The ad world was in a bit of tizz last year when it was announced that the world’s second and third largest holding companies, Publicis Groupe and Omnicom, would merge to create the world’s biggest holding company and knock WPP off its perch. When we spoke to DDB NZ and Australia chair Marty O’Halloran at the time, he said the US$35 billion mega merger (the companies had combined revenue of around US$23 billion in 2012​) was unlikely to impact too heavily on this market. And it definitely won’t impact on this market now, because the lovers called the massive deal off late last week. Here’s a rundown of what the two parties and the international media are saying.

DDB NY has teamed up with not-for-profit organisation Water Is Life to produce the drinkable book, a short publication printed on specially designed filter paper capable of removing life-threatening bacteria from unclean water.

The personal portfolios of cinematographers and directors often offer an unfiltered glimpse into the creativity of those working in the industry. And although the videos held within these portfolios rarely have a point beyond exhibiting art for art’s sake, the level of expertise on show often results in a worthwhile expenditure of viewing time. Looking at the work of Wield founder Ryan Kothe (previously a motion animator at MediaWorks), it’s quite evident that he’s a patient man with an almost obsessive-compulsive commitment to his craft, stop-motion animation.

Some believe there’s not enough truth in advertising. And putting some back in is a rich vein of comedy, as The Onion has showed once again.

Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement are outsourcing the design of the “unofficial poster” for their upcoming film ‘What we do in the Shadows’ to regular Kiwis by launching a competition that requires entrants to send in their best creative efforts. This winning poster, as decided by the vampires and the public, will be used in cinemas across the country and the designer will win a double pass to the New Zealand premiere in either Auckland or Wellington. The top ten will also be on display at the premiere events.

In a pair of videos unveiled at the Radio Rewired press conference, radio personalities are depicted spoofing various aspects of the industry in a classroom setting.

How do you promote the wonder of hydrogen-fuelled car? Create a water brand that sells its exhaust, of course.

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

The legacy of Tui largely owes its existence to the fact that its founder Henry Wagstaff was so bad at cheesemaking that he was fired from the cheese shop where he worked. Given that his questionable fermentation tactics didn’t work for dairy products, Wagstaff took the logical step of applying them to hops and barley instead. As it turns out, Wagstaff was something of a not-so-bearded, brewing Da Vinci and by 1889 his skills had earned him enough money to build the brewery in Mangatainoka.

Given Tui’s recent history of covert plumbing activities, dishing out wads of cash at cricket and offending just about everyone in New Zealand with their infamous billboards, there was a sense of expectation that DB Breweries was planning something big for the 125th anniversary of the East India Pale Ale. And after a relatively quiet period, presumably planning the campaign, Tui has kicked off the celebrations with a new TVC via Saatchi & Saatchi NZ.

Most print ads just sit there, doing nothing, hoping to be noticed and generally helping no-one but the advertiser. But print ads can sometimes be quite helpful, so here are two recent examples of paper being used to extremely good effect.

Increasingly, the worlds of art and technology—and commerce and technology—are colliding. Digital Art Live, a collaboration between CoLab and The Edge, is bringing that fusion into the real world and its upcoming exhibition Cut and Paste features a collaboration between digital artist Jenna Gavin and the Auckland Writers Festival.

Whether it’s online, in the skies, on TV or in real life, quizzes are universally popular. And travel company Adventure World has tapped into that interest with its biggest ever online campaign, Extraordinary World Trivia.