look and feel and upgraded functionality. We chat to MediaWorks chief information and product officer Tom Cotter about what users and advertisers alike can expect from the revamp.
Last week we wrote a story on Destination Queenstown’s new campaign via Feast. Shortly afterward, the comments section for the piece became flooded with commenters noting similarities between the campaign’s creative and that of the NZ Olympic Committee’s Rio 2016 campaign through Buffalo & Co. Here’s a quick look at the two campaigns and what each party has to say about the matter.
The traditional notion of the music industry has been well and truly dumped on its head over the past few years, since music started its march from CD shelves to digital shelves. Yesterday New Zealand’s music revenue results were released, showing just how quick and drastic this change has been, revealing that streaming is well and truly taking over. We caught up with Spotify’s Kate Vale who says New Zealand in particular has embraced streaming with open arms, as one of the highest ‘Premium’ conversion rates of any Spotify market in the world.
When we last caught up with Attitude Group, which creates documentaries telling the stories of Kiwis living with disabilities in October last year, it had reached 16,000 fans on Facebook, and less than six months later it’s now reached 100,000 followers, quickly growing its audience by spreading its inspiring stories far and wide. We chat to Attitude Group’s Hamish Smith about the $8 trillion disability market, opening corporate doors and misconceptions about people with disabilities.
Today Countdown announced it’s rolling out a refresh of its own brand range, as well as introducing a new category to its line up, expecting the massive task to take about two years, with the first hint of the change to be visible on supermarket shelves in May.
Queenstown has long been considered the jewel in New Zealand’s tourism crown. Famous for its epic mountains, sparkling lake, winter sports and bountiful vineyards. Destination Queenstown has just launched its latest campaign, highlighting that the southern town is just as (if not more) beautiful in autumn through an image-heavy parallax created by Time Zone One, print and outdoor advertising via Queenstown agency Feast.
Over the past few years the country’s main media companies have spent millions creating the integrated newsrooms of the future to keep up with the demands of a fragmented audience. RNZ has made similar multi-media moves (and even changed its name recently to mark its cross-platform aspirations), but as a government-funded, non-commercial broadcaster it has had to make these changes within its existing budget, which hasn’t changed for eight years. But last week the Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill was passed after being under consideration for ten years, finally providing clarification for RNZ’s commercial capacity as well as its values, new and old, as New Zealand’s national broadcaster.
Since the earliest examples of magazines began appearing in the 17th century, a printed product has defined the medium. But with technological advancements and the proliferation of all that is digital, magazines now focus on much more than ink on paper. So, in response, the Magazine Publishers Association (MPA) has removed the term “periodical” from its definition of a magazine and also removed the requirement for members to have ABC audited circulation in an effort to remain relevant to publishers old and new. We chat to MPA executive director Pip Elliott and MPA chair Paul Dykzeul about the decision.
Online ad viewability has long been an issue for publishers, with it being difficult to determine exactly how many people are actually viewing the ads served on a web page. And with interactive advertising spend hitting the $800 million mark this year, it seems more important than ever that advertisers know they’re getting the eyeballs they’re paying for. So, in response to the issue, MediaWorks has taken action, announcing today it’s guaranteeing all of its banner ads will be 100 percent viewable from 1 April, using Google’s DoubleClick product. We chat to MediaWorks head of digital sales and ad strategy John-Paul Randall about the change in functionality as well as the publisher’s other new function, which allows unblockable video ads to run across all platforms.
Yes, the craze is not over yet and we doubt it will be anytime soon. Countdown has just released its latest range of collectibles with Disney in what’s been a clever partnership for the supermarket chain, because as we all know, kids (and let’s be honest, many adults) go nuts over Disney. Here’s a look at its latest marketing ploy in the form of projectable cards.
For the first time, the Acumen Edelman Trust barometer has been conducted in New Zealand to determine the level of trust Kiwis have in their institutions and it turns out Kiwis are a very discerning and sceptical bunch, with trust levels ranking below our Australian and British counterparts. We also hold more trust in NGOs and businesses than we do in the media or government. And Acumen Republic say the findings in this study present opportunities for businesses to increase profit by lifting trust through doing more for the greater good.
