Lewis Road Creamery, which was founded by Assignment Group’s Peter Cullinane, kicked off with a range of premium and ‘mass premium’ butters before launching its milk range. Both have found plenty of success, with the brand now stocked in a number of Countdown and New World stores around the country. Its ambition is to continue down the dairy aisle, and as part of that process, it’s hooked up with Whittaker’s to launch “New Zealand’s only chocolate milk made with real milk chocolate”. And it seems to have sent New Zealanders into a dairy-related frenzy.

Fonterra has taken a page out of the mainstream retailer’s playbook by establishing a rewards initiative that gives its members access to a range of perks to those in the co-operative. The introduction of the loyalty programme is part of a series of changes, which also includes plans to rebrand all 67 of Fonterra’s RD1 stores to NZ Farm Source hubs (there are also plans to introduce four new stores), launch new digital technology, introduce on-site support and initiate a range of financial options exclusive to members.

The more things change, the more telcos will be talking about their role in the future. The recently rebranded Spark has been trying to convince Kiwis to never stop starting. But back in 1991, a quintessentially post-modern poster series by Mark Adams for Telecom was all about how fax machines and cell phones helped keep people in touch, ‘from yesterday until tomorrow’.

The Sensible Sentencing Trust is on a mission to bring an end to permanent name suppression for prominent perpetrators unless the complainant or victim requests and/or agrees to it. And that fight spilled over into the ad world recently after a High Court decision to grant a 42-year-old Auckland advertising executive and father of two who was convicted and sentenced for possessing and exporting child rape imagery in June this year permanent name suppression. So should his name be released so that potential clients know? And what would that mean for the agency that employed him?

Increasingly, big businesses need to start acting like start-ups, writes Simon Wedde. And that means being brutally honest about how customers experience your products or services—and then improving it.

The New Zealand Breast Cancer foundation has launched a new campaign via Colenso BBDO that features actress Geraldine Brophy displaying pictures of a series of women’s breasts to illustrate what changes are likely to take place in the event of breast cancer. The ad, which is based on a successful Scottish campaign featuring Elaine C Smith, was initially meant to run last year, but the Commercial Approvals Bureau blocked this move on account of the rule that female nipples are not allowed in television advertising. However, the Bureau has now backtracked on this decision.

World vegetarian week kicked off last week and ends tomorrow. And while many meat-dodgers are seen as peaceful types who don’t eat creatures because of concerns around animal cruelty, Hell has twisted that stereotype to promote its vege pizza deal.

In a recent segment, John Oliver aimed his verbal barbs at corporations who attach their commercial Tweets to serious issues. He leads the discussion by referring to US-based DiGiorno Pizza, which used the #WhyIStayed (created to raise awareness of domestic violence) without reading what it was about. The consequential ‘#WhyIStayed You had pizza’ Tweet was met with instant outrage from the online community, and resulted in various reports on mainstream media. But Oliver doesn’t restrict his criticism to corporations that make online faux pas. He also condemns those that make seemingly innocuous and thoughtful Tweets, such as those published on the 13th anniversary of the 11 September attacks. In his typically scathing style, Oliver makes the point that corporations should really just “remain respectfully silent”.

Our weekly collection of good things, funny things, weird things and other things from inside the intertubes.

Typically, Toyota focuses on the toughness of its Hilux ute, something clearly demonstrated by Top Gear’s unsuccessful attempt to kill one. Australia has also embraced that strategy with its Unbreakable positioning, but now it’s decided to focus on the toughness of the men who choose to drive one. PLUS: Toyota’s tie-up with Modern Family.

As mentioned in recent stories about Special Group’s collaboration with Anna Funder for Papsaley, Microsoft’s work with BMD and Icebreaker’s Simon Beck Collection, art and commerce are regularly intertwined in the world of marketing. Creative agency Fly has a long history of doing just that and creating objects that “act as a trojan horse for the delivery of meaning and emotional connection”. And recently it collaborated with artists to help launch Spark’s subscription video on-demand service Lightbox and a new range of charitable drinks for Phoenix.

Danny MacAskill is a phenomenon on two wheels and, along with his sponsor Red Bull, he has created some amazing films like Imaginate, Industrial Revolutions, Epecuen and Way Back Home in recent years. And his latest one, The Ridge, which sees him and filmmaker Stu Thomson return to their homeland on the Isle of Skye and face up to the 1000 metre drop of The Cuillin Ridge, is one of the craziest and most beautiful yet.

​​UK artist Simon Beck does some remarkable things with his feet. And Icebreaker has hooked up with him to launch its new season collection and, at the same time, raise money to fight climate change.

The internet is very good at bringing different groups together. Google, Trade Me, Ebay and Amazon have brought buyers and sellers together. Uber has brought drivers and passengers together. Airbnb has brought owners and renters together. And now a New Zealand website called madam.co.nz hopes to bring ladies of the night and those willing to pay for them together.

Movies like Titanic, Lion King and Top Gun get an interesting makeover … or is it a makeunder?

As well as expanding around the world, Burger Fuel is expanding into online ordering in New Zealand. And to celebrate, it’s come up with a beautiful poem and some naff pick up lines.

Paul Mant took over the role of general manager at New Zealand’s biggest digital sales house/ad network ​Adhub almost two years ago. And as ad spend continues to head online, the business has grown at around 20 percent per year. So is the banner dying? What’s so great about native? And are brands that use ad networks destined to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time?

Several weeks ago, Spark released the latest iteration of its ‘Never Stop Starting’ positioning via a 30-second spot that depicted a protagonist using Spark’s mobile payment technology across a varied range of jobs in different locations. And the telecommunications giant isn’t the only one dabbling in this space. We take a look at some of the recent moves made the major players.

On election night, MediaWorks collaborated with SparkPHD and digital media agency Ngage to feed live election results onto APN Outdoor’s digital billboard network around Auckland, making TV3 the latest brand to adopt a digital approach to outdoor advertising. So given all the hype centred on the versatility and effectiveness of digital OOH advertising, where does this leave traditional outdoor advertising? And is the growth of digital also starting to affect other industries?