If the Mr Vintage t-shirts are anything to go by, Jermaine Kerehi of Masterton unwittingly became something of a New Zealand cult hero last week when he uploaded a video of some “motherfucking eels” slithering around in the gutter outside his home in Jones Place. And, as a result of his enthralling YouTube clip, he has been handed the latest Alcohol Sponsorship Press Award (ASPs), beating out a virtual who’s who of the New Zealand media scene.

This year, digital advertising turns 18, and it’s come a long way since the blinking banner ads of the early web. Google is a huge part of that today, of course, so it’s not surprising that the company has taken it upon itself to remix four iconic ad campaigns from the 1960s and 70s from Alka-Seltzer, Avis, Coca-Cola and Volvo.

It’s a novel way to do business. The National Business Review is launching a new performance-related freelance contributors system for its online news service. Last month we reported the authority had some positions vacant. Today it has announced a new freelance scheme, which is ‘as well as’ not ‘instead of’ replacing those staff. The service will link the value of each story to its popularity on the site.

The power of good public relations, not to mention the perils of bad, cannot be underestimated, just ask Qantas, adidas, or Telecom. To help marcomms folk avoid such epic PR fails, CAANZ Marcomms Leadership Group (MLG) is hosting a special event, Re-Imagining PR. It’s PR, ‘but not as you imagine, or know it’–because with social media constantly evolving, PR business models are also having to. Matt Bruhn, one of the speakers at the forum, answers a quick Q & A for those of you who can’t wait for the 21 March gig.

Otis Frizzell recently put his hand to the wall to brighten up Ponsonby’s Sohole and promote the new Samsung Galaxy Note, a very cool piece of kit that sits somewhere between a phone and a tablet and harks back to the golden age of cellular technology by being massive and rocking a stylus. And now some other talented Kiwi artists are using their skills to help launch another fancy gadget, with Cut Collective transforming a couple of billboards in Auckland and Wellington for Nokia’s new Lumia.

Now in its third season, MasterChef has moved from Sundays at 8.30pm to Tuesdays at 7.30pm, so is it still pulling in the punters? According to Nielsen figures the show is more popular then ever, with over 200,000 viewers watching this season’s first episode. That’s up 40,000 from last season, and in its target demographic (25-54) it won a 29 percent audience share–up six percent on last year.

Since it entered the New Zealand mobile market, 2degrees has been running regular cinema advertising and offering deals like two tickets for $22 on 2degrees Day every month. And it’s continuing that trend with a new exclusive sponsorship that was brokered by Carat, features a fairly strange ad by TBWA\ about a well-moisturised, hibernating blue bear and aims to get moviegoers to turn off their phones before the flick starts.  

Every year young girls lug boxes of biscuits around suburban neighbourhoods, knocking on doors and smiling sweetly as they try to raise some much-needed money by feeding what could be seen as a longterm national addiction. This year Assignment enlisted the help of Yukfoo for the fundraising campaign and, with the voice talent of three Guides and netball star Maria Tuta’ia, as well as a dose of Yukfoo’s typically impressive animation, it’s hoping the charm offensive will help boost the number of Griffin’s biccies being dunked around the country (if you want to avoid the grey sludge at the bottom of your cup, you’ll be pleased to know that mechanical engineers in the UK have devised a mathematical formula to ensure the perfect technique).

Hats off to some great gets in tellyland recently. John Campbell kicked it off on Thursday 1 March with a brilliant interview with Kim Dotcom. The interview garnered world wide attention, and was picked up by international networks Rtl Germany, NBC America, and Reuters. Then on Sunday both David Tamihere and David Bain broke their silence for the first time in a night of must-see TV. Both did time… but did they do the crime?

Online revenue figures show no signs of abating at the moment, and one of the newer players in the local ad network scene, PostClick, is aiming to get a bigger slice of the pie by launching a new multi-unit online video product called Play, which national sales manager Ben Osborne says simplifies the fragmented online video industry and makes it easy for agencies to buy pre-roll ad space. 

‘Just do it’, ‘The best a man can get’, ‘Show us your crack’ … They’re all slogans that have in some way captured our attention, seared themselves into our consciousness and given us a powerful catchphrase to remember a brand by. And this year marks the 40th anniversary of another successful catchphrase, L’Oréal’s ‘Because I’m Worth it’, which was thought up by a 23-year-old copywriter in New York in 1971 “when a new spirit of feminism was in full swing”. We’ve got a hamper containing an assortment of L’Oréal Paris skincare for both men and women, hair care products and cosmetics worth more than $420 to give away to one lucky StopPresser, so add your favourite slogan of all time to the comment wall and the best effort gets the goods. 

Know someone in your office with Hobbit feet, someone who’s a bit pasty after the cloudiest summer on record, or some hot babe and/or hunk who simply deserves a little extra pampering? Well, nominate your Flossie of the Week by emailing [email protected] or putting a comment on the comment wall telling us why they (or, if you’re greedy, you) deserve it and we’ll give a lucky someone a $100 Flossie voucher and a bottle of French Champagne every week. Entries close Friday morning. 

“Ideas worth spreading” is the TED mantra, and, after searching the globe for ads it deemed worthy of spreading, the judges have chosen a L’Oréal Paris spot featuring disabled American athlete, actress, and fashion model Aimee Mullins as the most spreadable.