This post was created by one of the small but mighty StopPress team of journalists. Among their number are: Zahra Shahtahmasebi, Niko Kloeten, Penny Murray and Rachel Tsai. Send your news to [email protected].
When the University of Auckland’s account came up for review last year, the general sentiment was that it was likely to stay with long-time agency partner King St. But, slightly surprisingly, it pulled out of the pitch and shacked up with the University of Waikato and JWT has picked up the slack.
Our weekly wrap of good things, strange things, funny things and other things from inside the intertubes.
Last Friday night, a good chunk of the nation’s newspaper and magazine community gathered at the Pullman to celebrate the best writers, photographers, cartoonists, publishers and—be still our beating heart—marketers and bloggers. And while the commercial seas have been relatively choppy in this industry of late, the Canon Media Awards are always a good reminder of the important role journalism plays in telling a nation’s stories. And the event’s opening video, which was put together by OnDigital, shows just how broad that remit has been over the past year.
The 18th Annual Webby Awards is kicking off on May 20 and what better way is there to celebrate all things Internet than awarding a “Meme Of The Year”?
While editorial and sales have long been uneasy bedfellows in the world of newspapers, they’ve been forced to get a bit cosier in recent years. That’s exactly what APN and Tourism Australia did for the ‘Explore Your Australian Passions’ campaign and the content-led initiative caught the eye of the judges at the International News Media Association Awards (INMA), winning first place in the ‘Best Marketing Solution for an Advertising Client’ category.
Mercury Energy is believed to have kicked off a pitch process for its below-the-line business, with a rumoured list of contenders thought to include FCB, DDB-owned RAPP and the incumbent Chemistry Interaction.
There are a whole heap of great marketing success stories in this country. But you’ve got to be in to win. And you’ve also got to craft a quality entry if you hope to stand out from the pack and win a TVNZ-NZ Marketing Award. So if you want to improve your chances, check out these six pieces of advice from past winners and 2014 judges Wendy Rayner, Ant Rainger, Jacqui Bridges, Michael Pryor and Bryan Crawford.
With increasing numbers of eyes turning from televisions to consume content on mobile devices, advertisers are having to adapt and find new ways to promote their clients’ products or services. So, in an effort to take its content to those migrating eyes, the promotional team behind Tranformers: Age of Extinction has created a new app that features interviews, trailers and other teasers.
Every time it seems as though all the app voids in the world have already been filled, someone finds some unchartered territory in the app landscape. This trend has now continued with the emergence of the North Korea Travel app, which makes it easier for people to visit the “hermit kingdom”.
The internet is awash with creative ‘for sale’ ads, but Swedish art director Christoffer Castor is being held up as a master of the art after releasing a ridiculous—and ridiculously entertaining—video for his bright orange 1993 Volvo 245GL, which, potential buyers will be impressed to know, is equipped with both an inside and an outside.
For the 55th year, the BNZ Literary Awards will celebrate the work of both aspiring and established writers in New Zealand. As was the case last year, BNZ is once again accepting entries through Facebook, via a specially designed app dedicated to the short story competition.
By 2020 the number of things connected to the internet is expected to be around 40 billion and less than 20 percent of those will be smartphones, tablets or PCs. The data those things gather aims to make our lives easier or, in the case of a company like Nest, more efficient. And Cisco has shown that the internet of things can also be applied to outdoor advertising.
Movie and TV streaming service Quickflix has announced the launch of a pay-as-you-go service, which it is offering to non-subscribers.
In an effort to remove the hack of going to the gym from consumers’ daily schedules, US-based startup Peloton developed an exercise bike that comes with a specially designed tablet, which connects users to professional spin classes. Through this system, bike owners can access pre-recorded sessions with a range of different trainers—thereby making it possible to enjoy the benefits of a spin class without having to leave the house.
Creative talent placement agency The Pond recently redesigned its website to make it fully compatible and responsive on iPads and iPhones—meaning that iOS users can now access their accounts on the go. The new website, which was designed by Wellington-based digital agency Heyday and serves largely as a creative matchmaking service, enables company owners to browse through the profiles of creatives to find someone suitable for a certain job.
