Consumers generally aren’t too enamoured with large corporate entities, even less so in this climate of occupation. And Telecom, with its monopolistic heritage and less than enviable recent track record, is looking for all the love it can get. So, in an effort to show that it isn’t just a faceless corporation and really does care about its customers, its direct agency Rapp Tribal came up with a creative way for the employees of one of the country’s biggest companies to show their thanks.

In the rush to satiate our appetite for smart phones, manufacturers are launching newer smarter mobiles every other day. Yesterday Nokia launched its new Lumia Windows phone. And Samsung’s getting in on the act for its soon-to-launch Galaxy Note with a clever marketing mix of pop culture and celebrity endorsement.

Barfoot & Thompson, New Zealand’s largest privately owned real estate company, has appointed Big Communications as its advertising and direct marketing agency, taking over from Voice.

Larrie Moore, the founding marketing director for 2degrees, has quit the mobile operator.

A radio stunt giving away an all-expenses paid divorce on Valentine’s Day on The Rock FM has backfired in spectacular fashion on the shock jocks behind it. Notorious pranksters Robert Taylor and Jono Pryor, ran the ‘win a divorce’ competition on Valentines Day, despite a raft of negative media attention both here and overseas. A listener could win the divorce on condition they broke up with their unsuspecting spouse live on air. But it was a lesbian couple who had the last laugh, sabotaging the competition and turning on the presenters, leaving them speechless for the first time.

Given the commercial slant of Valentine’s Day, and the willingness consumers have to shell out for objects for the objects of affection, there’s never any shortage of interesting creative ideas clamouring for attention at this time of the year. Some of them are pretty good, most of them aren’t. But here are a couple of local examples that caught our attention.

MediaWorks TV is recruiting for a director of sales to replace Linda Farrelly, who has resigned and is taking complete time out for six months. She will rejoin the company in a consultancy capacity later in the year.

Could Wilson the Lotto dog get any luckier? Lotto is launching another installment of its award-winning Lotto campaign–and in it the popular canine hero Wilson finds a girlfriend. Lotto is also getting into the spirit of Valentine’s Day, and sharing the love… name the lucky bitch, and you could win prizes.

Nothing says I love you like a massive sign outside a mall. And, to tap into the romantic spirit of the day, Westfield has once again let New Zealanders publicly declare their affection on 12 billboards around the country as part of its second Truly, Madly, Hugely campaign. 

As 2degrees closes in on its millionth customer, Whybin\TBWA launches its latest 60 second brand TVC for them, The Mission Continues, with the inimitable Rhys Darby.

New Zealanders, with our unusual combination of immense pride and nagging self-doubt, like to be liked (“How are you enjoying your trip? Are you enjoying your trip? You’re enjoying your trip, aren’t you?”). But, just as Aucklanders have certain preconceptions of, say, Invercargill, many Australians couldn’t think of anything worse than visiting their Tasman neighbours. So, as part of a campaign launching today in Australia, Air New Zealand and its Aussie agency Host Sydney attempted to show a bunch of ‘Kiwi Sceptics’ what they were missing out on by tricking them into a trip to the other lucky country. 

After the success of Pepsi’s MaxIt Jobs campaign last year, there were high hopes for Colenso’s follow-up, Bromitment. But, by the power of Facebook, the vocal minority have got their way and convinced Frucor/Frucor’s PR agency to bow to online pressure and withdraw a prize offering a trip to the running of the bulls in Spain from the campaign. 

The scene: a trendy bar and eatery in Freemans Bay, Auckland. Booked exclusively last evening for a business function, three stalwarts of the popular press, including Ms F O’Sullivan and Mr P Holmes, tarried at an outdoor table after a late lunch. When politely reminded their time was up, the visitor from Hawke’s Bay replied: “Don’t you know who I am?” Sadly, the young and demure organiser had to admit that she had no idea, just that she had booked the place exclusively. Perhaps the question should have been: “Don’t you know who I was?” The defenders of the fourth estate stayed ostentatiously put after the bar manager quailed in the face of the ferocious and fulsome trio, fearing a D rated review.