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Print might be dead, but it’s still interactive
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For quite some time the doomsday prophets have been predicting the demise of print, but this hasn’t stopped advertisers from having a bit of fun with the medium. Here are two print ads that illustrate that there are still fun and creative ways that print can be employed to relay a brand message.

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You can dance if you want to
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After its Willy Wonka-esque Joyville campaign, Cadbury is now on a mission to show how chocolate can improve the lot of those who are being crushed under the weight of day-to-day drudgery, and this passport control officer is powerless to resist the urge to cut some shapes in his workplace.

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Inside: TVNZ Blacksand
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Around the world, broadcasters are using their talents to make more than just promos for their own shows or idents for their own channels. And TVNZ’s Blacksand is no exception. So should agencies be concerned by the multi-skilled employees, the quick turnaround, the increasing interaction with clients and the improving output of this inhouse creative department? Or can everyone get along?

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What’s this Twitter thing?
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It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since the first tweet, but Twitter is marking the milestone with a new online tool that lets you find out the short message you first broadcast to the world — and see the cautious early efforts of other users.

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BrandWorld sets its sights on rural dollars with new masthead
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Content marketing specialist BrandWorld has just launched Field Trials, a new masthead that aims to showcase products targeted at farmers. This move marks a change in direction for BrandWorld, in the sense that this is the company’s first foray into the rural market. Although the previous four mastheads – Discover, The Extra Mile, Eating Well and Family Health Diary ­– do sometimes feature products that appeal to both the rural and urban markets, the new offering will focus exclusively on targeting farmers. And if the statistics from the Ministry of Primary Industries are anything to go by, this could prove to be a lucrative move.

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NZ@SXSW: Tessa Gould
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Contagion’s Tom Bates went to hang with the geeks and soak up the knowledge at SXSW Interactive in Austin, Texas, recently. And while he was there he caught up with a few expat Kiwis doing big things, like Tessa Gould.

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MediaWeb receivership fast-forwards Intermedia move into New Zealand—UPDATED
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The Intermedia Group, which owns over 70 media titles in Australia, has announced that it will release two business-to-business titles in the New Zealand market within the next few months. This move comes only a few weeks after it was confirmed that MediaWeb, which was previously active in both the FMCG and hospitality markets, went into receivership. And although the Intermedia NZ general manager didn’t say that there was a correlation between the MediaWeb receivership and Intermedia’s decision to enter the market, he did admit that situation at MediaWeb influenced the timing of the move. Update: the receivers are accepting tenders from interested parties for all MediaWeb’s assets.

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Google introduces smartwatch OS: war of the wearables heats up
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The proliferation of smartphone ownership changed the vocabulary of body language, in the sense that it stopped people from pointing to a bare wrist when asked for the time. These days, when asked for the time, people almost reflexively clutch at their pockets as an allusion to their phones. But, now, Google is attempting to rewind the evolution of body language by introducing Android Wear, a modified operating system that can be used in a range of smartwatches that consumers – beyond tech junkies – would actually consider wearing.

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Better networks, worse flirting
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AT&T is exploring its inner geek with a new TVC featuring tech help guys. The pair in this clip are providing helpful network services and a cheesy attempt to flatter an office worker seems to pay off.

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Inside: Heyday
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Luke Pierson started the agency now known as Heyday as a 20-year-old, cold calling prospects for web builds. Now its speciality is working with private sector organisations that just want to get stuff done — and making content the starting point for every project.

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Cooking with Glass
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Google has been on an education drive to tell people how to use its wearable tech, the Glass headset. Now it’s showcasing the wonder of possibility, telling us how the glasses could bring a cooking show-like experience into our home.

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YouTube songs in the key of tax
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Recruiting YouTube stars seems a weird thing for a tax management company to do, but that’s the idea behind H&R Block’s campaign that tries to tell ordinary citizens not to attempt their own tax return. Then again, they would say that.

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Curiosity kickstarted the cat
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Meow Mix, a US petfood company, has come up with a new website designed to appeal to the creative investor and cat lover. Catstarter has three products available to support, including a food dispenser powered by tweets.

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Uber wants to take Aucklanders for a ride
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Ride sharing service Uber is opening its doors to Auckland passengers, with its website saying a limited numbers of cars are already available. The company is encouraging first time users to give it a try and leave feedback, and it’s offering an online fare calculator.

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A polite zombie
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If there’s one thing that Kiwis and Canadians have in common its a reputation for being polite to a fault. And if a recent spot released by JWT for the Canadian Film Festival holds any semblance of truth, then it appears that this stereotype also applies to the undead.

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Have a hoon on Pandora, win big Sonos Wireless package
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The cards have been printed, the stationery has arrived, the team is now in place and the doors to the new office in The Generator in Auckland’s CBD have been opened. And to celebrate Pandora NZ’s launch—and its first commercial partner, Sonos Wireless—it is offering a Sonos prize pack worth over $3,800 to one lucky StopPress reader.

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Last of the big spenders: NZ top 10 a familiar story
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Our media spending heavyweights have continued their dominance for the past three years, reflecting strength in supermarkets and retail, according to Nielsen figures. However, telco seems to be gathering force with Telecom ranking fourth and Vodafone sneaking into the top 10.

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Tower assumes the role of a lighthouse keeper, promises to watch over Kiwis—UPDATED
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.99’s latest TV spot for Tower invokes the nautical metaphor of a lighthouse keeper to illustrate that the insurance giant is always looking out for its clients. Throughout the 45-second TVC, the bearded protagonist draws a parallel between lighthouse keepers and Tower, in the sense that both are “always on watch” and have wisdom on “how to avoid danger and how to put things right.” Updated with 2013 ad spend figures for insurance companies.

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