Dating app Tinder and hair removal brand Gillette have teamed up on a campaign, which might cause us to see a few more clean-shaven faces around.

Kiwibank has been beating the drum of independence since it was founded in 2001 and it made it very explicit in its last ad when it printed out a bunch of bank records, made them into a huge banner and shouted it from the rooftops. That ad featured a range of proudly independent staff and its next effort, also via Assignment, features proud customers dancing a dance of financial independence.

New Zealanders love when famous people mention their country. Eating Media Lunch devoted a section to it back in the day. And, with Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul premiering in New Zealand tonight on Lightbox, we’ve got a special (manufactured) message from Bob Odenkirk, better known as seedy strip-mall lawyer Saul Goodman.

No stranger to controversy, electricity company Powershop says it’s bringing power “back to the people” with its latest campaign, which is based around famous acts of protest and standing up against the status quo.

Just over 30 years ago, on 1 January 1985, while standing in London’s Parliament Square, Michael Harrison called his father Sir Ernest Harrison, the founder of Vodafone, using the (barely) portable Vodafone VT1—a moment that would go down as Britain’s first commercial mobile phone. Over the next three decades mobile phone technology would progress and proliferate and become a ubiquitous part of the modern landscape.

ANZ launched its GAYTM campaign last week, following on from a successful effort in Australia. And this video shows how Kiwi artist Reuben Paterson spent 300 hours bedazzling a Ponsonby cash dispenser with 120,000 rhinestones. PLUS: Is Kevin the ATM destined for a jzushing?

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

Carnivore Club, an artisan meat club thay delivers monthly to its members, has launched a hilarious new advertising campaign under the guise of a fake insurance company called ‘F-up insurance’.

Coca-Cola has been forced to suspend its #MakeItHappy campaign after an elaborate prank from blog site Gawker had the brand relaying several lines from Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

According to TVNZ’s Lyndsey Francis, Tech in a Sec is the only piece of communication that crossed over from the Telecom rebrand into Spark. And, as evidence of its popularity, it’s into year three and has added a few new mascots. Vodafone also wants to help customers ‘Do their thing better’ so it has released a clip online promoting a digital activation that lets users pick their top three interests from the Top 30 Things Kiwis most love to do and then delivers a selection of the best smartphone apps and online articles. But it’s not of the quality you’d expect from one of the world’s biggest telcos.

Redditors are renowned for their unique sense of humour/aggressive trolling. And, following on from some interesting discussion about the legality of gardens in New Zealand recently, now the world is learning some interesting facts about New Zealand’s penchant for arachnid cuisine.

As mentioned last week, ANZ decided to embrace the rainbow by bringing GAYTMs to New Zealand. And, as of today, they’re out and proud in Auckland and Wellington.

Jockey is continuing its long tradition of stripping the All Blacks down to their tighty whiteys with its latest winter All Colour campaign. But this year it’s all about the bright colours.

The young’uns are an attractive, but constantly moving, target for marketers. So how are they consuming media? As Colmar Brunton discovered, often illegally.

In December last year, research company Roy Morgan closed the doors to its New Zealand offices on Auckland’s Swanson Street and let three staff members go in the process. But the company’s deputy chief executive Hugh Amoyal says that this doesn’t imply the end of business on this side of the ditch.

Hear that? It’s the sound of chocolate lovers nation-wide sharpening their pitchforks after Cadbury announced on its Facebook page that it will be downsizing its family-sized block—again.

Old gun Simply Squeezed and relatively new flatbread brand Farrah’s both lead their respective categories. And while the conventional FMCG wisdom when in this position is ‘don’t rock the boat’, both brands have called on the Dow Group to give them a makeover.

Love and family steal the limelight this week as Michael Hill and Our First Home impress with slick spots.

New Zealand’s main telco superpowers are butting heads after a billboard war, with both companies claiming to have the country’s largest 4G network. The skirmish has resulted in lawyers’ letters, threats of ASA complaints and general back-and-forth bickering, and a resolution still isn’t on the cards.

Reebok is a big player in the Cross Fit business. And its latest campaign, its biggest in a decade, attempts to show the benefits of exercise by showing that it’s not about being a better tyre flipper, people carrier or rope climber, it’s about being a better human.

Companies are always on the hunt for new and interesting ways to get our attention, even if they can hold it for just a few seconds. It’s a bit like trying to stand out amongst a large school of fish. Well, a Wellington company thinks it’s found the answer, and all you need is cardboard and a bit of magical production dust.

While NFL is hugely popular in the US, it’s still something of a mystery to many in New Zealand, as is the hype around the Super Bowl. So if you’re in that category, you’ll probably relate to this updated Bad British Commentary.

Super Bowl 49 delivered the goods on the field yesterday, with a last gasp victory for the New England Patriots, a brawl at the end and some impressive dancing sharks for Katy Perry’s halftime show. Once again, it proved to be a ratings goldmine for NBC, ranking as the “highest overnight rating in Super Bowl history and a four percent increase on last year”. That’s why advertisers pay around US$4.5 million for a nationwide spot—and why so many people seem to be interested in the ads. Herewith, a collection of the goods, bads and uglies.

Last year, Countdown jumped onto the collectibles bandwagon by distributing DreamWorks Heroes 3D cards to customers who spent $20 or more in stores. And despite this previous campaign being criticised for relying on pester power and for not being environmentally friendly, Countdown is going for another collectibles ride—and this time it’s all about the inhabitants of the wild.