Z Energy has followed in the footsteps of New World and Countdown by launching a campaign that gives customers the opportunity to collect a series of collectibles when spending a certain amount of money. Dubbed ‘Blokhedz’, the campaign features a series of 16 stackable figurines, based on superheroes and villains from the DC comic franchise, which consumers can collect if they spend more than $40 either in-store or on petrol (purchases of tobacco products cannot be used to redeem BlokHedz).The campaign—which was created by JWT as the lead agency, MBM and Mediacom for media, and Heyday for digital—is currently being promoted via a short YouTube clip and a specially dedicated section of the Z Energy website, which features profiles of all the characters available for collection.

In 2009, at the age of 43, well-regarded suit and strategist Andy McDowell was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and, over the last two years, his condition has deteriorated substantially, making it difficult for him to continue working. As an industry stalwart, who launched The Department of Marketing in 2008, previously worked at FCB and Ogilvy & Mather, and also owned Nebula Marketing, McDowell has left an indelible mark on the lives of many in the Kiwi advertising space. And for this reason, a collection of advertising agencies have grouped together to raise funds to support him.

Known for bucking against the trend of plain-as-Jane packaging for grocery house brands, Foodstuffs’ latest investment into the design of its Pams flour range is proving to be a winner, with Auckland-based agency Brother picking up a gold award at the 2014 Pentawards, a global competition which recognises the best of packaging design.

Steven Adams’ entertaining teaser video ‘Secret Codes’ for Spark’s mysterious basketball-related campaign clocked in with over 72,000 views—and all without any paid media support. Now he’s back for the second instalment, once again alongside Reggie Jackson, and it looks like he’s planning on doing something about the poor state of New Zealand’s outdoor courts *wink, wink*.

Despite the ongoing hoaxes over the years, the date of the future that’s shown on the DeLorean in the 1985 movie Back to the Future 2 is around one year from now (check out the countdown clock if you need to check). And in a case of life imitating art, there has been much frothing at the collective mouth over the past few days on account of a Kickstarter campaign that claims to have invented the world’s first real hoverboard.

The founder of The Warehouse, Sir Stephen Tindall, is putting plenty of energy into philanthropic causes these days. And the chief executive of The Warehouse Group, Mark Powell, has given the brand a boost with the promise of a living wage for some staff and discussions about the size of his own salary. And, as part of the company’s communities and environment strategy, it’s also built a high-tech truck for Noel Leeming that promises to bring the wonders of technology to New Zealand’s most remote and least advantaged communities.

YouTube is continuing to push the massive appeal of its online personalities and the possibilities that exist for advertisers to get involved with them as part of its Google Preferred plan. Last year, it took to TV in the US to promote the channel with ads featuring Michelle Phan, Bethany Mota and Rosanna Pansino and it followed that up with ads starring Epic Rap Battles of History and Vice News. Now it’s employed the services of The Slow Mo Guys, who have 4.5 million subscribers and have clocked more than 438 million views of their videos to date.

To target young males for the upcoming release of Kiwi film The Dead Lands, Mobile Embrace has created a mobile game that features the protagonist Hongi, played in the film by actor James Rolleston, travelling along a green landscape.

At over $400, the Oculus Rift headset isn’t exactly something that most Kiwis would be willing to splash out on. Fortunately, there is an alternative option for those who want the virtual reality experience without the hefty pricetag attached. For the sum of US$24.95, those who don’t want to incur credit card debt can get the virtual reality experience via the DodoCase, a virtual reality headset made almost entirely out of cardboard.

Spark is on a mission to win over the Kiwi masses by offering deals that match the changing habits of its audiences. This started with the telco giving its subscribers access to Spotify Premium, and it is now being continued with a new offer, dubbed Socialiser, that gives social media consumers one gig of free data per month to use via the Twitter and Facebook apps.

Indie music darling FKA Twigs has been commissioned by some of the cooler Google executives to produce a new ad for Google Glass.

It’s nigh-on impossible to drive through the small North Island town of Bulls and not pull out a few cringeworthy puns. And science shows that the more you do it, the funnier it becomes, especially if you’re a dad. The town has fully embraced the bovine-based verbal gymnastics, and here’s a selection of brands that have done the same.

Nielsen has released its statistics for New Zealand’s most-visited websites by unique audience, and the figures once again confirm New Zealand’s preference for Stuff over the NZ Herald website—although the gap has narrowed substantially following Nielsen’s correction of its data collection in April this year. StopPress chats to Fairfax’s Sinead Boucher and NZME’s Brad Glading about the figures.

One youtuber shows us that iPhones can be used for a lot more than just taking selfies and texting your BFFs.

Marketing, particularly the advertising part thereof, is often vilified for its soulless commitment to pandering items with the goal of producing a profit. And while there is a fair amount of truth to this, every once in a while the very skills and creativity that generally cause the public to criticise advertising are used for causes nobler than selling random items. One such instance recently occurred with the announcement of the Cannes Chimera winners, an initiative, backed by Bill and Melinda Gates, which aims to bring ideas to life that can make the world a better place.

50 Wellington locations were captured in four days of shooting for Positively Wellington Tourism’s new commercial, which follows a young couple on a whirlwind tour around the capital. And it has even the most hardcore Wellingtonians watching again to try and pinpoint every location in the clip.

Not all superheroes wear spandex tights and possess other-worldly powers that defy the laws of physics. Some just have an inhuman capacity and willingness to help others. And these are the kinds of superheroes that are honoured in a new spot by creative agency Don’t Panic and Unit 9 directors Greg Hardes and Jacob Proud for not-for-profit organisation Save the Children.

If you’re going to attach a tagline like ‘vanguard until death’ to your company’s name, then you’d better make sure you live up to it. So, in an effort to live up to the expectations set by its branding, three Michelin-starred restaurant Diverxo has commissioned the creation of a macabre short film that depicts a collection of diners eating the creations of a mysterious chef.

The Thug Kitchen Cookbook launched in bookstores this month, and with the tagline “Eat like you give a fuck”, you can tell their brand ethos revolves around using a lot of swear words.