Creative seeds are planted as a new PR agency launches, MediaWorks TV says goodbye to its long-serving director of programming while MediaWorks Radio puts some wind in its sales, Ocean Design’s increased workload leads to a host of new recruits and a new office, Bullseye’s new Auckland office gets its hands dirty with Tui Products, Tamati Coffey takes a place on the Breakfast couch, Pluk gets set for expansion with a new country manager, and local animation ringmasters Cirkus get the call up for Cannes alongside Bill Clinton, Ridley Scott and Debbie Harry.
Spreading the seed
Ponsonby-based Starseed PR has launched with Cloudy Bay wines, BMW, Auckland Ring Company, Neutrogena, Aveeno, and Clean & Clear already counted among its clients.
The agency specialises in lifestyle and beauty PR and is the brainchild of creative director Karen Maurice-O’Leary (previously at WhybinTBWA, DDB and Fresh PR) and director Angelina Farry (formerly of Saatchi & Saatchi, DDB and Fresh PR).
“Having a creative director in our PR agency model changes everything,” says Farry. “Karen brings an entirely new creative take on public relations to Starseed PR; she is highly awarded and was previously ranked as the second most-awarded creative in the Asia Pacific region.”
Maurice-O’Leary says every conversation starts with a single seed.
“We craft ideas for our clients to creatively connect in the ever-changing media landscape,” she says. “There are so many ways to connect—through magazines, newspapers, radio, TV, events, stunts, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and the list constantly changes as new and exciting media channels open up. We know how important it is to talk amongst the crowd, rather than simply to the crowd.”
Change the channel
MediaWorks TV has confirmed that director of programming Kelly Martin has resigned after 12 years with company. Martin will be released from her contract early next month, and intends to take a complete break, before considering her options later in 2012.
MediaWorks Group managing director Sussan Turner paid tribute to the pivotal role she has played in shaping TV3 and, more recently, Four.
“Kelly has overseen the acquisition and commissioning of a schedule of content (both local and international) that is the envy of our competitors. From Outrageous Fortune, 7 Days and New Zealand’s Next Top Model, to Homeland, New Girl and The X Factor USA, Kelly’s successes are literally too many to mention. She leaves behind a formidably legacy, and we wish her well.”
Associate director of programming, Mark Caulton, will be acting director of programming until a permanent replacement is named, and that decision is thought to be on hold until Paul Maher arrives on the scene.
The NZ Herald said “there is speculation she may turn up in a senior role at Television New Zealand” but MediaWorks’ publicist Rachel Lorimer said Martin isn’t leaving for another job and hasn’t been poached.
Headland ahoy!
MediaWorks Radio has made the most important change to the national sales operation in recent times by appointing experienced musical campaigner Matt Headland to the position of network sales manager, while Mark Smith, the current network sales manager has been moved to the new role of national business development and acquisition manager.
“Mark Smith and Matt Headland make a formidable team in growing our national revenue across the group,” says MediaWorks Radio director of sales and branded content, Paul Hancox. “I am looking forward to Matt adding his strategic might to our team.”
Headland, currently the country manager for EMI Music NZ, previously worked as national sales manager at MTV Networks NZ, head of Capitol Music Group and in various marketing and sales roles with Publicis Mojo NZ, Telstar Records UK, Warner Music NZ and The Radio Network. He starts on 6 August.
“There is a great thirst for change with the way brands want to communicate to and connect with their consumers, and I can’t wait to start working on opportunities to use our brands and platform in innovative and creative ways that will set us apart from our competitors,” says Headland.
Smith’s new role will see him use his expertise in multi-market planning and strategy to work alongside general managers in the twenty-five markets MediaWorks operates in nationwide.
“This new role recognises the demand for having someone focus on national opportunities throughout the regions, and is tailored specifically to suit my skill set,” Smith says. “It will uncover enormous opportunities for the company and our clients, and the response from markets and the business sector has already exceeded our expectations.”
Ocean surge
Ocean Design won all five pitches it was involved with in 2011, including a joint effort with Y&R on ACC, along with the University of Auckland Business School, The Ministry of Social Development, Payments New Zealand and Wholly Bagels. And, not surprisingly, it’s manned the fort with a few new recruits.
Josh Twaddle and Kirsten Leighs have left The Church and joined Ocean as creative director and account manager respectively. And ex-Wellington Firebird and Ogilvy man Jeremy Dean has joined as executive assistant.
Blair MainwaringProfessional director and HR industry leader Elaine McCaw has also joined Blair Mainwaring (who marked 20 years with the business in 2010 and purchased the other half of the company off business partner Gary Stewart), Richard Janes, Rachel Hopkins and Andy Allison on the board.
