
Quora asks if we need another web blogging platform, then answers its own question with a yes.
Quora asks if we need another web blogging platform, then answers its own question with a yes.
As a guest contributor for The Gunn Report, Y&R NZ’s managing director James Hurman looked for the campaigns that had hit the ‘high water mark of human achievement in creative communications’ by winning both Cannes and Effie golds. And just nine campaigns joined this exclusive club in 2012.
Facebook’s new Graph Search hasn’t rolled out to all of the social network’s one billion users yet, but a new meme shows the privacy horrors that awaits us when it does.
The media landscape has been transformed and fragmented by the power of digital, mobile and social technology. And it’s increasingly difficult to work out a plan to get traction for brands in this new, less certain environment. Contagion’s Tom Bates looks at three areas worthy of focus for modern-day marketers.
Anyone trying to find out what different marcomms agencies do is likely to be overwhelmed by a surge of meaningless jargon and general incomprehensibility. In recognition of this, a Tumblr called Agency Wank has compiled “the wankiest slogans and text on ad/marketing agency websites”. Here are a few pearlers.
The new Mother of the Nation returns to primetime, Yellow adds a digi-double, DraftFCB in full production, Air New Zealand’s new people person, Homestyle finds an editor, Allied Press shakes hands with a rival, and Anthony Reardon heads online.
In an effort to attract a “social, lively and stylish urban audience” to a product not usually associated with such phrases, NZ Lotteries and Running with Scissors have just launched a new range of Instant Kiwi tickets. And marketing manager Robert Saunders says it’s the biggest facelift for the tickets since it started selling them back in 1989.
After seven years with DDB Group, and three in the role of experiential creative director, Steve Kane has taken a role as “a senior, multi-faceted creative director” at Whybin\TBWA, where he will work under executive creative director Andy Blood.
When Lumino The Dentists launched its inaugural TV campaign back in 2011, winning Fair Go’s ‘coveted’ worst ad award probably wasn’t on the KPIs. MediaR’s Tony Richards was a good sport when he collected the trophy, and, much like Lily Salter from Big Save furniture the year before, he said ‘New Zealand’s biggest kiss’ had actually worked brilliantly, despite the animosity shown towards it by some in the industry (and the Fair Go voters). But now, to the relief of some, the road-trip pash-fest has been replaced by saying cheese in its latest TV campaign.
Following on from Colenso BBDO’s place atop the agency rankings of the Big Won report—and the individual nods for its staff members Nick Worthington, Levi Slavin, Simon Vicars, James Tucker and Jae Morrison in the creative director, copywriting and art direction categories—a new update to the list has added the world’s most awarded planners, planning directors and suits. And, not surprisingly, Colenso staff again featured prominently, with the agency’s ex planning director and now Y&R NZ managing director James Hurman named as the number one planning director in the world.
Burger joint’s ad promoting new burger using two quite attractive women with BBQ tongs gets rejected by ad authorities. Restaurant Brands CEO says the company will look at other mediums to promote the company.
Lloyd, Sky’s creepy envelope licker, and M&C Saatchi’s continuation of the guilt trip for NZ Fire Service are victorious.
Back in the day, as those with a bit of length to the tooth might tell you, gold dust could be found in advertising in general as it was something of a mystery to those paying the bills. Then marketers went to school and eventually figured it out, which seemed to spell the end of going to lunch at 12 and not coming back. Digital and data are where much of the gold dust seems to be these days, as evidenced by the types of acquisitions international holding companies are making and the types of agencies that are growing rapidly. And in New Zealand, where there’s a bit of a digital skill shortage, expertise in this field is especially sought after, so indie agency Affinity ID is understandably stoked to have secured the services of Greg Doone, a Kiwi who has worked in the digital industry for over 15 years and has returned home from the UK to take up the role of general manager – discovery and development.
New structure to focus on APN’s customers and brands, regardless of whether in print or online. New CMO promises there will be no job losses as a result of the restructuring.
The battle for New Zealand’s 7pm eyeballs in 2013 has been a topic of much conversation recently given the departure of Close Up last year and the arrival of Seven Sharp. That battle became even more interesting when the architect of those changes, Ross Dagan, resigned from TVNZ after less than a year in the role to head back to Australia. And, not surprisingly, Campbell Live, which kicked off again last night after its summer marketing campaign with a new logo, a new set and a renewed focus on “the issues that matter to New Zealanders”, is hoping to capitalise on the changes.
Public radio broadcaster tops the charts for second year running.
Lance Armstrong’s much-publicised interview with Oprah Winfrey made for prime social media fodder, with an array of quips, opinions and parody videos spewing forth following the confessions about his drug use (our favourite: “Hats off to Lance Armstrong. I tried to ride a bike whilst on drugs, hit a kerb and fell off and I wasn’t even going fast in France, just slow in Dunedin”). And, never one to miss an opportunity for a humorous contextual ad, Pak ‘n Save and DraftFCB have quickly climbed aboard the Doprah bandwagon too.
As a popular source for journos writing branding stories and the local head of one of the world’s biggest branding agencies, Interbrand, which releases its annual report of the world’s best brands, James Bickford knows his stuff—and is never short of opinions. Here are a few more.
The newspaper industry has certainly had better years than 2012, with a continuing shift away from paper by readers and advertisers, big losses and restructures for the major players in this market and the spectre of the Leveson Enquiry hanging over print journalism. But there was still plenty to celebrate. News Work’s new business and marketing manager Jenny Stiles sounds off.
Big changes to the awards schedule, the creation of ethical guidelines and general herding of agency cats to try and push the industry forward ensued last year for CAANZ. Chief executive Paul Head has his way with 2012.
Colmar Brunton lost a key cast member early last year when Harry Pappafloratos passed away. His replacement as chief executive, Jacqueline Ireland, and national qualitative director Spencer Willis go back in time.
With fewer competitors, a new agency, the departure of some senior staff, a range of marketing initiatives and a new brand campaign, it was a big year for Westpac. Senior brand manager Michael Healy shares his thoughts.
Paul White regularly opines on ad campaigns as a judge for our Campaign Review section in NZ Marketing, just as he does on his students’ work in his role as course leader at AUT Adschool. Here he goes again.
Fiona Woolley swapped postage for precision German engineering in 2011 and now Audi’s head of marketing spills her guts on 2012.
While the research industry as a whole shrinks, The Research Agency continues to grow, with new staff, new clients and a few awards in 2012. Main brains Andrew Lewis, Amber Coulter and Connon Bray speak up.
DNA Design celebrated its 21st back in 2010 and it’s still doing quality work—both on pages and In Real Life—for the likes of Powershop, Icebreaker and the All Blacks. Grenville Main has been there from the start and here’s what he made of last year.
After three rather eventful years at the local Saatchi & Saatchi office, Mark Cochrane took up an inter-company promotion and headed to Thailand late last year. Here’s his report on 2012.
After another year of nurturing, moulding and shaping spongey young brains at Media Design School, course leader Kate Humphries looks back on 2012.
Like the strange neighbour who leaves their Christmas decorations up until late January and keeps wearing jandals to work, we’re clinging desperately to the last vestiges of summer festivus here at StopPress. And, as such, we’re briefly going back for a blast from the past with a few Year in Reviews we didn’t get up on the site last year, starting off with Whittaker’s wunderkind and rookie marketer of the year Jasmine Griffin.
Anthony Gardiner doesn’t believe this industry should be seen as us and them. We are all consumers. So why is the notion of “putting the consumer at the heart” of advertising still so foreign and novel to so many?