Columbus Coffee kicked off in 1995 and it’s grown considerably since then, with 54 stores now dotted around the country. But after an 18 month project to breathe some new life into the brand, the chain is celebrating a new look, a new menu, new fit outs, new products and a host of new partnerships.
A new Positively Wellington Tourism campaign aims to sweep away perceptions of a blustery city where the chances of an enjoyable visit depend on the weather. The domestic marketing push shows off people and places: craft beer tasting at Garage Project; cheese buying at local food institution Moore Wilson’s; fish and chips with the family at Oriental Bay; brunch at Maranui Cafe and more.
Every now and then a gem of an email comes to us – this time it’s from a “a digital agency that cares about New Zealand and Kiwis” that’s giving ordinary Joe Public the chance to slap John Key with a fish.
It’s all about the GCSB, bro!
After a competitive pitch, JWT NZ has been appointed by Australasian health insurer, Nib to launch the company’s brand and new product range in New Zealand later this year.
Our weekly wrap of good things, strange things, funny things and other things from inside the intertubes.
Humans are simple creatures. We love free things. We love tiny things. We love to collect things. So, put them all together, as New World and its retail agency .99 have done for the Little Shop Collectables campaign, and watch the minds get blown.
After departing Eleven PR a few months back and passing the TBWA\ baton to Lauren Vosper, Kelly Bennett has officially launched his new PR consultancy One Plus One Communications and is looking to fill the gap he believes exists “between some of the more well-established, traditional corporate PR agencies and others, which are often housed within advertising agencies or media companies, that offer consumer and activation services”.
The Nokia Deutschland Twitter account @Nokiahomebase was the scene of a battle in the escalating mobile device war with the Finnish company slaughtering a rival Samsung phone.
No-one does absurd advertising better than Old Spice and W+K. And to celebrate the launch of the NFL season it’s released four absolute pearlers that continue the trend of its bar soaps campaign and parody the hell out of the ‘transportation’ genre of advertising.
Everyone loves critiquing a logo, which means that releasing a new one is a fairly nerve-racking experience for any business. But Yahoo! has taken a different, slightly more democratic approach to the unveiling of its new logo, offering up 29 different variations over the past month and asking for feedback. Which one would you choose?
Tech entrepreneur Rowan Simpson has launched a directory of Kiwi companies including desktop and mobile software firms, SaaS companies and ecommerce players.
EzyFlix.tv is joining rival Quickflix by launching in New Zealand. The Access Digital Entertainment service, which recently launched across the Tasman, lets users pay to view content on demand, or download it to own.
A fictional blogger who dons unusually large hands is the key figure in Saatchi & Saatchi’s campaign that gives prepaid users a whack around the ears from Telecom.
PPR has brought a new meaning to the phrase content is king by hiring ex-Fairfax marketing and communications manager Sandra King as principal consultant, strategy, in an effort to help solve the major content marketing and management challenge faced by New Zealand companies.
A couple of senior departures from DDB, an addition at DraftFCB, Julie Elstone joins Waitemata Films, Charles Miller takes the reins at Mailshop, Belowtheline shows its stripes at APPA and announces new clients, Siobhan Keogh joins Datacom, Voice Brand Agency opens up in Oz, InMobi announces a new Australia/New Zealand leader and Ecoya chooses a new PR agency.
The news that Volkswagen was reviewing its relationship with DDB was a surprise to many given the brand’s performance in recent years, and BMW, which managed to reclaim the top spot in the premium stakes from Audi with DraftFCB in the passenger seat, is following suit.
It’s the time of year when you get to have a say in who should take home an award at the NZ Innovators Awards. Before we announce the finalists in the different categories, we are opening up nominations for the People’s Choice Award, the award that is all about who you – the people! – think should be recognised.
Tony Abbott’s been in the news for a string of gaffes, now his rivals are imagining tweets that would make him really unpopular. Nothing’s new in the murky world of political campaigning, except perhaps catchy music.
Google was up to K for the latest version of its Android OS, 4.4 – this time generic sweet treats have taken a back seat to some Kitkat campaign deliciousness. These chocolate bars are the perfect second screen companion, compatible with all liquid accessories.
The Labour Party is taking to Scoop’s website for ‘virtual hustings’ meetings, alongside the 12 roadshow events its potential new leaders are holding nationally this week. A blog by the party says the online initiative is a bid to get more member participation.
Telecom has given Fashion Week a digital edge with a new mobile site called Sheek. The HTML site offers a quiz challenge with a chance to win a $5000 wardrobe with choices from Kiwi designers Hailwood, Andrea Moore, Zambesi, Annah Stretton, Huffer, Karen Walker, Kate Sylvester, Cybele and Twentyseven Names.
The mobile apps that virtually put you aboard America’s Cup boats hint at the immersive experience sports events could become, says Ian Taylor, head of Animation Research, which collaborated to make them.
BNZ, New World, Telecom and Peugeot get a ticker tape parade this week.
Cure Kids’ Red Nose Day fundraising effort culminated in the 3.5 hour televised event Comedy for Cure Kids on TV3 on 23 August, which raised $1.4 million for child health research in New Zealand. And Film Construction played a big role, filming eight short, cardboard-heavy films for the broadcast.
The Warehouse Group, which includes Noel Leeming, Torpedo 7, pet.co.nz, Warehouse Stationery and the iconic Red Sheds, has announced the launch of a new online shopping site for Kiwis looking for health and beauty products – www.ilovebeauty.co.nz.
Spanning over six generations and almost twice as many brewers, the Duncan family have been brewing Founders in Nelson for almost 160 years. But the company is thinking a bit bigger than boutique and its newly refreshed range of craft beers are now available around the nation.
Kiwi marketers can tap into new revenue streams in the world of social sports gaming, played out at events and internet cafes and watched via online TV, a Wellington researcher says. Victoria University’s Dr Yuri Seo says the eSports world is a far as you can get from hibernating at home playing games. And it means new ways for brands to reach consumers through games.
Never one to let its terms of use grow stale, Facebook has recently amended its Pages Terms, including the guidelines covering the running of promotions, contests and sweepstakes on the platform. This time though, the changes should be welcomed by advertisers and brand-owners, says Allan Yeoman.
Red Bull has launched its shiny new poster boy for the Peugeot 208 GTI, Jaden Leeming, in a new web and TVC campaign made in house. The 90 second version was made for its web channels while 15 and 30 second cuts will soon hit TV screens.
