Old Spice and Wieden + Kennedy have created a comic-styled story through Instagram where players get to choose their own alternate endings using the platform’s tagging function.
For the relaunch of the McRib, Mcdonald’s went down a slightly crazy path by featuring a passionate individual dancing as a bucket of thick sauce was emptied out on his head. While the clip was unappetiwing at best and downright disturbing at worst, it was memorable and a definite improvement on the usual fast-food launch approach of showcasing carefully constructed burgers in the ideal light from the best possible angle. McDonald’s clearly sees value in the quirkiness, because the brand has now followed on from the McRib launch with an equally outrageous (and messy) spot that features a human guinea pig comparing the newly launched butter chicken Georgie Pie to its pastry-free alternative.
After a short chat with his war veteran grandfather, DDB chief creative officer Damon Stapleton was reminded of how powerful simple language can be.
Online media is largely fuelled by advertising revenue. And many believe this inherently parasitic relationship is inspiring a race to the bottom as publishers seek clicks and scale above all else. But the NBR is going the other way and focusing on growing subscriber revenue. And, as part of that strategy, it is getting set to remove all but one of the ads from its homepage.
In most instances, losing an item is little more than a frustration, but it can be quite a major problem when the said item is a credit card. Usually, the relisation that a credit card is missing is followed by about 20 minutes of manic searching, 30 minutes of concern about where you were pick-pocketed and then the painful recognition that you’ll have to cancel the card for security’s sake. Then, once the card is cancelled, nothing is quite as annoying as finding the now useless piece of plastic lying in your wardrobe under your trousers and realising that it just fell out of the pocket of your jeans (yes, this is a personal experience).
It would appear the ‘cool kids’ in the States are wearing Old Navy these days which this ad iterates through the eyes of a boy who dresses a bit too well, thanks to his overbearing mother.
Business speakers are often stimulating, sometimes boring. Often entertaining, sometimes worthy. Rarely is a speaker overwhelming. But listening to Silicon Valley strategist and entrepreneur Salim Ismail is just that. And he believes many companies are woefully incapable of adapting to a world where almost unimaginable growth trajectories are becoming the norm.
The local industry is currently a little obsessed with conflating different foods together to create a delectable (and some very questionable) hybrids. We’ve had Whittaker’s chocolate milk, Cadbury’s Vegemite atrocity and St Pierre’s sushiwi. Internationally, brands are also dabbling in the art of fusion, but now DC Shoes has taken it beyond cuisine to create a new hybrid sport by combining surfing and motocross. In a new video commissioned by the brand, motocross daredevil Robbie Maddison is shown riding a customised motorcycle across the surface of the Pacific Ocean, before dropping in on a wave (undoubtedly annoying the surfers waiting in the lineup).
Steinlager, Air New Zealand, ANZ, ASB and Cancer Society take centre stage this week.
This year marked the 40th year of Māori Language Week, which celebrates New Zealand’s indigenous language. We look at the brands that got on board, as well as whether companies should be making more of an effort to be a part of it.
In a new series, StopPress talks to a range of newsmakers currently trying to shine lights into dark places while also keeping their own lights on and looks at whether commercial realities are leading to editorial compromise. Next up, Damien Venuto talks with NZME’s Dallas Gurney about his new role and how he sees branded content existing alongside journalism.
Air New Zealand has released a new brand campaign, called ‘Where to next?’ with quite a different, more emotive approach from its safety videos, online content and recent TVCs. The airline says this campaign will be around for “several years” and this is merely phase one.
In continuation of its ‘Imagine’ campaign online, Lotto Powerball enlisted the help of a hypnotist to trick a few Kiwi celebs into thinking they’d won the big one, then asked them what they would do with the money.
Studies have shown that as many 90 percent of all arsonists are male. And a few candle-making companies are trying to take advantage of this proclivity in men to set things alight.
Steinlager’s ‘We believe’ campaign in 2011 is rightfully held up as a brilliant example of sponsorship activation (and, given the All Black sponsor cleverly found a way to reference a tournament it wasn’t officially allowed to mention, impressive loophole management). Because it captured the nation’s imagination, became a “talisman of belief” and helped reverse Steinlager’s declining share of the premium beer market, it was always going to be a hard act to follow, but as the All Blacks get set to defend the RWC trophy in England soon, the long-time sponsor has brought the white can back again and made a connection between this European tour and another one that took place 110 years ago.
The Clemenger Group has announced that Colenso BBDO chief executive Nick Garrett will move across to Clemenger BBDO Melbourne to take up the chief executive role that was left vacant following the departure of Peter Biggs, who retired in September last year.
Graphite, Carnival, Reactor, Gnarly and Kaboom are just some of the flavours that V has introduced to varying degrees of success over the last few years, and the company is continuing this trend by releasing two fresh variations. But this time, instead of giving the drinks names that would be better suited to comic book villains, the energy drinks company has commissioned Jono and Ben to appear on the respective cans.
Private mental health, drug and alcohol centre Capri Hospital has released four new ads in conjunction with its brand refresh, with the help of Lachlan McPherson & Friends.
Worried about putting your greasy mitts all over your phone to take a photo while you’re munching on some dirty bird? Then this invention is not for you.
Like many entrepreneurs, Kirsten Taylor served as the guinea pig during the testing phase for her product. And after being impressed by the results, she decided to make it available to consumers.
“Is your skin colour holding you back? Are you tired of systemic prejudice ruining your day?”
Industry happenings at Mediaworks, Y&R, NZME and Blockhead.
Our weekly wrap of good things, strange things, funny things and other things from inside the intertubes.
Burger joints appear to be popping up left right and centre, emerging as a better quality alternative to traditional fast-food chains. And Britomart-based Better Burger is trying to create a point of difference with its eye-catching branding.
The human urge to collect is a powerful one (and makes for excellent television). And our local supermarkets have been tapping into this urge in recent years, whether through tiny groceries or animal cards. In pretty much every case, the nation seems to have gone completely mad for them, with swap meets being organised, black markets being established and kids regularly tugging on parents’ pants demanding the full set and the associated plastic tat. Now Countdown has struck up a deal with Disney Pixar for its latest collectables campaign, Domino Stars.
Bauer’s Fashion Quarterly released its latest offering Fashion Quarterly Life this month which includes content about stylish interiors, health and well-being, wine trends, inspiring people and more. We had a chat with Fashion Quarterly’s editor Sally-Ann Mullin to find out why it decided to release the issue in an already crowded home and lifestyle market and to see what feedback has been like so far.
The latest statistics show that New Zealand has more ethnicities than there are countries in the world. So, how do we ensure our marketing can talk to all these different groups in a genuine and authentic way? We need to go beyond looking for differences and instead look for harmonies, says Dean Taylor.
As the world becomes increasingly digital and intuition steadily gets banished to the naughty corner, data has become a new currency—and a language that needs to be learned by marketers. And Krunch, a “data-centric agency” being run by ex-auto marketer Darren Kirkland is hoping it can teach clients how to speak it.
While some big brands have been successfully using the likes of Snapchat and Instagram to market themselves, it would appear that Pinterest has been a little slower to take off here in New Zealand compared to abroad. However, with Pinterest announcing its Buyable Pins which began rolling out last month, we imagine many more brands will jump onboard once they’re available here. Here’s a look at the platform and a rundown of which New Zealand brands are using it.
Providing Kiwi families with everything from baby food to its classic tomato sauce, Wattie’s has a place in the heart of many New Zealand families. However, with its latest Google ad, it appears that Wattie’s has slightly changed its marketing strategy and is prepared to launch a new R-rated product.