When you think of the things you’re likely to see in Albany, a violent tornado would be a very long way down the list. But it just happened and the Perceptive team recorded it destroying buildings and picking up trampolines from their office. As the description in the video says: “The Perceptive team a little rattled as a tornado rips past our office in Albany on Auckland’s North Shore. Pardon the language!!”

Fairtrade products are going off at the moment, with sales increasing by more than 100 percent in Australia and New Zealand in 2010. And to draw more attention to the benefits these more ethical products can provide, both for the well-being of the growers in the developing world and the inner glow of those buying them, The Sustainable Business Network, Heart of the City, Café L’affare, Kokako, All Good, Tangible Media, Oxfam NZ and Fairtrade NZ are holding a Breakfast in the City at Britomart Country Club next Thursday during Fairtrade Fortnight. Attendees will get to sample delights from All Good bananas, Caffe L’affare, and Kokako, Michele A’Court and Jeremy Elwood are on hosting duties, a Fairtrade tea producer from Sri Lanka will speak about the impact of Fairtrade on his community and everyone gets a free Keepcup. We’ve got a double pass to give away and all you have to do to win it is name a part of on orang-utan. If it’s the part we’re thinking of, you’ll get to partake. For all those who are unfamiliar with orang-utans, tickets are going for $15 from here. 

The world of the consumer is an ever-evolving one and for business it presents many an opportunity, though it is certainly not without its challenges. And that commercial intimacy is something design agency DNA is keen to tap into with the re-launch of its Open website this week.

Despite the prevalence of screens in our lives, just two percent of retailers use digital signage to promote their wares. Enter n.gage, a conference in Auckland on 31 May that aims to educate marketers in the dark but increasingly important arts of retail digital signage.

It seems there’s an app for almost everything now and, combined with people’s apparent fondness for sharing details about what’s going on in their lives, New Zealand Post-run directory and social media service Localist has launched what its chief executive Blair Glubb describes as a “visual Twitter stream”.

Ever since New York ad agency Doyle, Dane and Bernbach started promoting ‘Hitler’s car’ to the Americans in the 50s and 60s with what is widely regarded as some of the best advertising the world has seen, Volkswagen’s marketing, much like its cars, has developed a reputation for reliability. As a large global brand, the work seen in New Zealand usually comes from overseas, but DDB NZ has joined in the fun from time to time, with the recent ‘Milk Run’ TVC and the award-winning ‘Finance Director’. Now it’s had another hoon on the German car behemoth and come up with another entertaining retail spot that plays on a truth universally acknowledged: weddings cost too much.  

Even Ads@6 gets an Easter break. Minus a couple of days, this week’s offering includes a really long Countdown ad about pears (both hard and soft), Hammer Hardware still going strong, the IRD make an attempt at humour, Genesis Energy continue to gather the troops to help in the Christchurch neighbourhood muck in, Freeview gets animated, Dilmah maintains its ethical stance and the Topp Twins develop multiple personalities.

APN has been focusing on upping the Herald’s game in the digital and mobile space of late, and it’s done a very good job, with a well-received and award-winning iPad App and mobile site and more on the way soon. As a result of this focus, some brands in its stable have been left behind in this regard and The Listener is a prime example of that. Well, now the website has been completely redesigned by the in-house team to bring it into the modern media era. But the advertiser-funded strategy remains—for the moment, at least. 

Small Wellington-based commercial production company HoverLion, which specialises in animation, motion graphics and a touch of live action, has been creating a bit of an online buzz with a viral video that features a unique type of animation created by company co-founder Ned Wenlock.

GrabOne first offered $4 tickets to Event Cinemas in Auckland in July 2010 and, just ten months later, it sold its one millionth coupon (a 61 percent off Canvas Print in the Northland region, in case you were wondering). To celebrate this milestone, it’s giving away two $50 GrabOne credits to lucky, bargain loving StopPressers. Like social media platforms, daily deals sites all seem to require a strange, suitably catchy name. So all you have to do is come up with a ridiculous name for a fictional new entrant to this crowded market and all your discount dreams could come true. Extra credit given for ridiculous slogans.

Subway has just been given a creative spruce up by its recently appointed agency Publicis Mojo and, for a fast food brand that’s generally played it pretty straight with its marketing in the past, the new ‘You Rule!’ direction is rather surreal and of the times, with a big nod to video game culture, crude but popular YouTube animation and possibly even robot unicorns.

It’s coming into winter and the Christchurch rebuild will be kicking into gear soon, which means the heatpump advertising battle is, ahem, heating up. There’s already Stephen Fleming for Fujitsu, the bald guy holding a cat for Mitsubishi, the anthropomorphic door snakes for Toshiba and, recently, a creepy Dan Carter hanging on the wall for Daikin. Now, after Panasonic embarked on something of a spiritual journey with its agency Publicis Mojo to find out what core brand attributes and values it wanted to convey, there’s a new frontman to add to that list: stubby-wearing, bum-scratching Gerry. 

There’s a stack of digital marketing surveys coming out of the United States and Europe these days. But what’s happening in our own backyard? Well, here’s your chance 
to find out. If you want to gauge how your digital approach compares to that of your marketing countryfolk, complete this quick survey from the Kookmeyer Institute and you’ll get sent the full results. Click here to get amongst it. 

Yukfoo Animation’s first short film Preferably Blue, which tells the story of an embittered, reprobate Easter Bunny, made its rather appropriate New York premiere at the 10th Tribeca Film Festival on Easter Sunday. And it’s also off to Germany after being chosen to screen at the Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film in May.