Ten years and counting: Wright Communications’ Nikki Wright on making it in the PR world
As the public relations field becomes an increasingly crowded market, Wright Communications is celebrating a decade in the game.
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Browsing: News
The latest agency news, campaigns and client wins (and losses) making headlines across Aotearoa.
Ads of the Week: 29 November
Round of applause to The Health Promotion Agency and Ministry of Health, Blunt Umbrella and ASB.
Karma Cola gets some complimentary product placement in return for keeping actors refreshed
Over the weekend, a new comedic web series hit Facebook feeds, as These Two rolled out its first two episodes. And in good Kiwi spirit, it had some help to get it there with local brands providing the crew well earned refreshments.
2degrees makes a cameo in Skinny Mobile ad
If there’s one thing that the US presidential election taught us, it’s that speaking about your competition (even if you have a very compelling argument) probably isn’t a good idea.And with this in mind, it’s somewhat surprising that Skinny mobile would reference the 2degrees Christmas campaign in a new advertisement, recently seen at the Spark offices, saying: “Don’t waste your time hunting for 2degrees’ data”.
Permission to wed your 13-year-old daughter
Danish not-for-profit organisation BØRNEfonden is pushing parents into uncomfortable territory in a new campaign that asks fathers how they would feel if a 30-year-old man asked to marry their 13-year-old daughters.
V Engery drink folds a fitted sheet and shares other life hacks
V Energy drink is making the life of its fans easier by sharing some super essential life skills in a series of quirky videos, which see a selfie taker descend into a volcano and Taylor Swift give budgeting advice.
Recruitment ads targeted at ‘passive job seekers’ could help employers avoid a mountain of irrelevant CVs
The digital age has made us accustomed to the pairs of shoes and gym memberships that follow us around the internet taunting us to respond, but are we ready for job ads to pop up while we browse? Recruitment advertising specialist Big Splash is using programmatic advertising in recruitment to help companies target ideal candidates and take the stress out of trawling through irrelevant CVs.
How out-of-home advertisers are looking to solve the audience measurement dilemma
Earlier this year, NZ Marketing magazine put it to marketers share their thoughts on the different advertising platforms and rate them, with the information collated in the Media Momentum Index. It revealed of all the platforms, out of home received the lowest score for measurement, just four out of 10, which was supported by comments that accurate suggesting realistic data is a weakness of the industry. And while it received high scores for its adaptability buoyancy and cut through, it’s all irrelevant if advertisers don’t have access to audience measurements.So we went to the advertising suppliers to see what they are doing to solve measurement challenges and get their take on the overall OOH situation in New Zealand.
Programmatic rising: Acquire Online makes the Deloitte Fast 50
Programmatic advertising might not have the highest cool factor in the industry, but there’s no denying that it’s growing at a blistering rate. As more and more advertising is sold online, smart tech companies are tapping into the opportunity and making a nice profit in the process. One such company is Acquire Online, which in the most recent edition of the Deloitte Fast 50 nabbed the spot as the 15th fastest growing startup in New Zealand. We chat to the programmatic director Zane Furtado about how the company has managed to grow so quickly and what it will take to maintain this momentum in years to come.
Magness Benrow’s John and Adrienne: how is this still a thing?
We all know the Magness Benrow adverts. They have that enthusiastic duo, with the latest specials on electronics and appliances, who are always there, waiting for us when we start our drive home with the radio on. But what do we know about the wisecrackers we have been sharing rides with for over 20 years, and why do their ads have such staying power?
‘How many designers does it take to change a lightbulb?’ Special Group’s Heath Lowe on why design thinking should inform everything
Special Group was this week declared the Australasian Branding and Design Agency of the Year by B&T magazine. We chat to design creative director and founding partner Heath Lowe about why design is about more than just making pretty things
The Compendium: 25 November
Our weekly wrap of good things, strange things, funny things, inspiring things and other things from inside the intertubes.
An artistic touch: Blunt Umbrellas, Motion Sickness and Dick Frizzell team up to promote umbrellas and charity
An artist might not seem the first port of call to promote an umbrella, but for Blunt Umbrella and Motion Sickness, New Zealand’s Dick Frizzell has provided a unique opportunity to make a mini documentary and a donation to Oxfam.
She’s no Tinker Bell: HPA enrols a cheeky tooth fairy for dental health campaign
Y&R NZ and The Sweet Shop have combined their talents to show the tooth fairy in a memorable new light for the Health Promotion Agency and Ministry of Health’s new crusade.
Santa goes digital: NZ Post sends Christmas wishlists via email
Can you remember the excitement of writing a letter to Santa and getting a response? New Zealand Post has been spreading cheer by sending letters to and from ‘Santa’s Workshop, North Pole 0001’ for many a Christmas, and this year it’s been given a digital makeover.
HP gives the gift of music
HP has jumped on the Christmas campaign bandwagon, but rather than a light-hearted jingle filled ad, it’s put deaf people in the spotlight to share a musical story about giving that’s relevant all year round.
Ad spend at record high: TV remains on top while digital increases rate of growth
Standard Media Index (SMI) has released a snapshot of advertising spend across the different media platforms for the past two years to reveal digital’s rapid growth has yet to overtake TV’s share of the dollar.
Ads of the week: 22 November
Take a bow 2degrees, ASB and Countdown.