Finding commercial partners is a cost-effective way to reach a wider, or desired audience. When a brand pairing works well, it can garner great results and high engagement. But what makes a good partnership? One brand that has paired wisely and has the results to show for it is Spark. Spark’s general manager of marketing Clive Ormerod talks us through some of the thinking behind its brand alignments.
In today’s multi-channel climate, brands need to be very shrewd about how they get through to their audience. Traditional advertising just ain’t cutting as much mustard as it once did, particularly with the young’uns. Spark has recognised this, and following on from its last collaboration with NZME, which focused on what life might be like in 2025, it’s again enlisted the publisher to bring a second piece of content marketing to life, this time targeted at small business owners.
Advertising has long been inspired by the arts. And the creative community will no doubt appreciate the artistry in the latest music ‘video’ for Pacific Heights, which Sam Peacocke produced without the use of a single camera. Here’s a look at how it was done.
NZME is putting its “state-of-the-art” newsroom to use, launching a video news show next month dubbed NZ Herald Focus, hosted by some well-known media personalities. We chat to managing editor Shayne Currie about the show’s content, the strategy behind it and the decision to step into an already crowded space.
Facebook’s new ad-building toy Canvas has been causing a bit of a stir in adland. And following on from our previous story on House of Travel’s experience with the platform, Westpac has quickly followed in tow, launching its first campaign through Canvas on Monday with DDB.
TVNZ’s commercial director Jeremy O’Brien has for some time asserted the opinion that audiences should be sold the same way across platforms and he’s taking the first steps to achieving this with the launch of male-skewed channel Duke which will be broadcast on linear TV and streamed online simultaneously from Sunday.
Māori Television held its new season programme launch yesterday, which kicked off in a “traditional fashion” to the sound of a Karakia, singing and prayer. We had a kōrero with head of content Mike Rehu on what’s in store for the season, operating on a small budget, Māori Television’s response to digital disruption and the importance of Te reo Māori.
In 2008 Canadian musician Dave Carroll was travelling with United Airlines. During a layover he heard a fellow passenger remark that baggage handlers on the tarmac in Chicago were throwing guitars. He arrived at his destination only to discover his $3,500 guitar was severely damaged. After an unsatisfactory response from the airline, he used his musical talent to create a song he dubbed ‘United breaks guitars’ with a music video and all. The song went viral and the incident created a PR disaster for the airline. But now, when Googling the airline, there is no mention of the incident. This is an example of the power of search engine optimisation (SEO) and its role in protecting brand reputation. We chat to Pure SEO’s Richard Conway about this idea and the threat of negative SEO.
In what appears to have become a bit of an industry trend as of late, as agencies have increasingly been sucked into one another, Bcg2 has announced it has acquired Shirtcliffe and Co, with the move going live on 1 March.
It’s a difficult climate out there for New Zealand’s biggest media players, which is reflected in their latest financial results. Though on a positive note, they all seem to be staying above water for now as their structures are changing to adapt to a multi-channel environment. Here’s a look at results from Fairfax, NZME, TVNZ and Sky.
To ensure beer and cider lovers find the perfect bevvy to suit their tastes, Monteith’s is offering a ‘beer back guarantee’ for this month only, where unsatisfied customers can trade in their brew for one that pleases the taste buds. And to promote the initiative, it’s released an ad featuring a very unsatisfied-satisfied customer via Colenso BBDO.
Toyota and the Department of Conservation launched a campaign this week via Saatchi & Saatchi to get Kiwi kids away from their iPads and out into the wilderness to not only find joy in nature, but to get kids caring and thinking about the environment from a young age.
Westpac has released the next stage of its ‘It’s time’ campaign by DDB, which promotes its 24-hour Smart ATMs, aimed at those who would benefit from late-night banking.