Allpress Espresso may be doing well for itself with roasters in six countries, but to bring its brand into the digital world, it teamed with digital innovations agency Gladeye to launch a new website.

Ahead of the Lions tour which kicks off in June, a few All Blacks have taken a break from training to show visiting fans what’s on offer in Auckland as part of a ‘Secret Training Ground’ campaign for Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) by Augusto.

It’s been nine years since mens’ clothing label I Love Ugly shook up the fashion scene in New Zealand and since then, there’s been highs and lows along the way. After keeping a low profile for the past year, the brand is back with a vengeance – and a collaboration with global sneaker giant Onitsuka Tiger.

As daylight savings messed with our minds, did any brands catch you off guard with an April Fools’ Day prank? We take a look at what local and international brands got up to over the weekend.

Running around the house and backyard in search for chocolate eggs has long been the definition of Easter. Now, New World and 99 have given the popular past-time a modern day twist by putting it into an augmented reality game.

Snapchat has announced it’s available to partner with New Zealand brands and Air New Zealand is the first to get on board.

Donned in flat cap, cardigan and salt and pepper beard, CleanPaleo director Art Green fronts up the company’s first major ad campaign as Grandpa Leo. We talk to the health food entrepreneur and former Bachelor star on filming, the company itself and leveraging the ‘Art Green’ brand.

As the smartphone market continues to heat up, Spark and Apple have teamed up to launch a new Trade Up campaign showing that all you need for a good time is an iPhone and a dog.

Using an influencer is nothing new in advertising. But in the past few years, the definition of the role has expanded to YouTubers, Instagrammers, bloggers and vloggers, and brands have been jumping on the bandwagon to be mentioned in newsfeeds. However, with the online space comes a new set of challenges from selecting an influencer to measuring results. We chat to Fuse content and brand experience director Holly Lindsey about choosing the right influencer for the brand, understanding the grey areas and generating organic engagement.

‘I’m waiting for it, that Creme Egg, I want it!’

The Clemenger Group New Zealand is future proofing its marketing offering, with the announcement it’s merged Clemenger BBDO, Touchcast and Proximity to create a ‘new age’ agency with what it believes to be the resources, talent and capabilities required to go forward.

Earlier this year, Kiwibank entered new territory as it branched out of a traditional campaign to fund its own TV series, Mind Over Money with Nigel Latta. Following the series’ conclusion on air, we chat to general manager of marketing communications Regan Savage about its performance, separating itself from branded content and where to next for the series.

As Germany fights off the last of its dreary winter season, Mexico is looking to spice up those spontaneous bouts of rain with a storm cloud full of its national delight.

Peter Field is one of the world’s foremost experts in advertising effectiveness. And he’s very worried about the current trends, so much so that he has decided to become slightly more confrontational in an effort to counteract the high concentration of bullshit he sees in the market. He’s looked at decades worth of case studies through the IPA Databank and figured out how the best brands build profitability, and he believes the current focus on short term activation metrics over long-term business effects is a very dangerous shift. He was in New Zealand as a guest of CAANZ and TVNZ and he spoke to StopPress editor Damien Venuto about the magical 60/40 rule, the need for big brands to use mass media, the role of social media for brand building and the slick and very successful PR campaign that has been waged by the rather secretive digital behemoths.

NZME managing editor Shayne Currie takes a short break from captaining the ship to chat to StopPress about the state of news media.

Three years, ago, Grant Hyland founded the digital media services company KBR Digital and recruited digital planner Lucy Columbus as his first hire. Since then, the team has expanded to nine. And they believe there’s still more to come.

Non-profit organisation CoorDown marked World Down Syndrome Day with a funny campaign that asks the audience: Does a person with down syndrome really have special needs?

Google Shopping has recently launched into New Zealand and the significantly lower price to advertise may put smaller Kiwi businesses ahead.