While digital billboards and ad shells are slowly becoming more common in New Zealand, particularly in Auckland, we don’t yet have any that can see us and talk to us. But Graubünden Tourism does.

Ahhhhh, the desk. That thing many of us spend far too much time sitting at (and slowly dying). And that thing that has been completely transformed by the technological revolution of the past few decades, as a clip from the Harvard Innovation Lab shows.

For better or worse, the gravitational pull of the mobile phone has become remarkably strong. That has its drawbacks, of course, and, in a recent US study on nomophobia, the clinical description for the fear of being out of mobile contact, 63 percent of respondents said they checked their phone for messages or calls once an hour, nine percent said they checked their phone every five minutes and 63 percent said they would be upset if they left home without their smartphone. Now Spark is ensuring that those tethered to their phones don’t have to shower without them either after announcing a prototype dock designed to work with Sony’s new waterproof Xperia M4 Aqua.

Today Spark Home, Mobile and Business appointed Clive Ormerod as its new general manager of marketing.

As Whittaker’s continues to show, co-branding initiatives can work brilliantly when the goals are aligned because both brands have motivation to help each other out. That makes sense when it’s in a similar category. But does it work for cars and clothing? Or is it a branding bridge too far?

In response to the high number of pedestrian deaths caused when people cross the road while wearing their headphones, Spotify has introduced a new feature in some markets that spots the streaming service’s mobile app from playing music when the listener approaches dangerous intersections. By tapping into the iBeacon technology installed at some of the worst intersections, the app is able to adjust the volume of the music when needed. In doing so, the app causes the Spotify user to pay attention and exercise caution when crossing the road.

We’re sure many New Zealanders are in disbelief as to how nearly four years have passed since the last Rugby World Cup. Four years since we yelled out to strangers in the street whooping with collective joy after the All Blacks secured the Cup after a nail-biting game with the French and four years since the victory sparked a baby boom across the nation. But this year’s World Cup, which kicks off in September has no doubt been creeping its way into the public consciousness for sometime now, probably due to a few big brands which hope to profit from all the attention, here’s what a few of them are up to.

Trade Me Jobs, the New Zealand Heart Foundation, Lotto Powerball, Adidas and Pak ‘n Save share a crowded winners’ platform this week.

Vimeo has long been lauded as the go-to platform for discerning filmmakers and serious creatives who want to share their work. Now, it’s teamed up with technology giant Samsung to produce a video series that explores the ideas and infinite meanings of connection and “examines the human relationship with technology”.

Whether it’s paying for a ride via Uber’s app, paying for your bus via Semble or paying for your groceries via one of the banks’ own cashless widgets, the wallet looks destined to become an anachronism. And online restaurant search and discovery platform Zomato is the latest to take away the need for them, saying it will soon let you pay for your meals out on its app and eliminate the need to wait for the bill.

Barnes, Catmur & Friends seems to have taken a page of the stage magician’s handbook in new spot for the New Zealand Heart Foundation, which uses a distraction strategy to make its point.

Whether it’s the housewife who smiles while cleaning the toilet, or the teenage boy who gets the girl after putting on some deodorant, advertising is renowned for showing unrealistic situations. But the latest campaign from Trade Me Jobs might just take the cake.

NZME confirmed through a release sent out today that it will not be renewing its licence with Pacific Magazines to produce New Idea, Girlfriend and That’s Life. The existing deal runs until 30 September 2015, and NZME chief operating officer Phil Eustace says that NZME will cease publishing the three magazine titles from that date.

Coca-Cola has gone the cinematic route with a new online ad called ‘Steampunk Coke’, which looks like a scene straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster.

Much like in New Zealand, mobile phones are ubiquitous in Mexico. Over 90 percent of people living in the Central American country carry the devices in their pockets on a daily basis, and the nation’s arm of Redcross saw this as an opportunity to save lives. Given that many people don’t wear their medical tags, the Redcross invited citizens to send in their medical details to a their mobile phones. All this information was then stored on a database, which can be accessed by emergency workers when needed.

There’s a new marketplace on the block, which believes in the sentiment “sharing is caring” and it’s called Ourthings. A rental website which encourages communities and businesses to share wealth between them by renting out their goods.

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

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 Hive News founder Bernard Hickey.