Since it was formed in 2003 and was quickly noticed for its stellar work on 42 Below, Consortium has been an ad agency happy to fly under the radar and steer clear of the media. But after finding some renewed vigour for the ad business and deciding to refocus his energies on the agency he founded, Paul Shale has decided to pin his more strategic colours to the mast by announcing a few changes, including the addition of former director of home at Telecom and director of Yahoo!Xtra Ralph Brayham as a 50 percent shareholder and director. 

An old Minties ad featured in the Otago Daily Times

The New Zealand ad landscape is littered with interesting stories (and interesting storytellers). But the industry’s institutional memory often leaves a lot to be desired. So, in an effort to remedy that, Idealog editor and ex-NBR AdMedia reporter Hazel Phllips is currently writing a book charting the history of New Zealand advertising. The book will be published by Penguin next year and Phillips (email her here) is looking for interviews and information from people who worked in advertising and marketing back in the mists of time. She’s also looking to make contact with the marketing departments of major New Zealand brands that have iconic campaigns in their archives and would be willing to have the imagery used in the book or have information about the timelines of campaigns and their brands’ general history. To grease the wheels of history—and possibly dredge up a few classic local ads of yore—we have a D&AD 11 book to give away, so add your favorite New Zealand ad to the comment wall and it could be yours.

Silver Fern Farms has Annabel Langbein, Regal Salmon has Masterchef winner Nadia Lim, and New Zealand Pork and OgilvyAction have followed suit with a campaign that plays on the appeal of chef Simon Gault. 

In its first new work since Clemenger BBDO bolstered its social marketing portfolio by winning its creative account late last year, Quitline is launching a major new TV, outdoor and online campaign tonight.

Following a three-way pitch, the Wellington agency was appointed to position Quitline as the most …

In an effort to get St Paddy’s Day in the Guinness Book of World Records, Zephyr recently enlisted the help of Irish comedian Jimeoin for its outstanding Guinness campaign. And it’s kept the star-studded momentum flowing with the launch of a new campaign for McKenna starring David Duchovny. 

Marc Ellis has carved out a good niche as a loveable Kiwi rogue and, as a result, he’s certainly not unaccustomed to working as a corporate mascot. Most recently that’s meant work for Toyota’s Top to Bottom and HRV and now Christchurch agency Simpatico has harked back to his mischievous laddish heritage in a campaign for classic Kiwi brand Swanndri.

When it rains it pours and it’s certainly pouring in bankland at the moment because one of the most talked about agency bank relationships in the country has officially come to an end after ASB appointed Saatchi & Saatchi, effective 1 July 2012.

All the talk about Westpac at the moment is centred on which agency/agencies it decides to work with. But it might not need too much help with the PR, because Westpac NZ’s media relations team walked away with the Gold Award for Campaign of the Year at the 2011 Asia-Pacific PR Awards for the ‘Richie McCaw Chopper Challenge’. 

Wellington is pretty proud of itself. And rightly so. But in a nod to its incessant capitalisation of things–and also to April Fool’s—the Positively Wellington Tourism folk decided to laugh at its own expense and the expense of some of its regional rivals by claiming a few more titles.

Dan Carter got a bit of grief when he was somehow turned into a slightly creepy wallflower for Daikin heatpumps. And Stephen Fleming is well renowned as the diving spokesman for Fujitsu. Now “New Zealand’s number one selling wood fire” Metro Fires has combined the two with a parody ad featuring Dai Henwood.