In the spirit of past heretics, ranters and agitators, our resident angry outsider Claxton tells you what’s getting his goat about this industry.

To be a great brand, consumers simply need to get a sense of the personality though its actions, rather than have it delivered fully formed, says Andrew Lewis.

Virtually every aspect of our lives is impacted by the technology of the digital age, but there simply aren’t enough people being taught how to code to fulfil the demand. Font’s Clinton Ulyatt thinks it’s time that changed so he doesn’t have to deal with as many ‘underwater basket weavers’.

Facebook’s recently told us about changes to its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and Data Use Policy. We’re all familiar with websites periodically updating their terms and conditions, but what do these changes mean for the user and their intellectual property? The answer is, not much.

Good design tells stories that excite, engage and resonate with their audiences, whether on or offline, says Brian Slade.

There is a great deal of value in integrating a mobile offer into businesses. Kiwi consumers have their fingers and data packages at the ready; they’re just waiting for New Zealand businesses to catch up.

AJ Park patent specialists Anton Blijlevens and Jillian Lim touch on some of the interesting patents to look out for on the shelves.

New Zealand Fashion Week wrapped up over the weekend. But fashion designers and stores need to be aware of a recent UK decision where Rihanna successfully sued fashion retailer Topshop for selling t-shirts featuring a photo of her without her permission, says Damian Broadley and Lynell Tuffery Huria.

In these fragmented, digital times, the allure and impact of big, expensive brand ads is on the wane. Content marketing is increasingly filling the void and the industry is starting to recognise that substance is more important than style when it comes to advertising. And it’s about time, says Mike O’Sullivan, executive director at BrandWorld and recent inductee into the TVNZ Marketing Hall of Fame.

Never one to let its terms of use grow stale, Facebook has recently amended its Pages Terms, including the guidelines covering the running of promotions, contests and sweepstakes on the platform. This time though, the changes should be welcomed by advertisers and brand-owners, says Allan Yeoman.

Marketers are in a unique position to help engrain design principles in New Zealand business, writes Melissa Jenner.

The blind and visually impaired have long suffered what has been dubbed a “book famine”. But changes to copyright law have finally provided relief, say Anton Blijlevens and Jillian Lim.

All too often in marketing campaigns, digital media strategy is the unsung hero, says Yahoo! New Zealand’s Louis Niven.

Google and Ipsos have just released the global smartphone usage survey for 2013. And Kiwi consumers are doing more, buying more and expecting more from the smartphone experiences that brands are presenting, says Jonathan Dodd.

The challenge and opportunity for business is that mobile significantly disrupts the traditional path to purchase model across most categories. Understanding how you can use the channel to attract, convert and retain customers will help marketers reinvent their sales model and deliver new business opportunities in this rapidly evolving landscape.

As the ‘100% Pure’ brand, meticulously built by Hobbit labour, begins to erode, I find myself asking the question – is it now time for the geeks to inherit Middle Earth? If we must align our country’s brand with an export industry, would not IT be a smarter choice?

Matt Westerman, resident digital engagement specialist at Ubiquity, looks at some of the burgeoning digital trends overseas and how they might impact on email marketing strategies in New Zealand.

It’s not ‘Big Data’ you should be worried about, says Dave Mansfield. It’s ‘Bad Data’.