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 the latest segment, we chat to Lynn Prentice, the founder of The Standard.

As the sale of WhatsApp and many other tech companies shows, audiences are assets. And, as Lynda Brendish writes, it pays to develop them if you hope to succeed in the realm of content marketing.

Last Thursday, Jenene Crossan, the founder of nzgirl, flossie and BloggersClub, was invited to speak at the MPA Magazine Sales Conference for 2014. Of all the notable speakers on the list, Crossan’s speech was arguably the most divisive of the day. Her insights on the role of content in the digital age raised quite a few eyebrows around the room and became a major talking point at the end of the day. So, in order to take this debate a little further, we have decided to publish a transcript of Crossan’s speech.

In what could be described as one of the boldest advertising stunts in quite some time, DHL managed to get employees of its competitors to deliver packages that said ‘DHL is faster.’

London-based Wieden + Kennedy combined a trifecta of advertising superpowers in the form of an adorable girl, a viral-worthy cat and a fist-pumping rock anthem from the 1980s. And in doing so, they’ve created the type of ad that most would be keen to be a part of – which is convenient, because that’s exactly what they are inviting viewers to do.

Unsurprisingly, last week’s news that Telecom would be changing its name to Spark led to much opining, some of it based around the fact that the rebrand is estimated to cost $20 million. And MacGregor Media has taken the opportunity to point out its cost-effectiveness, just in case they decide to do it again in a few years.

APN NZ has extended the entry deadline for the inaugural Herald Advertising Challenge, an annual competition that aims to inspire and celebrate the very best creative and media work within Herald environments. And there are some pretty impressive prizes up for grabs.

Ever since Telecom did the splits back in 2011, there have been rumours that the ‘New Telecom’ might not stick with its name, which carries with it a fair bit of equity but also a fair bit of monopolistic baggage. And where there’s smoke, there’s fire, because Telecom has announced that it will change its name to Spark later in the year.

Crowd Goes Wild is inviting viewers of the show to pimp up their rides as part of a competition that offers an all-expenses-paid trip to Melbourne to watch the 2014 Formula 1 race to be held in the city between 13 and 16 March.

There’s a bit of an arms race when it comes of offices at the moment, and particularly when it comes to tech companies, which appear to have a desire to out-cool each other with their massive HQs and quirky additions (check out this Vanity Fair story about what Apple, Facebook, Google and others are doing in Silicon Valley and San Fran at the moment). But New York-based digital creative shop The Barbarian Group has upped the stakes by showing off what is undoubtedly the coolest desk ever created.

Vodafone is giving Snapchat a baptism of fire among students at Canterbury and Otago University orientation weeks. It’s a targeted test that will decide whether the telco uses the messaging platform for future promotions.

Coca-Cola shows it really does have a sense of humour — and is about more than sugar and caffeine — with a new video suggesting devices usually used for dogs could cure our social media compulsions.

Augview’s augmented reality app opens a whole new view of utility infrastructure under our city streets, but the makers also see big possibilities for creative marketers and outdoor games. The company has already has interest in virtual universes in outdoor spaces.

What is Big Data? Well, if you believe a quote that’s been doing the rounds for a few years now and seems to be popular on the conference circuit, it’s exactly like teenage sex.