APN New Zealand is shutting up shop at Sella, incorporating the auction site – and Trade Me’s last significant rival – into its classified services for the NZ Herald and other mastheads.

Over 600 media and advertising movers and shakers attended the third annual Friends in High Places party last night at Mantells on the Water in Westhaven, Auckland to see Funkommunity, Latin Aotearoa, David Dallas, PNC and Aaradhna take to the stage. And here’s what they got up to.

Roy Morgan Research last night revealed the 24 winners of its 2nd annual Customer Satisfaction Awards at a dinner in Auckland, and SBS Bank, Kiwi Bank, Subway, Kirkcaldie & Stains, Suzuki, 2 degrees, and Paradise retained their crowns from last year.

Adam Strange was killed in a shark attack as he swam off Muriwai beach last night, and tributes are flowing for a great father and husband and a talented artist and TVC director. Updated with trust account details.

For some, advertising is an irritating intrusion to be avoided at almost all costs. But every once in a while a great campaign comes along that gets everyone talking. And for the third year, TED has compiled a 10-strong list of Ads Worth Spreading, honouring ads in just this vein.

Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook says there’s “great stuff” on the horizon. And we think we may have found it.

It’s been a while between drinks for Sony PlayStation, with the PlayStation 3 launched in 2006. But given the first three generations of the machine sold more than 300 million units, there was plenty of interest in the announcement about no. 4, which some have said is a ‘tablet-inspired console’ that hopes to face up to the host of new screens it’s now competing against. And the hype film showing how to ‘push the boundaries of play’ was no.1 on AdAge’s viral video chart, clocking up more than 18 million views.

Vodafone launches 4G internet in New Zealand, leaving Telecom looking rather silly with its 100-person trials. Includes new TVC featuring Boy star James Rolleston, and a time-travelling DeLorean.

Digital, online, interactive, cyberspace, the intertubes … whatever you like to call it, there’s no denying it’s all up in everyone’s face at the moment—and it’s growing rapidly (not your face, the techy space). And, as we’re sure you’ve noticed, this evolution is having a rather large impact on the marcomms industry. So, not surprisingly, there is a huge appetite for stories and information on the subject from those who are hoping to harness it. As such, the March/April edition of NZ Marketing magazine is dedicated to all things digital, from search engine marketing to the changing face of TV to the importance of social media to the need for agile thinking to the rise of collaborative consumption and plenty more inbetween.

The mobile age is most definitely upon us. And, after hitting the $1 million turnover mark recently, doubling its growth rate in the past year and upping the number of employees from four to 15, Sush Mobile is welcoming it. Co-founder Sheenu Chawla dials in.

Hobbit mania has thankfully subsided (although some embers sparked yesterday after the release of a few interesting emails). And Air New Zealand is back with another new safety video, this time featuring intrepid explorer/eater/showman Bear Grylls, who traipses around the Fiordland wilderness and helps to promote the airline’s $3 million commercial partnership with the Department of Conservation.

Victor Hugo said “puns are the droppings of soaring wits”. But while it could be said the new ad from New Zealand labour provider Allied Work Force fits the first half of that quote, it’s doubtful it could be included it in the latter.

Kiwi directing duo Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland, collectively known as Mark & Louis, have picked up a Grand Prix at the Berlin International Film Festival for their feature Shopping. And, in more good news for The Sweet Shop gang, it has also been named as one of Creativity magazine’s stand-out production companies of 2012.

Last year, when Lindsey Redding passed away, one of the posts he had written called a ‘A Short Lesson in Perspective’ started circulating again. In it, he concluded that life in this industry didn’t really pass his ‘overnight test’ and that those sitting in “a darkened studio or edit suite agonising over whether housewife A should pick up the soap powder with her left hand or her right” should do themselves a favour and go home to see their family. There’s no doubt this profession is a demanding one—and it seems to be becoming more demanding by the day—but it’s also got plenty going for it and, in a new video series aimed at promoting the industry, the Marketing Association has decided to get some of those positives from experienced campaigners.

Visa is partnering with the world’s largest seller of mobile phones, Samsung, to make Visa-flavoured near field communication (NFC) payments an off-the-shelf option in the Korean manufacturer’s future devices. Snapper’s Miki Szikszai says he’s not worried Visa will encroach Snapper’s revenue stream.