After only eight weeks in development Flick Electric Co. released a new app this week, called Choice, that gives Kiwis information about the carbon impact of the electricity they are using in real time.
Author Holly Bagge
While many of us probably take the honey sitting in our pantry for granted, mentally placing it in the same family as the marmite, jam and peanut butter, if you really think about it, honey is a small miracle. There are so many vital variables that make the production of the golden sweetener possible. Newly launched honey brand Lumojo has attempted to reflect honey’s value as a premium product through strong design, creating minimalist and streamlined packaging with Alt Group to, as it says, pay homage to the “natural designers” aka the bees. PLUS: we delve into the apparent increase of ‘premium’ products and take look at the honey industry in New Zealand.
NZTA and Clemenger BBDO have released a new drug-driving campaign called ‘Thoughts’ to help prevent Kiwis from smoking up and then getting out on the road. And like its previous efforts it’s added a bit of humour without diminishing the seriousness of the message.
Wouldn’t it be amazing to step a few hundred years into the past for just a couple of hours? Well, a to-scale replica of the second Globe Theatre (1614) erected in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death is about as close as it gets for the playwright’s fans, and it’s popped up right in Auckland city. The masterminds behind the Pop-up Globe have themselves labelled the experience as a kind of time travel, and given that tickets are selling like hot cakes, it fits with a recent shift in spending behaviour, where consumers are increasingly spending more on experiences over material items.
MediaWorks began the roll out of its campaign for the highly anticipated second season of The Bachelor NZ (set to screen on TV3 next month) on Valentine’s Day, opting for a change in direction this time, moving from lusty abs on horseback to a mysterious Casanova.
Despite great circulation growth and increasing subscriber numbers Healthy Life Media’s Green Ideas magazine has had to cease production this year. And this isn’t the only magazine to do so in recent times. Quintessential Wellington publication FishHead also called it a day, and this news comes as Fairfax sells on another one of its own magazines. We chat to Healthy Life Media publisher Pip Mehrtens about the end of Green Ideas and what it takes to succeed in the magazine industry when audiences are becoming increasingly fragmented, and opting for digital over print.
Have you ever felt that ‘buzz’ after launching a new campaign, seeing the name of your brand splashed all over social media? Well now there is the opportunity to feel it more literally than you ever imagined, thanks to Vibrundies, powered by Gladeye.
Following on from our last 360 video story, MediaWorks has now jumped on the 360 bandwagon, producing the first 360-degree news studio video in the country with Reel Factory to show off the Newshub studio’s new features. We chat to MediaWorks head of digital news Jono Hutchison to find out more about the clip and the potential of 360-degree video as an immersive news storytelling tool.
On 4 February, thousands of TPPA (Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement) protestors filed onto Auckland’s city streets carrying signs, chanting and blocking off access to motorway access points to mark their objection to the agreement as our government was putting pen to paper. And among all the chaos were the nation’s media outlets, all competing to get the best coverage of the event and live-streaming it directly to thousands of online viewers. Here’s a rundown of how the media used live-streaming to create a more immersive experience for viewers, and a look at what the dangers are of live-streaming events like these.
On Tuesday Strategy Design and Advertising announced it would be merging with fellow Christchurch agency Simpatico Advertising. We chat to Strategy Group managing partner Geoff Cranko about the decision, and how the integration between the agencies is working out so far.
For the first time (for the most part) in eight years, government-funded RNZ has invested in paid advertising in Auckland, collaborating with Rainger and Rolfe, as part of its goal to double its audience by 2020 and promote the ‘RNZ’ insignia.
The technological wizardry of contactless payment technology is gaining momentum, and ANZ is looking to draw further attention to it with a new campaign showing that even a confused dad, encumbered by a mountain of nappies, has the nous to make the magic swipe.
Sometimes I wonder why we download mobile news apps and allow oft depressing and sensationalist headlines to be zapped to our phones to give us bursts of misery and existentialist angst throughout the day. But we’re suckers for it, we want to know what’s going on when it’s going on, and the major news outlets know this (they also know our phones are practically glued to our hands or pocket insides). Which is why MediaWorks has wasted no time in launching a dedicated Newshub app with all the bells and whistles, which, 18 hours after it launched became the most popular app downloaded from the App Store.
When it comes to the role of women in advertising, things have come a long way from the days of sexism, smoking and secretaries portrayed in Mad Men. But the top positions in the industry are still dominated by men. So why are there ‘too many dicks on the dancefloor’? Is anything being done to address the issue? And what are the benefits of more gender diversity? Holly Bagge investigates.