Humans can’t seem to resist pushing buttons. And Beck’s and Shine’s Playable Posters, created as part of the brand’s sponsorship of NZ Music Month, tapped into that with a great example of old and new coming together to create some interactivity in the real world. And it’s just released a clip showing some of the reactions and remixes.
Heineken has been trying to inspire men to explore the world through its Legends series, which has resulted in some brilliant ads and increased sales around the world. But it’s gone down the domestic road in its latest spot and is tapping into the power of FOMO by showing them what they could be missing out on in their own cities.
Soulwax has just released the final edition to their set of 24 hour long mixes, with 60 minutes of awe-inspiring audiovisual goodness from their 2002 mashup classic As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt 2, which was released under their alias, 2ManyDJs.
Whether it’s free drinks, new mobile devices, early finishes on Fridays in summer or maybe even a share in the company, there are a number of strategies employed by agencies hoping to get a bit more out of their staff. But Barnes, Catmur & Friends has taken an old-school approach with a tongue-in-cheek employee of the month scheme. And the first winner is creative Brad Stratton, in recognition of “excellence in haircut”.
Moves and shakes at IAB NZ, Fairfax, Cannes Lions, More FM, and Auckland Conventions Venue and Events.
Despite the rampant adoption of social media and mobile technology, there’s been a bit of a backlash against that shift recently, with Gary Turk’s Look Up clip being watched 35 million times on YouTube (as pretty much everyone has pointed out, it is slightly ironic that it’s probably being watched on the devices he hopes to get humans to put down). And now State, a “global opinion network” that allows people to “quickly state about whatever matters to you, get counted, and connect to like-minded people around the world. No need for hashtags, followers or fame”, has added another clip to the growing oeuvre of anti-social media.
The ad world was in a bit of tizz last year when it was announced that the world’s second and third largest holding companies, Publicis Groupe and Omnicom, would merge to create the world’s biggest holding company and knock WPP off its perch. When we spoke to DDB NZ and Australia chair Marty O’Halloran at the time, he said the US$35 billion mega merger (the companies had combined revenue of around US$23 billion in 2012​) was unlikely to impact too heavily on this market. And it definitely won’t impact on this market now, because the lovers called the massive deal off late last week. Here’s a rundown of what the two parties and the international media are saying.
DDB NY has teamed up with not-for-profit organisation Water Is Life to produce the drinkable book, a short publication printed on specially designed filter paper capable of removing life-threatening bacteria from unclean water.
Since the 40 Hour Famine kicked off in 1975, World Vision says over one million Kiwis have taken part in it and raised $72 million to help people in over 40 countries. And to promote the 40th year of the initiative, which this year is focused on helping Malawi, Sugar & Partners enlisted the talents of renowned poet Sam Hunt, Exposure’s Brooke Benton and a number of other charitable young Kiwis to show how New Zealand’s largest youth fundraising event has become something of a rite of passage.
The personal portfolios of cinematographers and directors often offer an unfiltered glimpse into the creativity of those working in the industry. And although the videos held within these portfolios rarely have a point beyond exhibiting art for art’s sake, the level of expertise on show often results in a worthwhile expenditure of viewing time. Looking at the work of Wield founder Ryan Kothe (previously a motion animator at MediaWorks), it’s quite evident that he’s a patient man with an almost obsessive-compulsive commitment to his craft, stop-motion animation.
On 9 May, about three weeks after the finalists were first announced, the One Show awards were handed out, and the results were somewhat underwhelming for the Kiwi agencies originally shortlisted. Of the 18 awards that the Kiwi contingent could’ve won, only four resulted in silverware, with Clemenger BBDO, Colenso BBDO/Proximity and Shine picking up gongs.
Some believe there’s not enough truth in advertising. And putting some back in is a rich vein of comedy, as The Onion has showed once again.
Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement are outsourcing the design of the “unofficial poster” for their upcoming film ‘What we do in the Shadows’ to regular Kiwis by launching a competition that requires entrants to send in their best creative efforts. This winning poster, as decided by the vampires and the public, will be used in cinemas across the country and the designer will win a double pass to the New Zealand premiere in either Auckland or Wellington. The top ten will also be on display at the premiere events.
In a pair of videos unveiled at the Radio Rewired press conference, radio personalities are depicted spoofing various aspects of the industry in a classroom setting.
