Ever wanted to open a cat cafe, but would rather not deal with kitty litter and furballs? Never fear: Dunedin-based games studio Runaway lets you experience such a life vicariously with their newest free mobile game – which just so happens to be bringing worldwide attention to Aotearoa’s burgeoning games industry. PLUS: Mount Maunganui-based Flightless’ new cross-platform game, Element.

KiwiRail has appointed DDB as creative agency following a pitch involving five agencies, moving the account from incumbent Clemenger BBDO.

Our weekly wrap of good things, strange things, funny things and other things from inside the intertubes.

The future is here, or is it? Vodafone’s new campaign by FCB takes a look at how far we’ve come and how far we have to go.

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.

Next week BNZ will be closing its doors for a day in the ninth year of its ‘Closed for Good’ campaign, which according to the ad by Colenso BBDO, sees the bank’s staff share their financial know-how with New Zealanders.

EECA has appointed Clemenger BBDO Wellington to take on the role of marketing and communications strategic partner.

Out-of-home revenue grew by one percent to $55,098,516 (gross media revenue) in the first six months of 2018 according to the latest report from the Outdoor Media Association of New Zealand (OMANZ).

Careful where you walk, Resene appears to have spilt some paint in an out-of-home campaign via ICG and Adshel.

A round of applause to Sanitarium, NZTA and My Food Bag.

Heart of the City has painted Auckland’s central city streets with posters this week and is taking over screens with a series of videos in a new campaign by Colenso BBDO and OMD.

Keep New Zealand beautiful is sharing its mission to clean up the country with primary school students through a new ‘Litter Less’ programme with Spark PR & Activate.

VMO is sporting a new-look logo this week alongside a supporting brand position focusing on the delivery of engaged audience.

New Zealand’s biggest news publisher Stuff could soon be under new management. After more than 150 years in publishing, its Australian parent Fairfax Media would cease to exist after a mega-merger with entertainment company Nine. Mediawatch looks at what that might mean for the news business here.

NZ Transport Agency, Clemenger BBDO and Steve Ayson ponder a great dilemma in the latest ‘Legend’ series ad that sees mateship remedy a potentially dangerous drink-driving situation.

After nearly three decades on air, The Rock’s had a facelift with a new logo. Gone is the squiggly text and in its place, a slick, modern approach in the familiar black and red colouring.​ We talk to the station’s content director Brad King about how the new logo represents 27 years of evolution while retaining its tongue in cheek irreverent humour.

Current Red Bull X-Fighters champion Levi Sherwood is no stranger to a bit of Red Bull branding. Now the freestyle motocross rider has become the branding in a cool new collaboration with the energy drink.

The cover of Idealog’s 2018 Tech Issue is a truly collaborative affair. It began as a brief from the Idealog team to create an artwork that represented New Zealand’s technology sector reaching new heights. This was given to 3D motion graphic artist Guangyu Li, who brought the idea to life with creative direction from Idealog’s lead designer Wade Wu, before Staples VR took that idea even further with the help of AR. Here’s how it happened.

Our weekly wrap of good things, strange things, funny things and other things from inside the intertubes.

The new Smiths City ‘100 years’ ad campaign is part of a wider promotion by the retailer to celebrate the milestone.

Last month, the ZM Drive Show got a shake-up with two new hosts Bree Tomasel and Clint Roberts taking over. With Tomasel joining from Australia and Roberts joining from George FM, we check in to see how their new station is treating them, the differences between radio in New Zealand and Australia, and how they’re serving their audiences with digital.

Our very own Julian Dennison is back starring as Humphrey in the latest Australian Lynx campaign, playing off trans-Tasman rivalry to launch the new Lynx New Zealand.

The Edge’s Dom, Meg and Randell have shown themselves in a new light, with the trio attempting to parody familiar movies for a new campaign.

Taking inspiration from the retired ORCAs, The Radio Bureau has launched the Student Outstanding Radio Creative Awards, challenging advertising students to explore the creative possibilities of radio by creating an outstanding radio commercial for a specific brand.

Take a bow ASB, Bayleys and Vodafone.

StopPress catches up with The Spinoff’s founder and managing editor Duncan Greive to discuss the whirlwind time the team has had of late — moving into the television realm, launching a new section and relocating the office.

Earlier this month, Air New Zealand got in on the meatless-meat trend with the launch of the plant-based ‘Impossible Burger’. Now, Virgin Australia is searching for New Zealand’s finest meat for its New Zealand to Australia flights.

Thinking about how you’re going to be able to purchase your own home is anxiety-inducing for many young New Zealanders, so ASB and With Collective are eliminating the scare factor in a new campaign.

Our weekly wrap of good things, strange things, funny things and other things from inside the intertubes.

What’s the difference between a heat pump and a Canterbury Crusader? Not much if the Daikin’s new campaign is anything to go by but that doesn’t stop the heat pump brand from searching for a connection to promote its sponsorship of the team.

Realityvirtual’s Simon Che de Boer recently had a hand in documenting one of the world’s most ancient civilisations in VR. And now, he’s keen to get to work on his passion project: local cultural preservation work of the Christchurch Cathedral. He wants to resurrect the old Cathedral in VR using publicly sourced photography, so is putting out a call to the public to submit any photos or videos they have of the building pre-earthquake, and using deep learning, a company can fill in the missing data and build a VR experience around this.