The traditional perception of golf usually evokes images of diamond-patterned shirts, cheese cutters, pastel sweaters, loafers and affluent white men. This long-standing myth is so entrenched that it even led to the urban myth that the word golf was in fact an acronym for ‘gentleman only, ladies forbidden’. This, of course, isn’t true, but the stereotype has long prevailed in golfing, leading to it being seen as a rich man’s sport or a hobby for retirees.
Since the craft beer industry started booming over the past few years in New Zealand, we’ve seen some beautiful labels adorning supermarket shelves and bar taps. These labels are often less about trumpeting the brand and more about celebrating the distinctive personality of the beer, often expressed through creative illustrations and inventive names. We had a chat with The Wireless’s Toby Morris about his experience illustrating for beer brands, and look into why illustration has become a popular promotional tool.
360-degree video, which has been described as the next big thing in tech for 2016, is slowly gaining traction in New Zealand as brands begin experimenting with it in creative ways. Here’s a rundown of how a few of them have been using it so far. PLUS: a first-hand account of Augusto’s experience with the technology.
RNZ’s long-awaited multi-platform Checkpoint with John Campbell debuted last night, and the show caused so much buzz that RNZ’s website crashed from all the traffic. We chat to RNZ head of content Carol Hirschfield about the teething issues, the benefits of multimedia broadcasting and the overall response of the show.
When life gives you lemons, take them on fun adventures. That’s what a Marlborough schoolgirl did with the lid of a Karma Cola ‘Lemmy’ drink, which she shared on a dedicated Instagram page. Lemmy has been surfing, singing, gone on a safari, cycled and made art, and all this happened with no prompts or knowledge (initially) from Karma Cola; but, as to be expected, the brand is pretty stoked Lemmy’s living the good life.
Ranga alcoholic ginger beer has a new mascot, in the form of Rangaman, a heroic, undie-donning, red headed, hipster-looking guy who appears in the brand’s latest ad, created largely by students.
New(ish) kid on the block, Flick Electric, has launched a quirky new campaign highlighting its point of difference from other power companies, which features a few familiar faces.
To paywall or not to paywall? That is the question bouncing around many-a-publisher’s head. Of course, if it works, extra revenue is brought in, great. But, what if the audience doesn’t go for it? And the product ends up in a worse state financially than pre-paywall, with dwindling advertisers to boot. Surf forecast website Surf2Surf has decided to take the risk, and though it’s very early days yet, results so far are promising.
Spark is continuing to utilise its younger, cooler post-rebrand persona by venturing into target market territory. Its most recent effort is its summer Instagram campaign, developed with its PR agency Sherson Willis, which rewards the most creative fans with credit (or as Spark calls it, ‘social currency’) if they capture and share Instagram shots (based on trending images on the platform) with the correct hashtag. And halfway through the campaign, the telco has already given away thousands of dollars of credit, increased sign ups and seen a growth in its Instagram following.
Garage Project, a Wellington-based craft brewery, has taken the number one ranking on this year’s Deloitte Fast 50 with a three year growth rate of 664%.
String Theory has launched yet another impressively creative short film to promote not-for-profit organisation Good Books, using production company Plenty. The result is an ethereal rendition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which is a hearty and satisfying feast for the eyeballs.
Motion Sickness Studio launched a unique start-up initiative last week called ‘MSS Startups’, geared towards younger prospective clients, which will see the studio trading its services for equity, a move founder Sam Stuchbury says was a pretty natural step to take. Here’s a look at the new service and how it all works.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand launched a swanky, interactive website built by FCB to show off New Zealand’s new bank notes. But, it’s more than just a website, it’s also the centre of a wider campaign around the roll out of our new paper (or rather, plastic) which spans over several other mediums.
Last week we ran a story on Radio New Zealand’s website redesign approach, after it went to the public to ask for suggestions around design and layout. Now, we chat to its head of digital, who has filled us in on some of the thinking behind the strategy.
Radio New Zealand is taking the unusual step of going to its audience for suggestions for the redesign of its new website, something it says it’s never done before. So does the strategy make sense? Or should it be focusing on user behaviour? PLUS: Te Papa’s similar approach.
Opt-in ad serving platform Postr has teamed up Skinny Mobile to create a new android app called Skinny Collect, which allows Skinny customers to earn free data or minutes in return for allowing ads on their lock screen. It’s taken off pretty well and in the first fifteen minutes after launching it had a download per second. We spoke to Postr CEO Milan Reinartz to find out more on the new app and Postr’s partnership with Skinny.