VW does Escher
Released last month, these VW 4Motion print ads by DDB NZ get a woop from us. Eye-catching, clever and an homage to the exceptional MC Escher.
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Browsing: News
The latest agency news, campaigns and client wins (and losses) making headlines across Aotearoa.
Bulldozer wants hungry MD
Are you a “hungry world-class MD”? Love junk food? You might want to wing it to Sydney to apply for the top position at Bulldozer Inc.
The agency has just won the Kettle Chip account after a four-way pitch. The client was handled by DDB for the past five years …
Flurry of dust storm ads cloud market
Nothing like a meteorological phenomenon to pep up your copywriting talents. Stuck in their offices, surrounded by flying red dirt, some agency creatives quickly came up with these print and online ads to make their brands most topical in the face of impending suffocation.
Conversant unleashed
A cuddly retro orange C is the logo behind internet phone company, Conversant. Brewing for a couple of years now, the company’s mission is “to help medium and small business escape the tyranny of the big telecom providers”.
The new website launches Conversant into the sandpit with the big …
Microsoft to pay US$290m to i4i?
Last week, a US federal appeals court heard the case of i4i vs. Microsoft following the August 11 Texas court ruling that ordered Microsoft to pay US$290m to i4i for infringement of i4i’s patent of an XML tag editor.
A simple version of the backstory can be read …
Fear and loving in Facebook
In The Media Counsel’s consumer report, results from a US social media study show that 86 per cent of retailers have created a Facebook fan page for their product. But their biggest fear is that “people can trash my products in front of large audiences”.
Consumer Counsel Social Media …
Vegemite’s cheesy name
With nearly 50,000 names submitted, including the inventive Wow Chow, Ruddymite and 2ritemite, Kraft Australia has named its new Vegemite spread, wait for it … iSnack2.0. WTF? The winning name came from 27-year-old Dean Robbins, a web designer (no kidding).
Responding to a demand for a spread that did …
Aussies won’t pay for online news
Despite Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp making serious noises about charging for its online news, a recent Pure poll of 18,000 Australians are not impressed; 78 per cent don’t want a bar of it.
Only 5 per cent said they would pay for “high-quality articles” and only 7 …
Meanwhile, somewhere near Tasmania
Our beloved leader looks a little, well, star struck, meeting the big man. And we don’t mean Obama.
John Key reads the “Top 10 Reasons to Visit New Engla … New Zealand!”
Wynyard blasts critics, swears success
Glenda Wynyard
Glenda Wynyard has come out firing, with all guns swinging and six cylinders blazing in response to the loss of PMAA accreditation for her media agency, The Media Counsel.
Mashed metaphors can’t quite capture the gutsy response from the flamboyant media buyer.
“I’m a fucking street-fighting …
Advertisers smell a rate behind TVNZ cut
Advertisers and agencies smell a cost increase behind TVNZ’s bold move to cut agency commissions to 10 per cent by 2011.
TVNZ yesterday announced the results of a review into agency remuneration. The proposal to halve media commissions to 10 per cent, in January 2011, was met with swift …
Walden: TVNZ move gifts Aussies upper hand
Andy Blood (L) and David Walden
TVNZ’s proposed cut to agency commissions will shift power and creative leadership to Australia, warns CAANZ president David Walden.
“We have for a long time punched above our weight in attracting top talent like Andy Blood, Nick Worthington, Toby Talbot and others. That …
Ads@6: 18-24 Sep
A week of the most expensive ads on NZ telly for your viewing pleasure. New campaigns by Fresh’n Fruity, Sovereign and a very curious cat collection launched this week.
TV3, 24 September 2009
Arnott’s Vita-Weet crackers Harvey Norman, 10, 10, 10 deal G-Force movie Bunnings Pearl …
Facebook leads the social media revolution
Further to our story of Nielsen shacking up with Facebook to create a 300+ million market research base, our mate David MacGregor alerted us to this vid from Socialnomics, which claims if Facebook was a country it would be the fourth largest in the world. Test your memory retention in …
Oldies, foodies & girlies clicking the most
No real surprises that the most visited lifestyle websites for unique browsers last week were Stuff, Yahoo and NZ Herald, according to Nielsen analysis. Stuff.co.nz is the clear winner, and looks the nicest too in a category that suffers from a lot of cluttered design. Voxy also makes …
Throng TV launches first online episode
Congrats to Throng TV for launching its first online episode on its website this week. It’s NZ’s first digital portal dedicated to all things TV. Some teething problems with sound but it’s early days and there’s no holding back this gung-ho gang of media wannabes.
Producer …
Nielsen gets poked by Facebook
It’s a weighty brand match made in marketing heaven – Nielsen and Facebook are joining forces in a “multi-year strategic alliance to help marketers better use the Internet to develop and market new products”.
Facebook has the ability to reach a ginomous global consumer network and Nielsen has the market …
Direct and transparent mail marketing
Are you a marketer that can’t be bothered with the un-fun fiddly bits of a large-scale direct mail campaign? New Zealand Post Targeted Communications to the rescue with the launch of DM One.
DM One is an all-in-one solution for print, data, mailhouse and lodgement services that lets advertisers …
Effies for cardboard signs?
