There’s been a whole heap of discussion about the rise of native advertising recently. Some see it as the future of marketing; a way to insert relevant commercial messages into editorial content. Others see it as subterfuge; the advertising equivalent of mutton dressed as lamb. John Oliver appears to be firmly in the latter camp, so, as he says in typically comical fashion, if you can insert an ad into news, why can’t you insert news into a product?

Touchcast will work with Tourism New Zealand to zjush up TNZ’s digital brand asset management platform that helps all New Zealand’s various tourism activities appear unceasingly epic to the world. TNZ has large image and footage libraries online that currently tourism industry businesses can apply to use, as long as it is used to promote New Zealand as a holiday destination, is mostly be distributed outside of New Zealand, and is not used in paid advertising. In the last year over 65,000 downloads were made from the system.

The Sunday edition The New York Times featured a full-page ad promoting medical marijuana, following state legislators’ passing of the Compassionate Care Act, which allows doctors to prescribe marijuana to people with serious ailments. This change in law does not however mean that thick plumes of Mary-Jane are going to be obscuring the view of the digital billboards at Time Square any time soon, because the legislation only permits the prescription of non-smokeable forms of marijuana.

The Sweet Shop’s Joel Kefali has done his fair share of ads (often along with Special Problems cohort Campbell Hooper), but he’s gaining a reputation for his music videos, having got behind the camera for Lorde, Tame Impala, The Presets and The Naked and Famous. Now he’s done the same for Katy Perry.

Getty Images takes a look at how online publishers (whether brands or bloggers) can use images to help tell stories that move audiences.

Telecom and Designworks unveiled Telecom’s new spark logo in 2009, and the move to fully rebrand as Spark—and change the orientation of the business from home phones and dumb pipes to a technology company and business enabler—has been out in the open for a few months. But now it actually has to make the change, and it’s taken the first, very symbolic step by removing the name from its HQ in Auckland.

The country’s last major teaser campaign aimed to get people talking about the pros and cons of money in the lead up to the launch of BNZ’s ‘Be good with money’ brand. And we’ve noticed another one recently, with a few unbranded Adshels featuring a man standing in a field surrounded by mountains popping up around Auckland. At first, it looks like another ad for a male clothing brand. But it’s not. So in the spirit of teasing, we’ve decided to let our dear readers guess who it might be for. The first to answer correctly will receive a copy of yesterday’s Herald and a 70g packet of Wattie’s Spicy Pumpkin Squeeze and Stir soup.

Social creativity is becoming increasingly important in the world of marketing, with a number of brands trying to convince punters to either come up with ideas for ads or submit content to create them. Last year, Unilever’s Rexona brand got its pound of sweaty flesh with the treadmill of devotion. And now, as part of its Do More brand platform, it’s asking them to submit clips to support the All Blacks and help create a special film that will be written by, directed by and star everyday New Zealanders and be curated by director Taika Waititi.

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

He’s certainly no Christopher Walken, but Jude Law has shown he’s got a few sweet moves in an impressive branded film for Johnnie Walker Blue Label. PLUS: David Duchovny sides with the Russians.

It’s tough for brands and agencies to compete with the plethora of amazing GoPro surfing footage, but Samsung and 72 and Sunny Amsterdam have done a bloody good job with this two-minute film to promote its partnership with The Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour.

Banking is becoming increasingly mobile, with all the major banks offering apps and a whole range of different ways to pay, from Bump to Facebook to NFC-enabled stickers. And now The Co-Operative bank has joined the fray, albeit slightly belatedly, with what it’s calling “a ground-breaking new mobile banking app”.

The classic Mac vs PC campaign was a master-class in comparative advertising and helped cement the impression of Apple as a brand suited to those striving to be cool and Microsoft as a brand suited to those who wore cardigans. But Microsoft is fighting back with a bit of comparative advertising of its own and showing that its Cortana system is smarter than Siri.

Last week, Vodafone released its Fantastic Fridays TVC, a creative effort that stoked the dying embers of hate that viewers still held for Rebecca Black’s 2011 viral song while simultaneously introducing the telco’s new reward programme. And while the spot was greeted with revile from some quarters, there were few complaints from the Vodafone customers who stand to receive rewards as part of the programme. Here’s a breakdown of how Fantastic Fridays has been incorporated into Vodafone’s existing MyVodafone app.

Interacting with a government department is not something most normal humans look forward to. But a new website www.govt.nz hopes to make those interactions slightly less wrist-slitty.

TRN has launched Kiwi Kids, a new iHeartRadio radio station that continuously plays songs and rhymes written for Kiwi Kids and performed by the nation’s top children’s musicians. And while, to some parents, this might sound like a scene borrowed from Dante’s Inferno, iHeartRadio’s artwork accompanying the launch carries the promise that the new station “won’t drive mum and dad crazy”.