We’ve had a couple of stories recently about the extracurricular creative pursuits of people in the ad industry. So we thought it only fitting to cover those of Brendan Boughen, a Microsoft PR aficionado by day, cartoonist named Jim by night, who’s on the home stretch of his Pledge Me campaign to fund a book of cartoons and writing about people’s obsession with technology.

With sports teams, we often speak in the possessive, referring to “our team”, “our win” or “our home turf” even though none of those things actually belong to us. Well, BNZ is looking to give the endless stream of possessive phrases some more meaning with a new campaign that allows New Zealanders to claim a piece of the Crusaders’ turf for themselves.

As another year of Cannes comes to a close, we take a look at some of the key moments of the event.

When you play the Game of Thrones “you win or you die” and in the ‘Game of Agencies’ “you go big or go home” according to Indian marketing agency Chimp&Z Inc, which has recreated the hit show in an ad agency.

With Fonterra cutting its payout to farmers, it’s tough times ahead for the rural dwellers. To show its support, Power Farming teamed up with Hamilton agency PAN to create the ‘Pilsner to Paradise’ campaign and bring Fieldays to Hamilton’s CBD in an effort to give something back to farming clients and to provide their salespeople with a fun way of getting to know their clients better.

Phantom Billstickers is taking poetry to the streets to celebrate the late Kiwi poet James K. Baxter’s 90th birthday.

Former Kiwi adman turned full-time artist, Josh Lancaster, will have an exhibition of his artistic wares at the Smyth Galleries on Auckland’s Jervois Road for three weeks from 28 June.

Take a bow Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency, Fly Buys and NZI.

The music charts have traditionally been based on sales. But with consumers shifting consumption online, Recorded Music New Zealand has had to change its approach. We talk to Recorded Music chief executive Damian Vaughan about the complex task of fusing two very different data sets. PLUS: why data consolidation is an important issue for the ad industry.

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

It was a dark time for France. In 1997, the burger giant closed its 39 restaurants across the country after it failed to make a profit. Its return in 2012 was enough to bring a tear to the eye.

Opt-in mobile ad serving platform Postr has been pretty busy of late. After launching Skinny Collect late last year, it’s now launched a lock-screen video format, doubled its subscribers in the past six months and is expanding into South East Asia.