fbpx

Rubber Ducky, you’re the one

New Zealand has a nigh-on unhealthy obsession with oversized novelty items. Carrots, L&P bottles, trout,  salmon, sheep, kiwifruit… the list goes on. So what better way to celebrate the arrival of MediaWorks’ new mainstream entertainment channel FOUR this weekend than to set a 12 metre high, 14 metre wide inflatable duck loose on Auckland harbour.

Youtube Video In an effort to show the unbridled joy that presumably comes from watching television and capture FOUR’s modus operandi, Special Group’s first channel ident featured a pilot creating a smiley face in the sky—for no real reason. And the duck, which was designed by world-renowned, fun-loving Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, required over 800 square metres of fabric and was filmed for the next ident yesterday, continues that joyous trend.

Before coming to New Zealand, foreign versions of the giant duck had appeared in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Nürnberg, Osaka and Sao Paulo. The New Zealand version of the duck was constructed locally in Whangarei.

A few FOUR billboards have already gone up and specific programme billboards will be going up soon. The launch campaign will be a mixture of online, print, cinema, digital (including YouTube and this sweet interactive banner that allows you to fatten up the models), radio and on air, with the idents starring the giant duck screening on FOUR from 6 February.

“We wanted to do something that ‘feels like FOUR’ that is – something that would surprise, delight and entertain people, just like the channel,” says director of marketing and communications, Roger Beaumont.

The duck will remain berthed at the Viaduct for the public to enjoy during the launch week. Let’s hope some kerrrazzeee entrepreneur puts a motor on it, pimps it out a bit, chucks a waterslide on the back and makes it into a party duck. There’s bound to be some excessive advertising mogul who’ll rent it out for their Christmas party.

About Author

Comments are closed.