As those who use business quips occasionally say, the topline’s for vanity and the bottom line’s for sanity. And if that’s the case then big Aussie publisher APN is relatively sane at the moment, with the New Zealand business reporting growth in earnings before interest and tax of 10 percent in the year to December 31. And, in what has been classified as a “reasonable investment” for APN Outdoor, it has added OGGI’s billboard assets to its already sizable stable.

We’ve been regularly updating the page of fund/spirit raising initiatives aimed at helping Christchurch residents, but we’ve been in contact with a few Christchurch business owners who want readers—and customers—to know they’re operational again. Of course, cashflow is crucial at this stage to keep the local economy going, so one week on and, while the cordon is still in place, some businesses in the wider marcomms industry are starting to kick back into gear and are eager for work. So if you’re open already, if you’re muddling through in temporary offices, if you know of any businesses that have opened, or you want to let readers know your plans for opening in the future, email [email protected] and we’ll update this page accordingly.

…as ACP backs up its recent restructure with a few promotions; Air New Zealand welcomes a new board member; 3d Interactive enlists the services of another human; and The Sweet Shop adds an awarded director to its global ranks.

The Tui gnomes have been an integral part of the beer’s brand activity for the past eight years but they’ve never ventured out of the garden and onto New Zealand’s TV screens. Until now, that is, because DB and Saatchi & Saatchi have put the gnomes on the telly as part of a big on-pack and on-premise competition that’s offering a few lucky Kiwis a chance to win a ‘Tui Super Send Off’. But it’s another Tui promotion that caught our attention, for very different reasons.

Hypermedia already has the in-store media for the Progressive supermarkets around the country locked down. And it’s hoping to add a few more national retailers to its arsenal with the establishment of demonstration business Demoworks and a new executive team.

After some lengthy negotiations, Tangible Media has sold Classic Driver and NZ Today to Christchurch-based publisher SW Media, a company associated with the successful online classic car sale website www.simplyclassics.co.nz.

MediaWorks has been under a huge amount of financial pressure recently as its private equity paymasters Ironbridge attempt to cut costs and squeeze out some much-needed cash. And while the losses reported in 2009 were massive, things appear to be looking up slightly, with figures for the year ended August 2010 showing earnings before interest and tax of $50 million, an 11 percent improvement on the previous year’s total of $45 million. Consolidated revenue across the group was $258 million for the year, up one percent from $256 million the year before.

A sense of humour and some design prowess can get you a long way. In fact, for Kiwi-founded and now London-based designer chocolate bar company Bloomsberry & Co, it can take you all the way from New Zealand to the UK, and beyond.

Greetings from the remains of The Media Dept. Appreciate you advising that Stacey and I are safe and well and trucking on. Our building at Ground Zero was actually a damn good place to be. Whilst it may be very old, the complete refurbishment two years ago has meant it is as strong a place as any and stood up well enough for me to (stupidly?) race back in and get mobiles and the laptop! But the devastation in our area at High/Lichfield/Manchester is massive and unfortunately a lot of people will have perished around us.

There are a number of companies, both small and large, trying to do their bit to help Christchurch. So if you’ve got something planned, if you’re giving a donation, or if you need to get a message out, let us know and we’ll update this page regularly and try to spread the word. The Ministry of Civil Defence says the best way to help people affected by the quake is through cash donations so if you haven’t already, visit Red Cross.

It felt wrong to be celebrating anything on Friday night, let alone excellence in response-driven marketing, but DraftFCB and The Ministry of Health’s ‘The Journal’ campaign absolutely dominated the RSVP and Nexus awards, taking home the RSVP Grand Prix and the Nexus Supreme Awards—the first time this has been achieved in the 23 year history of the awards—and eight other golds.

Aussie-based media behemoth Fairfax Media has released its results for the last half of 2011, with  TradeMe continuing to shine and the New Zealand arms of the business also reporting double digit profit increases despite a slow economy.