One of the talented StopPress Team of Content Producers made this post happen.
They took out the 50 cent classic category at the Art of the Envelope awards recently, and now the AUT University pair of Christabel Spong and Erin Gulyas have taken out the 2010 Student Marketer of the Year Award with their campaign for the annual launch of Westpac’s tertiary package ‘Westie Pac’.
Why work when you could peruse a few end of year lists and gain some marketing inspiration for 2011 instead? Advertising Age has compiled the admittedly quite US centric ‘Book of Tens’ for 2010, which showcases what it deems to be the year’s best creative, best apps, best iPad apps, best magazine covers and coolest out-of-home ideas, among many others. Marketing in the UK has also joined the list party and chosen its favourite moments of 2010. But the fun doesn’t stop there. Check out the year’s most popular YouTube videos (with Paul Henry’s Qantas acceptance speech taking top spot in the New Zealand list and Air New Zealand nabbing second and third spots with Rico and Crazy About Rugby).
StopPress was quite partial to Fairfax Media’s recent ‘Find Out More’ campaign, so we found it quite surprising when a reliable little birdie told us that Fairfax and Assignment Group wouldn’t be working together anymore. Perhaps Fairfax has developed a case of the Orcons, we quipped, laughing at our hilarious marketing in-joke. As per usual, Assignment Group wasn’t talking (Josh &Jamie won the account and took it with them when they were bought out) and, when we asked Fairfax digital platform and channel development general manager Nigel Tutt about the situation, things got a little confusing.
Like retailers, charities are also fighting for New Zealand’s Christmas dollar. So it takes something pretty special to rise above the rabble. And this year’s campaign for the Auckland City Mission by Publicis Mojo is heavenly. Or, more accurately, angelic.
‘Tis the season for giving and StopPress has got four summery hampers to dish out—one from Regal Salmon and Selaks worth $150, two from Nosh and Va Va gourmet worth $120 each and one from L’Oréal worth $300. Don’t say we’re not good to you. All you have to do is add your planned Christmas indulgence to the comment wall (StopPress is gunning for a few bottles of Emerson’s, a couple of Fergburgers, a 12 bird roast and a Heston Blumenthal style edible house) and we’ll send out the goodies to the most indulgent.
Unlike the company car or yesterday’s long lunch with the agency, there is no FBT* on what is certainly one of the best fringe benefits of being a marketer. Hell, you can even claim the GST* so the finance director won’t be breathing down your neck. Actually, he’ll probably congratulate you on such a prudent purchase. So, for less than a bottle of shabby pinot at the local watering hole, you can get a year’s worth of essential marketing, advertising and media intelligence. So get out the company credit card, buy a subscription and get 25 percent off the price in the shops. One year (six issues) = $34.80 + GST.
Digital engagement specialist Affinity ID set up its Auckland office just two years ago. And, after spying a gap in the Australian market, there will also be an office in Sydney in the New Year.
…Media Design School students win thing; a magical mystery store opens its doors in Auckland’s High St; The Documentary Channel is no more; social buying site GrabOne celebrates a milestone; the hunt is on for New Zealand’s Next Top Bookshelf; African adventurers and other charities look for assistance; Air New Zealand’s Christmas auction kicks off; ex-Fonterra boss Roger Boyd launches the ‘beverage of the well-travelled’; InComm arrives in Australasia; 2Degrees, now in 3Dimensions; NZ Post gives everyone a hurry up; and marvel at the glamour of the IAB/Facebook Xmas party.
There’s almost nothing better than sipping on a cool, refreshing Heineken in the Auckland sun as you marvel at the athletic prowess of finely tuned athletes smacking balls at each other. And, thanks to the generous folk at Panasonic, your dreams could become a reality. We’ve got five …
This week on the box, the massive Mitre 10 Mega man violates some Christmas puppets; NZ Post reminds everyone to send letters; Burger King fails to make wobbling, slow motion chicken look appetising; and Giorgio Armani squeezes as many fragrance ad cliches into 30 seconds as humanly possible.
Having recently given away a host of free beverages to celebrate its launch in Australia, Charlie’s will be following suit in the homeland and giving away bottles of its old-fashioned Honest Quenchers to overworked corporate slaves in Auckland next week. The crux, however, is that the request for freebies has to be made via its Facebook page.
Greg Whitham, the creative director and newly appointed head of Ogilvy Interactive, has been the elected chair of the CAANZ Digital Leadership Group (DLG), replacing the outgoing chair Tony Gardner.
Not everything about ASB and Droga5’s ‘Creating Futures’ campaign found favour. But the posters/press ads created by three up and coming Kiwi designers were very well-received. And the judges of the NAB Newspaper Ad of the Month have continued that trend, choosing Lauren Marriot’s effort as the winner of the November round.
The General Strike, The Springbok Tour, Bastion Point, the Aotea Square riots … There have been many famous New Zealand revolutions; many examples of the masses banding together and showing their dissatisfaction. But none of them really compare to the recent consumer uprising to get Tip Top to bring back the Mint Trumpet and the Grapefruit and Lemon Fruju.
