Design-led, Christchurch-based advertising agency Strategy has bolstered its Auckland offering and added the similarly design-led talents of Seven to its roster.

Like retailers, charities are also fighting for New Zealand’s Christmas dollar. So it takes something pretty special to rise above the rabble. And this year’s campaign for the Auckland City Mission by Publicis Mojo is heavenly. Or, more accurately, angelic.

‘Tis the season for giving and StopPress has got four summery hampers to dish out—one from Regal Salmon and Selaks worth $150, two from Nosh and Va Va gourmet worth $120 each and one from L’Oréal worth $300. Don’t say we’re not good to you. All you have to do is add your planned Christmas indulgence to the comment wall (StopPress is gunning for a few bottles of Emerson’s, a couple of Fergburgers, a 12 bird roast and a Heston Blumenthal style edible house) and we’ll send out the goodies to the most indulgent.

Unlike the company car or yesterday’s long lunch with the agency, there is no FBT* on what is certainly one of the best fringe benefits of being a marketer. Hell, you can even claim the GST* so the finance director won’t be breathing down your neck. Actually, he’ll probably congratulate you on such a prudent purchase. So, for less than a bottle of shabby pinot at the local watering hole, you can get a year’s worth of essential marketing, advertising and media intelligence. So get out the company credit card, buy a subscription and get 25 percent off the price in the shops. One year (six issues) = $34.80 + GST.

M&C Saatchi has had a good run of it recently, picking up the NZTE account to add to the seven other pieces of new business it won during the year. And, after a competitive pitch, it has picked up some more goodies, winning the advertising and digital communication services account for NZ Post’s new start-up directory service Localist.

Digital engagement specialist Affinity ID set up its Auckland office just two years ago. And, after spying a gap in the Australian market, there will also be an office in Sydney in the New Year.

…Media Design School students win thing; a magical mystery store opens its doors in Auckland’s High St; The Documentary Channel is no more; social buying site GrabOne celebrates a milestone; the hunt is on for New Zealand’s Next Top Bookshelf; African adventurers and other charities look for assistance; Air New Zealand’s Christmas auction kicks off; ex-Fonterra boss Roger Boyd launches the ‘beverage of the well-travelled’; InComm arrives in Australasia; 2Degrees, now in 3Dimensions; NZ Post gives everyone a hurry up; and marvel at the glamour of the IAB/Facebook Xmas party.

There’s almost nothing better than sipping on a cool, refreshing Heineken in the Auckland sun as you marvel at the athletic prowess of finely tuned athletes smacking balls at each other. And, thanks to the generous folk at Panasonic, your dreams could become a reality. We’ve got five …

This week on the box, the massive Mitre 10 Mega man violates some Christmas puppets; NZ Post reminds everyone to send letters; Burger King fails to make wobbling, slow motion chicken look appetising; and Giorgio Armani squeezes as many fragrance ad cliches into 30 seconds as humanly possible.

Having recently given away a host of free beverages to celebrate its launch in Australia, Charlie’s will be following suit in the homeland and giving away bottles of its old-fashioned Honest Quenchers to overworked corporate slaves in Auckland next week. The crux, however, is that the request for freebies has to be made via its Facebook page.

The General Strike, The Springbok Tour, Bastion Point, the Aotea Square riots … There have been many famous New Zealand revolutions; many examples of the masses banding together and showing their dissatisfaction. But none of them really compare to the recent consumer uprising to get Tip Top to bring back the Mint Trumpet and the Grapefruit and Lemon Fruju.

After skipping last week’s #markchat due to the Pike River memorial, the Twitter stream will once again be flowing freely at 12:30pm today, with the topic being ‘personal authenticity vs professional brand – where do they meet and diverge?’ Also, for all those unable to ‘attend’ the chat, we’ll choose the five most salient/interesting comments made during #markchat and a link to the summary blog post.

A highly successful PR campaign for the New Zealand Rugby Foundation (NZRF) has won a group of AUT Communications students the annual Network PR Practice Award, which recognises excellence in the planning and executing of real life campaigns for not-for-profit organisations. 

Dow Design has given those purveyors of meaty Kiwi goodness, Hellers, a bit of a makeover, rolling out a new logo, new packaging and a positioning statement of ‘NZ’s butcher’.

The DB Export brand team, Honor Dillon and Dave Shoemack

The rather interesting story of Morton Coutts, the serial inventor, crafty bugger, co-founder of DB breweries and brewer of DB Export, has been spread fairly widely across the ad landscape over the last few months after Colenso BBDO’s rather large relaunch of the brand. The father of the Export family, DB Export, is currently back on shelves for a limited period as part of a 50th anniversary celebration. And ‘Morton’ and a few of his friends are once again dishing out some liquid Christmas cheer as part of its ‘Workplace Shout’ promotion.

Following on from news about a billboard constructed from broken plates and glasses, DraftFCB has also launched a rather novel billboard for UNICEF. And, in a very impressive display of very time-consuming needlework, it’s made entirely of wool.

Christchurch certainly hasn’t had an easy time of it over the last few months. But one positive aspect of the earthquake has been the banding together of those affected and the lengths many New Zealanders have gone to to offer their support. The Restaurant Association of New Zealand has already raised money for its southern counterparts with events in Queenstown and at the Grove Restaurant in Auckland. And now a billboard constructed from broken plates and glass from some of the hardest hit restaurants in Christchurch has been employed to try and get the punters to book their Christmas parties and support the city’s local restaurateurs.

NZ Post announced its intention to snatch some of the Auckland directories market off Yellow and TradeMe in late October with a new start-up called Localist. And its first outdoor offensive has begun, with billboards going up around Auckland in the last few days. And, as well as talking up its own new offering, which is set to launch next year, they certainly don’t shy away from sticking the boot into the quality of the opposition’s services, something Yellow has acknowledged recently and is hoping to rectify with a big cash injection.

After delving into the murky waters of PR measurement earlier this year, the CAANZ Marcomms Leadership Group, along with the Marketing Association and New Zealand online research company Buzz Channel, is now aiming to find out how much of the marketing pie the PR and Experiential realm has by conducting a nationwide survey.