‘A PR nosedive’: NZTE thought to have appointed Australian agency for web redesign
In a move that seems a little counter-intuitive for an organisation established to champion local business, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) has awarded the redesign of its website to Australian agency DT, after putting out a tender for the business.
An anti-consumerist ad for Christmas
Put German supermarket chain Edeka’s latest Christmas TVC on mute and you would think it was like any other, but a clever voice over from mother and father figures creates a new opinion on Christmas.
Drake gets distracted by Taylor Swift in Apple Music sequel
The slapstick sequel to Taylor Swift’s popular Apple Music advert relies on another Hollywood heavy weight.
How ASB and Saatchi & Saatchi got ‘Clever Kash’ in the hands of customers
It’s been over a year since ASB and Saatchi & Saatchi introduced ‘Clever Kash’ but only last month did the digital money box become available to customers. So what’s taken so long? We talk to ASB general manager marketing Shane Evans and Saatchi & Saatchi executive director Corey Chalmers about how developing a product like ‘Clever Kash’ takes time.
Fair Go Ad Awards 2016: toned down Hyundai ad returns to claim glory, Clemenger BBDO’s NZ Post spot voted worst of the year
In 2015, Shine and Hyundai earned the ignominy of winning New Zealand’s worst ad of the year, with a spot widely condemned for being too overbearing. But the brand and the agency have bounced back this year, claiming Fair Go’s Ad of the Year Award—and, quite remarkably, they’ve done it with virtually the same ad so widely abhorred last year. So how does an ad go from being the worst to the best in the course of year?
‘The last thing you want is to be boring’: Vaughn Davis on sticking with Paul Henry in the face of controversy
Paul Henry, the man who gave his advice on “titties” during a controversial interview with Canvas magazine has just released a wine with Invivo to huge success.
Penguin plays Santa by picking the books to give this Christmas
Pengiun Random House hopes to take the stress out of gift giving this Christmas, with a ‘Gift that comes alive’ campaign via its in house team.
Pokemon Go meets data desperation: 2degrees dumps 200 million megabytes of free data around New Zealand, invites Kiwis to collect it all
Mobile and broadband service provider 2degrees has taken a page out of the Pokemon Go playbook for its Christmas campaign this year. The company has created an augmented reality game that enables mobile users to collect data bundles dropped throughout the country.
Tuatara sheds its skin to make way for new look bottles
Tuataras may be the masters of camouflage in New New Zealand’s wild but for Tuatara Brewery, making itself known on the crowded craft beer shelf is the aim of its new labels and names.
Banking innovation: ASB rethinks bank cards and celebrates the arrival of Clever Kash in a new pair of ads
ASB and Saatich & Saatchi have taken a trip back in time to explore how pop culture has changed over the years and show how the ‘man bun’ and horizontal credit cards have had their time. PLUS: Clever Kash reaches Kiwi hands
The Atlantic of New Zealand? Bauer brings its current affairs titles together in new online hub, aims for quality over quantity
Bauer, a company long accused of clinging to its print legacy, has gone a long way to shaking off that tag over the past few years with the launch of its digital hubs strategy. And it has been in serious launch mode over the over the last few months with the release of new brands Nadia and Paperboy. Now the publisher has rounded out is offer and unveiled a new online current affairs content site, dubbed Noted, that features content from its Listener, North & South, Metro and Paperboy brands (as well as a couple of other external partners). And journalists (and readers) lamenting the ongoing quest for the low hanging fruit are sure to like what it stands for.
From computer to carpentry: how Freddie Coltart is putting his agency skills to the test with Kubb Brothers
Branching out of his work in the office, Colenso BBDO senior creative Freddie Coltart is channeling his inner artisan with his two brothers to bring the Swedish outdoor game Kubb to New Zealand. We chat to him about how Kubb Brothers came to be and how his agency experience has helped him build his own brand.
This ‘super-ad’ can be used to sell anything
Tired of coming up with ideas for new TVCs? A Canadian creative agency as filmed an ad for every product, just insert the brand in and it’s ready to air.
This is probably a story about Carlsberg, which is probably the best beer in the world
Being the best is a marketing paradox. Why bother with claiming your product is the greatest when you can create a much more unique position? Carlsberg and TBWA have done just that with a new campaign that tempts beer drinkers with the possibility of the best.
TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards 2016: it’s Only Good at API Consumer Brands
API, the parent of Health Basics and other recognisable brands, took a gamble and launched a new beauty brand to prove the capability of local manufacturers and take on the big guys.
The Compendium: 18 November
Our weekly wrap of good things, strange things, funny things, inspiring things and other things from inside the intertubes.
Radio survey: RNZ National increases lead over Newstalk ZB and RadioLive
In the wake of last week’s commercial radio celebrations, Radio New Zealand has something to cheer about following the release of its survey results by GfK. RNZ National has maintained its spot at number two for audience reach against its commercial competitors and saw growth where other news stations saw a drop.
ASB steps back to make its slogan one step ahead
‘Just do it’, it’s ‘Sure to rise’ and ‘Finger lickin’ good’. Read over these slogans and you immediately know the brands behind them. Slogans, in any context, can immediately trigger brand recognition and all a company stands for—something ASB recently confirmed when changing its slogan back to ‘One step ahead’. We take a look at the decision and why the once retired idea still works today.