It calls itself “the world’s largest online newsstand” and “the world’s premier magazine reader for iPad” and now Zinio New Zealand is offering digital versions of some of the country’s top selling magazines for just 99c during December. And, to sweeten this Christmas deal, you can get up to 25 percent off annual subscriptions from selected titles and the first 500 users to register and purchase a selected subscription in December will also go into the draw to win an iPad. Even if you aren’t trendy enough to have an iPad, the mags on offer can still be read on boring old PCs and Macs. Check out the magazines on offer here.
… as Designworks gets its hands on an experienced British interactive campaigner; 18 more PR practitioners stick an internationally-recognised certificate on their fridge; Dubsat New Zealand announces a new general manager; Young & Shand add a couple more digi-boffins to the roster; and a new job site for the creative industries in Australia and New Zealand goes live.
A highly successful PR campaign for the New Zealand Rugby Foundation (NZRF) has won a group of AUT Communications students the annual Network PR Practice Award, which recognises excellence in the planning and executing of real life campaigns for not-for-profit organisations.
Dow Design has given those purveyors of meaty Kiwi goodness, Hellers, a bit of a makeover, rolling out a new logo, new packaging and a positioning statement of ‘NZ’s butcher’.
As we all know, it’s been a tough few years at the marcomms coalface. But StopPress is here to help. So if you’re gagging for a bit more business in 2011, then there are a couple of clients currently looking to be wowed, with New Zealand Post Group and the Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) both calling for Expressions of Interest.
…Federation adds a big name and a few newbies to the full-time roster; Christchurch’s Carter Price Rennie says hello to two new senior consultants; Pead PR sends one of its own to set up a Sydney office; another change in the TVNZ marketing department; and the resignation of Fairfax chief executive Brian McCarthy is linked to a mysterious Kiwi newspaper executive.
The DB Export brand team, Honor Dillon and Dave Shoemack
The rather interesting story of Morton Coutts, the serial inventor, crafty bugger, co-founder of DB breweries and brewer of DB Export, has been spread fairly widely across the ad landscape over the last few months after Colenso BBDO’s rather large relaunch of the brand. The father of the Export family, DB Export, is currently back on shelves for a limited period as part of a 50th anniversary celebration. And ‘Morton’ and a few of his friends are once again dishing out some liquid Christmas cheer as part of its ‘Workplace Shout’ promotion.
Following on from news about a billboard constructed from broken plates and glasses, DraftFCB has also launched a rather novel billboard for UNICEF. And, in a very impressive display of very time-consuming needlework, it’s made entirely of wool.
Christchurch certainly hasn’t had an easy time of it over the last few months. But one positive aspect of the earthquake has been the banding together of those affected and the lengths many New Zealanders have gone to to offer their support. The Restaurant Association of New Zealand has already raised money for its southern counterparts with events in Queenstown and at the Grove Restaurant in Auckland. And now a billboard constructed from broken plates and glass from some of the hardest hit restaurants in Christchurch has been employed to try and get the punters to book their Christmas parties and support the city’s local restaurateurs.
NZ Post announced its intention to snatch some of the Auckland directories market off Yellow and TradeMe in late October with a new start-up called Localist. And its first outdoor offensive has begun, with billboards going up around Auckland in the last few days. And, as well as talking up its own new offering, which is set to launch next year, they certainly don’t shy away from sticking the boot into the quality of the opposition’s services, something Yellow has acknowledged recently and is hoping to rectify with a big cash injection.
After delving into the murky waters of PR measurement earlier this year, the CAANZ Marcomms Leadership Group, along with the Marketing Association and New Zealand online research company Buzz Channel, is now aiming to find out how much of the marketing pie the PR and Experiential realm has by conducting a nationwide survey.
You’ve probably heard of a blind taste test. But a blind test drive?
It’s that time of year again, when journalists and editors who can see the Christmas lights at the end of the tunnel start compiling end of year lists on a vast array of topics. StopPress is even lazier than that, however, because we haven’t created our own (yet) and instead we’ve just decided to point out lists that have already been created. Still, research suggests there’s nothing better than a good list, and these two compilations are most definitely in that category.
Not surprisingly, ’tis very retail heavy on the ad front this week and there’s not too much that’s rising above the rabble in the lead-up to the festive season. In fact, the most notable feature of the week was the decision by ONE news not to run any ads during its coverage of the Pike River Mine disaster.
As we all know, it’s the thought that counts. But that really doesn’t matter at all if it’s a crap thought. As such, the amount of cash you splash is what counts in these consumerist days. And Kiwis’ Christmas shopping habits have been unwrapped (geddit?) in a new survey that has discovered stuff you probably already knew.
The 2011 Axis Call for Entries has gone out. And, in keeping with the event’s unashamed focus on creativity, new convenor of judges Tony Bradbourne says there are a few exciting innovations, like the move from a Word file to a PDF, the change from Times to the more modern typeface Gotham and a couple of subtle changes to some of the categories.