Those señors of shrewd comment, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner of Freakonomics, have compiled a selection of cardboard signs from Flickr and ponder the secret to a sign’s success. See below for appeals to a sense of family responsibility, sobriety, revenge, romance and more.
Pic by mistermuckle
Pic by …
2 degrees
Who by: TBWA. Production co.: Film Construction. Director: Steve Saussey.Who for: 2 degrees launchWhy we like it: Rhys Darby is like the nerdy version of our cool publisher Vincent Heeringa
100% Pure BS?
TVNZ’s Media 7, with Russell Brown, hosted a vigorous discussion about the genius or otherwise of 100% Pure New Zealand.
On the panel were: George Hickton, chief executive of Tourism New Zealand (100% really good, he said), Good magazine’s Dave Hansford (100% total bulldust, he basically said …
Libraries: accessory to grand theft
On bludger patrol
Doyen of the leftie literrati, Brian Edwards, has launched a surprising attack on that near-sacred liberal institution, the public library. In his blog yesterday, he writes:What pisses me off as an author is that for every person who buys your book, dozens of other bludgers get …
Sydney in grip of dust terror
As if it wasn’t bad enough living with dust storms, fires and Nicole Kidman, now there’s this: giant sea-walking terrors.
Reason 67 for not crossing the Tassie.
Via @maestroj
Fairfax faction wins boss’ fulsome scalp
Big hair, bigger scalp
The bitterly divided Fairfax board has generated another casualty: the chairman.
Ron Walker was expected to stand for reelection at the forthcoming AGM. But in response to internal disputes which culminated in stinging public criticism from the John B Fairfax faction, Walker yesterday told the Sydney …
Finish the line – and win
Can you complete this terrific little gag by Idealog cartoonist Alister Kitchen? Make us belly ache and we’ll send you a million dollars worth of Steinlager Edge. Post your entries on the comment wall.
Pure blonde sweet as
Here’s a little local plug for this chuckle-worthy ad for Pure Blonde beer by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne. It was shot in Auckland and the production company was The Sweet Shop, founded in Ak by Paul Prince. The company also has offices in Sydney, London, New York, Los …
Cream of the crap
We give you the good, now here’s the bad and the ugly. The Tracy Awards are like Hollywood’s Razzies, except they ‘celebrate’ lamo US print and TV ads. There are some real shockers for Pristiq anti-depressant and McDs, among others. But there’s nothing stopping you submitting a …
Gorgeous fruity number
Fresh’n Fruity gets a rock’n’roll makeover in this totally cool ad by Colenso BBDO.
Dow Design did the graphic design and packaging. Lovely works, chaps.
$1b boost for Progressive’s Countdown brand
Impression of flagship store in Newtown, Wellywood
In the most drawn-out brand merger of recent times Progressive Enterprises is finally merging Woolworth’s and Foodtown brands into the more popular Countdown.
The company has also committed to investing $1 billion over five years in a major spruce up of 20 …
Tourism NZ wants Brits to go all the way
In the wake of New Zild winning favourite long-haul destination in UK Conde Nast Traveller recently, Tourism New Zealand is picking up ball and running with the momentum of the NZ profile.
Next month it launches a campaign specially marketed towards UK backpackers and young travellers through the STA UK …
The latest on TiVo, Twitter and more
Fresh biscuits from The Media Counsel: Is the TiVo and Telecom tango an exclusive dance? Can Twitter get into the black? Who is NZ’s Donald Trump? Aussies clamp down on greenwashing. Read the pdf MediaMonitor 21-September-0The hunt is on for NZ's Donald Trump for The Apprentice Kiwi-style …
Vote for your fave envelope art
The 2009 Art of the Envelope Awards September finalists are:
The Lantern MailerClient: HSBCAgency: JWTCreative: Mike Ramsay
Daylight RobberyClient: Bond and BondAgency: Draft FCBCreatives: Jane Jamieson and Leisa Wall
Koru Mountain ViewClient: Air New ZealandAgency: Trio Group / Aim ProximityCreative: Andrea Cummerfield …
Genius label for Johnnie Walker ad
Too long for a woop but too good not to include on StopPress, this six-minute ad for Johnnie Walker whisky featuring Robert Carlyle is an impressive piece of filmmaking.
Some points to spout off at dinner parties: The agency is Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) London. The film was …
Tops in Toronto
In case you haven’t heard, The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls has won the Cadillac People’s Choice Award for Best Documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
The TIFF description reads:In this elegantly compiled work – part biopic, part concept film, part comedy – [director] Leanne Pooley provides a …
Tourism NZ appoints Kevin Bowler as CEO
Tourism New Zealand Chairman Greg Muir announced today the appointment of Kevin Bowler as its new CEO.
Mr Bowler has extensive marketing and business leadership experience spanning fast moving consumer goods, technology and media brands in New Zealand and overseas.
He is currently CEO for start-up Yahoo!Xtra, a JV …
Work distracts life
Attention HR managers: ever wonder how much actual work you’re getting out of your employees? If computers rule your life, your production output is constantly hampered by distractions. See it large here and spend a few more minutes not doing whatever is it you’re paid to do.