‘Tis the season for lists (actually, as the popularity of Buzzfeed shows, it’s always the season for lists). And Contently, a company “where brands and advertisers can go to connect with freelancers and journalists to commission work on their behalf”, has released its round-up of the best content marketing of the year.
Fairfax media has bought in to a company where neighbours can chat about where to get the best flat white in their area, offer up spare bags of sheep dung to people nearby (true story), or find out what happens to the old clothes they’ve been putting in the bins by the church all these years. Neighbourly, an online social network for neighbourhoods, has partnered with Fairfax for a 22.5 percent share in its company, with the potential for more investment if the relationship pays off for both parties.
In the creative industries, the Christmas message is a time for experimentation and show-offery. And the Downlow Concept’s ‘annual non-denominational holiday video’ is a gem. Running the gamut of corporate video cliches, the production company responsible for 7 Days, Coverband, Hounds and fair few ads has created a glorious visual treat that includes generic words, shirtless men, fingers on fences, cutting-edge animation and, perhaps most importantly, gas heating. It also features Josh Thomson doing a fine impression of Little Richard.
Retinoblastoma is a deadly eye cancer that develops in children, and because the disease is so difficult to detect it often ends up stealing the sense of sight from its young victims. However, one of the easiest ways to determine whether or not someone is suffering from the disease is through the use of a smartphone—and you don’t even need an app.
Nominate a friend who’s had a shocker of a year, wear a silly suit, donate a pressie, buy a hairy t-shirt, or send a bike to Sri Lanka.
Google Chromecast, the thumb-sized media streaming device that plugs into the HDMI port on a TV, has now been launched in New Zealand and is available for purchase at various electronic retailers. Selling for a standard retail price of $61, the device enables users to connect mobile devices, tablets and smartphones to the TV and then access apps on the bigger screen. And given the success of the product abroad, both Quickflix and Pandora have already announced that their services can be accessed through the device.
MediaWorks has taken a novel approach to finding a ‘social media expert’ for Paul Henry in lead up to his new show by creating a bespoke miscrosite that features a monochromatic mugshot of the controversial TV host above a short blurb—written in his dismissive voice—that explains why he is on the hunt for someone talented in the esoteric art of social media.
Social crowdfunding platform Givealittle has seen a stunning rise in money raised recently, with average funds raised per month having grown by about 20 times from levels seen two years ago. And now the platform is all spruced up for greater growth, with a revamped web engine ready to take on higher traffic with the rising popularity of social crowdfunding.
Facebook and YouTube have released respective top ten lists of topics and content that proved most popular over the course of 2014. And to accompany the publication of these summaries of virality, the new media juggernauts have also launched a pair of retrospective videos that give viewers a glimpse at what got the masses clicking over the course of the last year.
The human brain really is an amazing piece of engineering. A small organ the size of two fists that reasons, analyses, manages emotions, regulates blood…
NZ Retail magazine has been serving the local retail sector for almost 70 years and it’s set to be relaunched as a fatter, much savvier bi-monthly magazine in February next year. Plus, it will also deliver a long-awaited online extension, TheRegister.co.nz, a daily news service for the Kiwi retail sector, with news, features, jobs and case studies delivered in a mobile-friendly website.
The challenge Due to rapid population growth over the past 25 years Kerikeri found itself full of crap … literally. Most households still relied on septic…
In 1896, James Henry Whittaker gave Kiwis the first taste of the chocolate that would see his name inextricably linked to the treat from that moment…
After a host of senior management changes and a fair bit of hunkering down on the marketing front, Fairfax seems to have got its ducks in a row and regained some confidence and is once again promoting its products and capabilities. And its latest effort is a new trade campaign that aims to switch the focus from volume metrics to its ability to target different groups across its print and online assets.
Lion and DDB’s Steinlager Deep Dive campaign seemed to get the tick of approval from the marketing community (and a few questions in an interesting piece on MediaWatch). And many also seem fairly taken with the pair’s very literal pun-based ‘That’s Dry’ campaign for Speight’s new alcoholic Ginger Beer, which has charted the journey of Karl Burnett squaring off against a forlorn ginger bear for mascot duties. Now it’s released a few more entertaining clips.
The challenge Come five o’clock after a busy day, the same question is on thousands of Kiwis’ minds: “What on earth are we going to have…
The challenge Technology may have given banks apps, slick websites and a host of automated functions, but it hasn’t changed the fact that clients still expect…
The challenge Sometimes invisibility is an asset that enables you to listen in on other people’s conversations. Other times it’s a problem that precludes your P25…
The challenge In a 2013 online survey carried out by iSite Media, 58 percent of responders pinpointed a lack of measurement as the biggest issue facing…
The challenge In 2011, the Tip Top team was struck by the harsh realisation that 150 of its products contained palm oil. And while this ingredient…
For a marketer with such limited experience, Jade Clark, who was promoted to brand manager from a sales and marketing co-ordinator/PA role, oversaw some sizeable projects…
Frucor is a company that understands the link between powerful brands, creative communications and commercial success. And Aisha Daji Punga has helped drive its growth during…
Insurance isn’t often thought of as an industry overflowing with humour, but AMI is showing that it does in fact have a funnier side in new campaign that brings to life true claim stories in a new animated series.
Kiwis love a discount. So much, in fact, that Nielsen research shows that 59 percent of all sales in New Zealand come from products that are…
Kiwibank, Mons Royale, AMI and Samsung get an early Christmas present this week.
Following on from last year’s campaign featuring a pair of Brazilian bloggers sharing their experiences of studying in New Zealand, Education New Zealand has now launched a new campaign called ‘A new adventure every day’, which has a collection of five average foreign students starring in a series of videos that showcase what New Zealand is like.
Yesterday’s announcement from MediaWorks came with confirmation of two executive job cuts as chief executive of television Paul Maher and chief executive of interactive Siobhan McKenna were listed as casualties of the reshuffle. MediaWorks chief executive Mark Weldon told StopPress that these would be the extent of the job cuts for now.
Changes at Bauer Media, Designworks, Tourism Fiji and Wynward Group.
Yesterday, MediaWorks announced it was merging its newsrooms to enhance efficiency. Fairfax has long favoured the network approach. And NZME is doing similar things by bringing its various strands closer together. So how will that affect the news? Conan O’Brien knows.
While many agencies are completely addicted to winning awards and use them as evidence of their ability to change the commercial fortunes of clients and attract staff, many of the call for entires campaigns for the awards take a much less serious approach. Axis had its brilliant Share the Love campaign, Strategy in Canada got a host of local agencies to take the proverbial out of the industry and now the ANDY’s have added to the strain of self-awareness—and self-flaggelation—with a very funny campaign via Wieden + Kennedy that shows ad folk being praised for their unceasing bravery and commitment by an explosive ordnance disposal specialist, a surgeon and a firefighter.