Ever since the first Terminator film was released, the question of mankind’s ability to survive against a robotic rebellion has been mooted in popular culture. And now, using this concern as the premise for its new ad, Munich-based Sassenbach Advertising has pitted a Kuka robot arm against German table tennis legend Timo Boll.
Funny or Die’s latest Between Two Ferns clip featuring Barack Obama dominated the internet when it was released yesterday, and was the top driver of traffic to HealthCare.gov and led to a 40 percent increase in visits. It’s also had a host of other big hits. So Saatchi & Saatchi’s digital strategist Ian Hulme found out how they make it happen.
Lawyers have the reputation of being officious scumbags that are interested in little beyond overcharging clients. So, in an effort to show solidarity with the average person on the streets, criminal defence lawyer Daniel Muessig has created a bizarre promotional video that features a series of actors engaged in a variety of crimes.
Facebook is dominating Kiwi social media use, not just in the number of New Zealanders using the network, but also in the amount of time spent dwelling on the activity. The social network’s local dwell time far outpaces the next best performing channel here, Reddit.
Having already established a strong foothold in the personal consumer market, 2degrees has now set its sights on business clients with an online and outdoor campaign via new account holders Special Group. In addition to featuring the faces of several prominent business owners on billboards, the campaign has also resulted in several updates to the mobile service provider’s website. PLUS: find out why 2degrees is so keen to tap into the business market.
TVNZ Blacksand’s microsite for the Step Dave show could be the forerunner to further efforts to complement on-screen viewing. The site has character information, video, extra scenes and a virtual version of the fridge that features on the show.
The trailer for the soon to be released EA game Titanfall is a jaunty little number about two men and their titans. Just when it seems there’s no problem the titan can’t fix, a chaotic battle erupts between the two robots.
Contagion’s Tom Bates got his hands on a pair of Google Glasses at this year’s SXSW, and the experience led him to think about the future of wearable tech and the various options currently avaialble on the market.
DDB’s Hadyn Kerr shares five observations about day three at SXSW 2014.
Adidas has created the game Fast or Fail which it says relies on the power of the social crowd to determine how fast a player can move. It’s a novel approach to marketing a soccer boot and drumming up attendance at the FIFA 2014 World Cup.
UK football club Manchester United has teamed with Google+ in the UK to reach out to lazy football fans with a Hangout that lets them make a virtual appearance at the game. Their messages of support will also be beamed out on LED screens at the stadium.
The Tui campaign that began with a video prank and ended with a stack of YouTube views and media coverage around the globe has won this year’s Grand Prix prize in the Yahoo! Digital Strategy Awards. The campaign’s authentic content resonated with the target demographic, Yahoo! awards organisers said.
Spotify has a new way of sorting the stars from the also-rans in the music world, which harnesses the power of real-time data. Spotify Emerge is a collaboration with HP that determines emerging artists by the reach their tracks generate.
Coliseum Sports Media has branched out after securing the English Premier League broadcast rights last year, with a partnership targeted at users of Samsung Smart TVs and mobile devices. It’s also worked with Samsung on an app to deliver game and highlights content.
A new website developed by Wellington economic development agency Grow Wellington and built by DNA showcases the capital’s tech success stories, with the aim of stirring more to invest and work in the city’s high-growth sector.
Moves and shakes at Carat, DDB, Cannes Lions, 3rdeye, Dow Design, WOW, Pfizer and Word of Mouth.
DraftFCB is no more, with Carter Murray, the 39-year-old global chief executive of the Interpublic-owned network, announcing this morning that it has changed its name to FCB.
In response to the growing mound of unpaid fines, the Ministry of justice has launched a new advertising campaign via M&C Saatchi that features Mr Fines, a suited bald man who seems to have been cast out of the mould usually reserved for stereotypical debt collectors. Central to the campaign is a new 30-second TVC in which Mr Fines is depicted as paying visits to various Kiwis and seizing items that belong to them in lieu of payment for outstanding fines.
French director Sylvain Chomet has stamped his eccentric style on the Simpsons oft-altered couch gag, with Homer feasting on snails, Lisa saving a goose from near death and Maggie surviving a close encounter with Homer’s butt crack.
Stuntvertising seems to be all the rage at the moment, with hamsters driving trucks, dogs driving cars, Jean Claude van Damme doing splits and many others. And now you can add a man boarding a yacht, walking up the massive mast and jumping in to the ocean in his Hugo Boss suit to that oeuvre.
In this series, we talk to Kiwi keyboard tappers that have managed to shift from the personal realm of blogging to create online media brands that are widely read (and in some cases profitable). In this segment, we chat to the three founders of the NZ Blog Collective.
When it comes to agencies, is bigger usually better? Or can smaller shops be just as sharp? Michael Goldthorpe reckons the answer to both questions is yes.
Designworks just purchased Wellington agency The Church, it won a big regional award for being the best performing agency among the 76 businesses in the STW Group and now the Auckland office has unveiled its new home in the old art gallery.
Contagion’s Tom Bates headed to the #ArtCopyCode session with Google’s marketers at SXSW. So here are some practical examples of how they help brands bring data and insight to life in today’s digital world.
Summer 2013/2014 has undoubtedly been the season of the pop-ups, with Jacob’s Creek, Corona and Stoneleigh all introducing relaxation or entertainment enclaves to promote their products. And it seems that the trend is stretching into autumn, as Rekorderlig recently launched Rekorderlig Summerhouse, a bar modelled on a Swedish abode that will be serving drinks and snacks to visitors over the next two weeks.
In an effort to fill a demand for digital, UX and motion content in the Wellington market, STW-owned Designworks has acquired 100 percent of 15-strong design and digital communications agency The Church, making it the region’s largest strategic brand and multi-disciplinary design practice, with around 130 staff across its five offices. Plus: Designworks’ big regional accolades and Sven Baker’s new STW role.
ASB’s Like Loan promotion, where Facebook fans determine how low its home loan borrowing rate will go, is back for a second round. This time live TVCs, banners and radio streams have joined the mix as the bank tries to draw participants into a conversation.
In December last year, it was reported that OMD and MediaCom were involved in a pitching tussle for the Fonterra media account. And now, after several months of speculation as to where the account would go, the dairy producer has confirmed that MediaCom has won the pitch. Updated with information on the duration of OMD’s hold on the account.
The February edition of News Works’ Agency of the Month served up a close battle, with both Ogilvy and M&C Saatchi putting forward impressive pieces for consideration.
