Those Nordic countries are all the rage at the moment, what with their food, furniture, literature, social policies, architecture, vehicles (or, more particularly, ads for vehicles), expensive stereos and diversified economies. And New Zealand business folk will be able to get a taste of the region’s rich design pedigree with Norse Code, a full day event similar in format to the Better by Design summit that features five of the biggest names in Scandinavian design. Plus: win a ticket worth $195.

Newspapers may be struggling to deal with a few fairly serious business model issues at the moment, but that hasn’t stopped The Guardian from creating some great ads to promote it wares. And The Sunday Times has followed suit, with its single-shot, two-actor Icons spot promoting its refreshed coverage of art, music, film and TV and its month-long culture series.

Amidst the photos of dodgy hotels, news of security threats and occasional sporting events at the Sochi Winter Olympics (why the amazing ski ballet was canned, we’ll never know), there are the ads riding on those coattails. So here’s a collection of the best.

As the Agency Wank Tumblr shows, agencies trying to elucidate their point of difference can easily veer into cringeworthy business cliches and terrible jargon (Canadian agency John St, on the other hand, has consistently nailed it with brilliant films that mock current advertising trends). But direct and digital specialist Twenty, which has added a number of new clients and a host of new staff in the past few years, has avoided that self-promotional fate with an animated trip back in time to explain the power of the 80/20 rule to the world of business.

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 fourth segment, we chat to Megan Singleton about her online journey with Blogger at Large.

Air New Zealand is reconsidering its approach to an initiative seeking volunteers to write for The Flying Social Network after a Twitter backlash, and is considering compensation it could offer to those who make contributions.

Waitangi Day is often mired in acrimony and argy bargy, partially because that’s what the media tends to focus on. So, in a heady combination of self-promotion and national pride, Wellington creatives Think Suite and Unlimited Ltd—with the help of some well-respected historians—aimed to create a new kind of conversation about the Treaty with its “Kiwi ‘Trojan Horse”, The Sweety of Waitangi.

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

Last week, APN NZ announced the arrival of the Herald Advertising Challenge, an initiative designed to showcase the opportunities for large scale, integrated campaigns across Herald media channels and get agencies thinking about the possibilities. And, along with the previously announced prize pool, which includes $250,000 of agency rate card media to bring the winning campaign to life and a trip for two members of the team to attend the Festival of Media Global 2014 in Rome, it has announced that teams will also be playing for the Andrew McNally Cup.

Given that Delta, Virgin and other airlines have started emulating Air New Zealand’s novel approach to safety videos, the original innovators have decided to take things to the next level by inviting the Sports Illustrated swimsuit models onto their planes. Update: Air New Zealand arranged the sponsorship and True developed the creative for the project.

With the proliferation of smartphones, the meaning of the word mobile has shifted from its humble origins as a means by which movement is made possible to something that implies wireless interconnectivity. But this summer, several brands have decided to wind back the clock and give the phrase ‘brand mobility’ a retro twist.

Right after warming our icy hearts with two poignant stories that were brought to life with eerie animations and haunting soundtracks, Chipotle has now released a trailer for its next ambitious advertising project: a satirical series comprising several 30-minute episodes.

In response to Russia’s continued condemnation of homosexuality as a mental illness, The Canadian Institute of Diversity and Inclusion has released a public service announcement that presents the two-person luge in particularly risqué fashion. The customary back and forth movements associated with the sport are accompanied by a backing track of The Human League’s ‘Don’t you want me baby’. And then at the end of the 30-second ad, text saying “The games have always been a little gay. Let’s fight to keep it that way,” appears on the screen.

In anticipation of the Super Rugby hype that will begin to captivate the nation from 15 February, APN has rebranded its sports tipping and fantasy portal as the Dream Team. In addition to a new logo, the updated version will also feature a fresh design, in-game experiences, enhanced functionality and greater integration on the Herald website.

A confused Guy Williams is the punch line of a new TVC that Mediaworks Radio has launched to promote the line-up of The Edge. Shot as a pool party by Daniel Thorn and his team at Rubberneck productions, the 30-second video also features cameo performances by The Edge radio personalities Dominic Harvey, Steph Monks, Sharyn Casey, Jay-Jay Feeney, Clint Roberts, Megan Annear and Mike Puru. Updated with comments from Guy Williams.

Simone McCallum discusses her initial scepticism and eventual love of Facebook’s Paper app.

Cape Town-based ad agency King James has just launched a new Bells whisky advertisement that doesn’t just pull at the heart strings; it yanks at them, ferociously.

For the second year in a row the Church of Scientology has slipped an ad into the Super Bowl, and this year’s offering is impressively high on claims and equally low on explanations.