Ocean has steadily been building its strategic, research and development capabilities and has appointed Allison, Dave Ralph and Kendal Morgan-Marshall in strategy roles and Glen Puklowski as a copywriter.
The additional humans have also led to shift and the new office on 143 Vivian St has a rich history, as it’s thought to be the oldest extant commercial building in Wellington and used to be an opium den and, more recently, a strip club.
Bullseye blooms
Bullseye was purchased by STW Group in late 2011 and opened an office in Auckland early this year. And it’s got off to a good start as it has scooped the digital account for New Zealand-based Tui Products, a 100-year-old gardening and pet product company.
The initial project is to redevelop Tui’s web presence and then bring the brand to life online after that.
“Tui is a great New Zealand brand, one of 12 companies in the country who have been operated for 100 years, and this is an important win for Bullseye because it says that our move to open an Auckland office this year was the right one,” says Claire Stewart, Bullseye’s business director. “Until this year we’ve worked remotely with businesses with offices in New Zealand, but this win with Tui demonstrates the significant hands-on benefit that Bullseye now offers to local, established New Zealand businesses who are looking for a digital partnership which brings them true transformation. Our demonstrated experience with big name brands and similar sectors was part of what helped us truly connect to Tui and get behind their business needs.”
Morning Coffey
After Rawdon Christie took over from Corin Dann on the Breakfast couch, Tamati Coffey has been named as Christie’s replacement on the weekend edition of the show.
He will join Toni Street and this new position adds to an already busy schedule, as he will also be hosting the upcoming New Zealand’s Got Talent, which screens on TV ONE later in the year, and continuing his role as weather presenter on the weekday edition of Breakfast four days a week.
“Tamati is a talented presenter, and his popularity with viewers is evident in the feedback we receive,” says editor daily programmes John Gillespie. “He and Toni are both clever and charismatic, and so Tamati will be the perfect fit for Saturday Breakfast.”
Coffey, who has an honours degree in Political Studies from the University of Auckland, is looking forward to adding Saturday Breakfast co-host to his ever-expanding CV, but as the winner of multiple viewers’ choice awards for his weather presenting is not planning on giving up that aspect of his working life any time soon.
“Since people seem to really like me doing Breakfast weather, it means I’ll still be doing what I do best for most of the week, but Saturday Breakfast feels like such a natural step for me,” he says. “Toni is intelligent, warm, funny and gorgeous to boot, and between the two of us, you can guarantee Saturday mornings are going to be must see TV!”
Pluk-y Kiwi battler
Martin Shanahan has departed Tangible Media after a brief stint managing the ad sales, marketing and sponsorship opportunities on NZ Rugby World and Primary to take up the role of country manager for Foxtrot’s second screening app Pluk.
Foxtrot’s Boyd Wason says the company is currently finalising a deal to use the technology in Australia and a recent Pluk-enabled ad for State Insurance was the most successful yet.
When State’s ‘Break my Stride’ ad was ‘pluk-ed’, a form was delivered straight to the viewer’s smartphone or tablet, offering a $50 iTunes card with any new insurance policy. Of the 50,000 Kiwis who have downloaded the app, around 7000 of them downloaded the offer and a good number went on to buy policies and claim their reward.
Roll up, roll up
Come one, come all to Cannes, because local animation house Cirkus will be hosting two workshops at the world’s biggest creative festival on Sunday 17 June, one from 12:30 to 13:30 and another one from 17:00 to 18:00, that lets attendees create their own puppeteering/miniature/stop motion spot.
Cirkus will provide a basic brief, a product and its benefits and let teams cheerfully ignite their “do it not the same” thinking by creating a simple production using Cirkus’ sets, props and/or toys.
Using smart phones or iPad-like gadgets, each team will capture their short commercial, guerrilla style. Once the teams have filmed their spots, Cirkus will bring the footage into their Cirkus computers and put it all together.
By visiting their stand and adding Cirkus as a friend on Facebook you can check and comment on the WIPs and the final work as the Cirkus artists perform their magic on the clips with visual trickery and sound.
Elsewhere at Cannes, Bill Clinton will address delegates about how advertising can build a better world, Ridley Scott will discuss developing state-of-the-art content that builds brands and Debbie Harry will also speak about her creative journey.
Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation with the mission to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote healthier childhoods, and protect the environment by fostering partnerships among governments, businesses, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), and private citizens to turn good intentions into measurable results.
“As has been proven by the superb response to the Cannes Chimera partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, our industry is passionate about uniting together and using its unique skills to make the world a better place,” says Terry Savage, chairman of Cannes Lions. “President Clinton’s presence at Cannes Lions reinforces the enormous power this industry has to do good. We are honoured to welcome him to the event.”
To register to attend the 59th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, visit www.canneslions.com.
