Author Jonathan Cotton

Features
Outdoor Bounty
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Forget the doom and gloom for a moment – there’s one sector at least that’s doing bumper business, explores Jonathan Cotton; Out-of-home advertising. Driven by digitization,…

Partner articles
The Psychology of Sound: Selling the sizzle
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It’s one of our most sensitive senses – but also one capable of producing the most sweeping of emotional responses. So it goes without saying that for brands looking to strike a chord with audiences, the strategic use of audio is something not to be overlooked.

But when you’re measuring something as nebulous as ‘emotion’, how does the marketer actually go about extending brand identity beyond the visual in a strategic way?

News
Idealog’s Most Innovative in Media/Marketing: Special Group
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The winner of Idealog’s Most Innovative Companies in Media/Marketing is Special Group. By anyone’s standards, the last year has been a good one for the creative agency Special Group. Named New Zealand Agency of the Year by Campaign Brief, AUS/NZ Mobile Agency of the Year by Campaign Asia and Asia Pacific’s Most Effective Independent Agency by the global Effies index – all in the last 12 months alone – it’s a great tenth year, whichever way you look at it.

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KiwiSaver and chill: Juno and Pie Funds launch the ‘Netflix’ of KiwiSaver schemes
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For those who keep a close eye on their KiwiSavings, it was grim start to the year with most KiwiSaver funds dipping troublingly into the red. Things have bounced back in recent months however and with a few new, innovative players entering the market, big players talking themselves up and new rules around providers having to disclose the actual amount paid on fees rather than just a percentage, the KiwiSaver market is suddenly looking a lot healthier and far more competitive. Juno and Pie Funds are the latest to try and shake things up with a new flat-fee option.

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Apple’s creative director Andrew McKechnie on a nomadic childhood, breaking into the US and creative inspiration
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Apple has long been considered a design genius, associated with powerful yet simple product and packaging design, innovation, and of course for drawing ridiculously long queues after every new iPhone launch. As part of Idealog’s AUT Alumni Profiles, Jonathan Cotton caught up with one of the people responsible, Apple creative director Andrew McKechnie, to talk about his past at Y&R and DDB in New York, to ending up in charge of a 60-strong team.

News
From the club to the couch: how one Kiwi company is changing the way we think about, play and watch sport
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As Michael Lewis’ book Moneyball shows, the clever use of data and technology can mean the difference between winning and losing in sport and, with massive broadcasting rights being signed here and around the world and a range of brands hitching their wagons to professional athletes, there’s plenty at stake. And VX Sport, a Kiwi tech company, is quietly revolutionising the way sport is played—and, maybe, how it’s watched.

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First DJs, now listeners: under-the-radar Kiwi tech success story Serato aims for the masses with music app Pyro
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For the last 16 years, Serato has been at the forefront of DJ culture and technology. Its ground breaking Pitch ‘n Time time-stretching algorithm and flagship audio mixing software product Serato DJ are industry standards. Kanye West rapped about them on one of his tracks. Eminem did the same. And now it’s releasing its first mass-consumer app, Serato Pyro, a music player that beat-matches and mixes song playlists. Chief executive AJ Bertanshaw explains the company’s evolution—and its Kiwi style marketing approach.

News
Uber’s Oscar Peppitt on taxi wars, collecting customer data and disruptive technology
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Uber’s entrance into markets throughout the world has generally been typified by controversy, and the New Zealand is no different. Drivers have been arrested, the taxi lobby has come out swinging and there are some serious concerns about the company’s approach to collecting customer data. The company’s general manager Oscar peppit recently chatted to StopPress’ sister publication Idealog about these and other issues.