Interactive advertising has just had its biggest quarter ever according to the latest IAB/PwC report – total spend in New Zealand was $142.37 million, the second quarter up 24 percent year-on-year.
There are a few brands that are excellent at taking the piss. Newcastle Brown Ale is most definitely one of them. In their latest campaign for the US market, the beer brand is asking fans to send in their mediocre photos because they blew their marketing budget on “paying celebrities to pretend to drink our beer”.
As part of an experiment to gauge the utility and efficacy of the technology, Vanilla Brief Director Ben Slater has had an NFC-enabled RFID chip inserted into his left hand. PLUS: see what other tech-related project he is currently involved with.
After a competitive pitch, Dentsu Aegis-owned iProspect has won the digital media account for Bigpipe, a stripped down naked broadband offering that’s part of Spark Ventures. Plus: chief executive Rod Snodgrass on the thinking behind the Spark Ventures strategy.
As the greasing up kicks into high gear for the upcoming election, there are a range of digital tools being put to use, either to tempt youngsters out to vote, give guidance or join parties. Here are a few of them.
We rely on technology for so many things, but from time to time that reliance goes comically awry. That happened when Spark used find and replace to get rid of the mentions of Telecom on its website and, in a classic case of the law of unintended consequences, ended up creating a new word: Sparkmunications. But there are plenty more entertaining find and replace oopsies.
National released its first campaign TVC this morning and there was plenty of discussion about it—and its soundtrack—on social media afterwards (as Tim Denee wrote on Twitter: “National STRONG like SPORTS TEAM. Other party weak like baby in lifejacket”). Now Labour’s followed suit and launched the TV execution of its Vote Positive campaign.
The National Party has been forced to make a few rugby analogies in recent days as it deals with the fallout from Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics. But it’s used a rowing analogy in its new TVC to try and show Kiwis it’s a smooth, well-oiled, economic machine that’s taking the country in the right direction and that its opponents are bumbling idiots.
Information released by Statistics New Zealand recently revealed that the extent of the nation’s multiculturalism. And given that we could very well be in the proximity of one of the 4,593 people who identify as French in the nation, it pays to ensure we’re pronouncing words borrowed from their language correctly. So, with the launch of its latest French-inspired burger, Wendy’s has assembled a troop (or is it troupe?) of Vodafone Warriors players to discuss exactly how the word ‘brioche’ is pronounced.
As DDB’s chief creative officer Damon Stapleton settles into life on the edge of the world, he shares his thoughts on the impact travel has had on his life.
Industry happenings at iProspect, Spark PHD, Union Digital, Yukfoo and Ambient Group.
After folding Creme magazine recently, Bauer Media has continued to ring the changes and has resigned the publishing contract for Little Treasures magazine, with Tangible Media taking over as the publisher after the September/October issue.
While Tinder’s main purpose is well-known, a number of brands and agencies are using it in interesting, slightly subversive ways, like increasing dog adoption or raising awareness of women’s issues. Now Jacinda Ardern is embracing the medium—for politics, of course—in a continuation of her Ask Me Anything campaign.
Given that Gatorade has come under significant criticism for selling its high sugar energy drinks to people who don’t necessarily need them, the company has now launched a tongue-in-cheek campaign that depicts a possible step in-store staff could take to ensure that the products are only sold to the right people. Rather than just pandering Gatorade to anyone who enters his store, the clerk in the ads requires customers to be sweaty before agreeing to sell the product to them. And to ensure that no violence ensues on account of the ridiculousness of the request, the campaign also features a series of cameos from NFL greats Peyton Manning and Cam Newton.
Good stuff from New World, MasterCard and Air New Zealand this week.
On Sunday, 17 August, APN launched ShopViva, a fashion e-commerce collaboration between GrabOne, the third biggest e-commerce platform in New Zealand, and Viva, the New Zealand Herald’s flagship lifestyle magazine. The new venture is based on the premise that readers should be able to purchase the items that are displayed editorially in the popular inserted magazine, which is circulated every Wednesday.
Skinny Mobile’s attempt to draw attention to the supposedly profligate ways of Vodafone has backfired slightly after it was forced to modify its campaign and remove pointed references to Vodafone’s sponsorship of the Warriors.
Parents, prepare to be pestered once again. Because New World is back with its second tiny promotion.
It’s Madden Season, which apparently turns actor Kevin Hart into a complete psychopath.
The All Blacks are attractive endorsers, and they spruik everything from undies to batteries to deodorant. Hell, even the coach Steve Hansen is the (relatively surprising) face of Kitchen Things. Now Repco has enlisted the services of Cory Jane for its father’s day-related Dad of the Year campaign.
As the campaign promoting MediaWorks’ The Block NZ warms up, TVNZ has launched its campaign for the first local version of My Kitchen Rules (MKR), which will screen in the same 7.30pm primetime slot. And Genesis Energy has been announced as the show’s major sponsor.
Being the one to tell people they’ve crossed the line is an unenviable responsibility at the best of times. But, despite having forged a career out of doing just that, Hilary Souter, the chief executive of the Advertising Standards Authority, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, is still smiling. So how does she keep it all together at the ASA?
The quarterly magazine readership and circulation figures have been released by Nielsen and the Audit Bureau of Circulation respectively, and, in what has been a consistent trend over the last few quarters, weekly publications continue to bleed readers while special interest magazines, released less frequently, continue to hold strong.
Our weekly wrap of good things, strange things, funny things and other things from inside the intertubes.
The Magazine Publishers Association has announced the finalists for the industry’s annual awards with 19 judges making the calls. Bauer has the lion’s share with 43 of its entries making the finals, Fairfax with 21, Tangible with 15, Kowhai Media with nine, as well as a few independent publishers and columnists making the list.
Following the receivership of MediaWeb, NZ Management Magazine was bought by the NZIM and given to Adrenalin to publish alongside its existing title NZ Business. MediaWeb used to own the Deloitte Top 200 Awards, which celebrate New Zealand’s most outstanding large businesses and their people, and the event was seen as a “cash cow and jewel in the crown” of the company. But it’s thought the IP was transferred to Deloitte when MediaWeb couldn’t pay the bills, so, without anyone to run this year’s awards, it recently put that business on the block and APN New Zealand has won it. PLUS: Toni Myers’ LinkedIn profile gets a slap from a former MediaWeb employee.
As part of our series dedicated to celebrating good work and inspiring a bit more generosity, Corey Chalmers, Saatchi & Saatchi’s recently appointed co-executive creative director, big ups the marketing campaign behind What We Do in the Shadows.
Industry happenings at Colenso, the MPA, Ideas Shop, HMC Communications and Colmar Brunton
The business world is infested with buzzwords, which is why it’s important for comical raps to try and jolt people back into reality and show them just how douchey they sound when using them.
Air New Zealand is crazy about rugby. And, given the number of Aussies that come to New Zealand for the snow, it’s also quite a big fan of skiing. Now, with the help of Host Sydney and Diaries Downunder, it’s combined the two in spectacular fashion as part of its online video campaign ‘Meanwhile in… New Zealand’.