Uber’s entrance into markets throughout the world has generally been typified by controversy, and the New Zealand is no different. Drivers have been arrested, the taxi lobby has come out swinging and there are some serious concerns about the company’s approach to collecting customer data. The company’s general manager Oscar peppit recently chatted to StopPress’ sister publication Idealog about these and other issues.

​Mitre 10 general manager Dave Elliott gave a full and frank insight into his business at the IAB Vertical Snapshot event on May 27.

It’s no secret that smartphone usage has proliferated rapidly over the course of the last few years. The rectangular glow of these devices provides ambient lighting for virtually every stretch of our nation. And while the ubiquity of these devices is evidenced by their presence in the pockets of Kiwis of all ages, this anecdotal observation doesn’t provide enough accuracy to drive media decisions. This week, Google released its Consumer Barometer report, which provides a breakdown of the media consumption habits of people across the world. And contained within this report was a section dedicated specifically to the Kiwi market.

In the modern world social media is beginning to dominate with folk progressively visiting platforms like Facebook and Snapchat instead of consuming traditional forms of media. And with this audience shift, advertisers are coming up with increasingly creative ways to market through them, travelling to their audience’s turf. Sovereign Insurance has cottoned on to this, and is using social media to educate people about life insurance, offering a free six months of it through its Facebook page.

There was a time when people seemed to get angry about autoplay video, with Fairfax in Australia getting a kicking a few years back. Now it seems to be part of the online furniture. Instagram and Facebook launched auotplay video in 2013 and Twitter has also just announced it. But as those videos don’t play with sound unless users click on them, brands and publishers are adapting to an era of silent video marketing—and, just as some have done with pre-roll ads, they’re starting to find some creative solutions.

ClickHole is, as Slate attests, the best thing on the internet. And while there have been many stories written about Google, its amazing offices and its innovation-centric culture, none of them have been as good as this journey to Mountainview, where we get thrust into the beating heart of Silicon Valley.

By tapping into the unwavering need of surfers to know exactly what the conditions are like at their local spots, surf2surf.co..nz has become an essential pitstop for the nation’s wave lovers on the way to the beach. And the company’s founder and director Paul Brunskill explains that this simple model also makes business sense, attracting a slew of advertisers and making it possible to launch similar services abroad.

Mobile ad spend is increasing rapidly, but advertisers need to be careful in regard to what they’re spending their money on. This week, AdRoll’s Ben Sharp discusses the importance of including mobile in a business’ retargeting strategy and offers a few tips on how to use the channel effectively.

Image and video-sharing mobile app Snapchat has put the spotlight on New Zealand for its “Life” initiative which features everyday clips from famous cities around the world and has thus far included the likes of New York, London, Dubai, Cape Town, Dublin, and Liverpool and as of Tuesday, Auckland. However, many Aucklanders aren’t too happy with how they have been represented and social media agency for businesses, Socialites, is having a crack at its own compilation.

When it comes to creative fundraising, it’s tough to beat the cancer sector. Recently, New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation and Skinfood’s Breast Cream went on sale, with the goal being to raise funds and, at the same time, get women to check for lumps. And there’s another product set to hit the shelves that also aims to raise funds for a cure but might create some initial consternation: Lewis Road Creamery’s ‘Breast Milk’.

The Kickstarter fundraising initiative has given a platform to some delightfully weird ideas over the last few years. Following on from a bizarre catalogue that already includes crystal bacon, combat kichenware and meat soap, a pair of Kiwi entrepreneurs have now announced Poopins via the crowd-funding-based website.

When BP released its lost bunny ad shortly after Vodafone launched its Piggy-Sue spot, various media outlets quickly pointed out that there were some striking similarities between the two spots. And now, to show just how similar the two spots are, Dan News has posted a YouTube clip that has the two spots playing simultaneously, showing how similar the narrative progression is in both spots. This is likely just an unfortunate coincidence for both brands, but it does provide something of a reminder that even in the creative industry ideas are often not as original as they might seem at first. PLUS: a parody of the Vodafone spot.

Leigh Hart has become a familiar face in front of the camera, entertaining viewers with his offbeat satire on shows such as Moon TV, The Late Night Big Breakfast and SportsCafé. And while the funnyman has injected himself into the mainstream Kiwi consciousness through his on-screen work, he has also taken an interest in life behind the camera through his production company Moon Media.

Jamesons was reportedly the first brand to embrace the nascent realm of 3D videos on social media when it slid a sponsored shot across the bar for St Patricks Day. Now AMP Capital, which owns four malls across New Zealand, is using the multi-dimensional technology across its social media channels to create a series of short, innovative videos showcasing its food and fashion.

In a prime example of how the world has gone fairly fucking insane, fast food companies and sugary drink providers have their finger lickin mitts all over high performance sport. McDonald’s is in bed with FIFA and the Olympics, KFC is into cricket and rugby (where’s the chicken cannon, Colonel?), Wendy’s is a long-time supporter of the Warriors, Coca-Cola is practically everywhere and now Burger King has shacked up with boxer Joseph Parker—and he’s already making some outrageous demands.

It’s no secret that smoking is expensive, and yet over 400,000 New Zealanders still swipe their debit cards to purchase a packet of cigarettes on a daily basis. And while the odd $20 splash out on smokes might not seem all that significant, the card swiping quickly adds up, leading to some pretty significant sums, which could be better spent on other items. So, in an effort to show Kiwi smokers what they’re missing out on, Champix has launched a new campaign by BCG2 that illustrates what smokers are in fact puffing away every month.

The Internet of Things or IoT is a burgeoning global trend blending objects and technology which we could be seeing at this year’s new Lightning Lab accelerator for manufacturing in Wellington, director Shawn O’Keefe says. We caught up with O’Keefe to find out about this year’s programme and to pick his brains about the expanding nature of start up culture and what the climate is like for it here in New Zealand.

Now you can have your lunch and give it away too, thanks to a soon-to-be-launched packed lunch business from restaurateur-turned-philanthropist Michael Meredith.

While playing actual board games seems increasingly anachronistic at a time when digital screens continually invade our space, there’s still a nostalgic appeal. And by turning a love story into a word nerd’s anagram fest, Scrabble manages to nail it.

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

With a broad range of products that spans the likes of jelly, coffee, spices, hot chocolate and food pastes, Gregg’s has until now advertised these various items separately in their respective categories. However, with the launch of its latest brand ad, the Kiwi company is attempting to consolidate everything it offers under the new ‘fun with flavour’ positioning.

Our ability to consume media is dependent on our ability to see and hear. If we can’t see, then Steve Braunias’ words in the Herald evade us; if we can’t hear, then the ramblings of Paul Henry float by silently; and if we can’t do one or the other, then the messages relayed via the television lose most of their impact. For over two thousand years, humans have developed various means to bridge the gap that separates the visually or hearing impaired from media. One of the more recent innovations in this space was the addition of captioning to television shows in the 1970s. The first application of this process was used in 1972 during an episode of the French Chef, with the words appearing uniformly across all TV sets tuned into the show. And by 1976, the Federal Communications Commission of the United States introduced closed captioning, which gave viewers a choice of whether or not to watch a show.