Annual reports are usually about as exciting as a packet of ready salted chips, so we were impressed with Z Energy’s interactive effort, which saw Assignment Group and Heyday add a few bells and whistles in an effort to get people to actually pay attention to it. Investment statements are also pretty staid, but Moa certainly isn’t, so as part of the company’s forthcoming IPO, Geoff Ross and co. have tried to create a document people will want to read—and keep. And, in what it believes is a world first, it also includes paid third party advertising for Aston Martin, Working Style, Partridge Jewellers, Ecoya and Beretta.

There are plenty of moral dilemmas working in—and writing about—marketing. At its core, it’s about using creativity and communications to grow businesses. And, often, using creativity and communications to grow businesses selling products that some deem harmful. As this Ad Age story points out, Alex Bogusky used to work with Coca-Cola when he was part of Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, but after a bit of a break, he’s now fighting the other, less well-resourced activist corner, delivering a bit of an uppercut to Coke and other producers of sugary drinks with a four-minute long animation about a family of unhealthy, fizzy-drink-loving polar bears who finally see the light.

The government has an eye on changing the way it markets the country as a whole, and in a recent StopPress column, Courtney Lambert argued that a mixed agency model was the way to go.

The Kiwi masses were whipped into a frenzy last month by Coca-Cola’s announcement that it was looking for 50 new names to plaster on Coke bottles through its Share a Coke campaign and now it’s time to vote.

When Pernod Ricard asked bars across New Zealand to come up with a fresh way to engage customers with Absolut Vodka, a group of AdSchool students at Media Design School took up the challenge – and won.

Despite Steve Jobs’ passing, consumers’ emotional connection to his brand remains stronger than ever, with Apple climbing up the ranks of Interbrand’s 13th annual Best Global Brands report to second place behind reigning champion Coca-Cola.

Natcoll is dead – at least in name. Going forward, the design technology institute will be known as YOOBEE School of Design in line with its sister business units.

We’ve featured plenty of bank ads in recent weeks on StopPress. But this one’s a bit different. And while ANZ is doing it’s utmost to retain customers around the country after the National Bank announcement, it might not have to do quite as much in Ohakune to keep them loyal, as this cult-like classic shows.

As the face of the Student Volunteer Army in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes, Sam Johnson was an obvious candidate for the title of Young New Zealander of the Year. And now he can add Communicator of the Year to that, with PRINZ honouring him at an event for senior PR pros last week.

With the relaunched New Zealand Herald now simmering along, APN is turning some of its attention to the imminent launch a new website that will be dedicated to all things food and cooking, called foodhub.co.nz. The digital offering will house APN’s new and archival recipe and food content, showcasing more than 6,000 recipes drawn from APN’s newspaper and magazine publications including the NZ Herald, its regional newspapers, and magazines including the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly and the New Zealand Listener.

GrabOne has come out as the first New Zealand company to integrate with Passbook, a new feature in iOS6 that enables the storage of coupons, loyalty cards, tickets and more on your iPhone. And the mobile wallet fun doesn’t stop there, because Westpac, Telecom and Auckland Transport have cranked up a trial.