From taking bathroom breaks to hitting the skip button as aggressively as possible, Kiwis will in most instances do all they can to avoid ads—something that’s evident in the rapid growth of ad-blocking software. However, every year, there are a handful of ads produced that Kiwis actively search for and share with their friends. And this year was no different, with YouTube’s leaderboard of ads showing that Kiwis are happy to sit through an ad if the idea is strong enough.

Customisable shoes have been around for a while now and they don’t come cheap. But a US company called ShiftWear has taken it to the next level by creating kicks that can be instantly updated in their design, with an e-ink display that can show detailed artwork or animations of the wearer’s choice beamed straight from the wearer’s smartphone.

Talk of the cashless society has abounded at least since the beginning of this century, but a surge in contactless payments suggests cash may not be king for much longer. And cards could be on the way out too, because, following on from the launch of Semble earlier this year, ANZ has announced the release of its goMoney wallet, which lets customers to pay with their smartphones.

A clever direct marketing campaign from The Fred Hollows society shows Kiwis exactly how lucky they are to have the gift of sight.

As advertisers spread news about all those fantastic sales out there, the criminals in our midst create personal wishlists of all the items they aim to get at 100 percent discounts. So to help retailers keep an eye on the most regularly targeted goods, software company Auror recently compiled a list of the items stolen most often around Christmas. And as it turns out, meat is the most common target.

In its latest spot via Wieden + Kennedy, Nike shows that those future stars are already on the road to sporting greatness. And while they might not yet be attracting any press attention, chances are that they’re probably clad in the latest gear from the sports retailer.

On Monday morning, widespread speculation that WPP would up its stake in STW was confirmed by news that it had increased its shareholding from 23.6 percent to a controlling 61 percent. This merger sees the 70 STW-owned and part-owned companies, including Ogilvy & Mather, Ikon, JWT, Designworks, Assignment Group, pulled further into the WPP family of businesses, creating the largest marketing group across Australia and New Zealand. So what does this mean for the local market?

Air New Zealand, Lotto, TVNZ and Spark fill up their sacks this week.

Research from Roy Morgan reveals that Netflix was reaching 398,000 New Zealanders only three months after its original launch.

Amazon was once a company that just sold books online but now with Amazon Prime you can buy just about everything, including tiny horses.

Top taco tips: don’t overload with salsa and never ask for a knife and fork says the Lucky Taco.

‘Tis the season to be commercial, and Kiwi brands are certainly embracing the opportunity with Lotto New Zealand, Pak n Save and New World all recently releasing Christmas-themed spots.

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

New Zealand’s Asian population is growing in both the main centres and the regions, but are retailers and marketers missing their opportunity to turn them into customers due to a lack of understanding, stereotyping and homogenisation? Nick Siu and Peter Doyle offer some advice.

The MediaWeb debacle has concluded with a jail term for former director John Clark, who was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment earlier today at the Auckland District Court.

V energy are sparking interest yet again with their latest promotional campaign asking people to use letters on cans and bottles of V to spell out their heart’s desire then share it on social media for the possibility of winning their wish as a prize.

With the annual slam of Christmas commercial messaging hitting us from all sides, it comes as little surprise that 59 percent of Kiwis feel that Christmas has become too commercial. So are brands doing themselves a disservice by focusing on sales rather than more authentic Christmas messaging?

Are you afraid of the dark? Lynx Pitch Black has taken its campaign all the way by turning out the lights at a Seekae concert.