Three New Zealand PR agencies are hoping to open opportunities for local businesses looking to expand into offshore markets. Blackland PR, Cadence Communications and Ogilvy PR Australia have teamed up, while Boyd PR has opened an office in China.
Browsing: brand
Auckland-based coffee retailer and café Kokako started from humble beginnings in 2001 when former owners Helen Ollivier and Christian Lamdin slung their steamy brews out of a coffee cart. Now the Kokako brand can be seen in cafes and stores all over the country, while its flagship Grey Lynn store has become a hub for customers who enjoy slick surroundings, organic food and perhaps a glass of cold brew coffee or two. Having just celebrated its 15-year anniversary, it seemed like the perfect time to chat to owner Mike Murphy about the brand and why he thinks it’s been so successful.
Following last year’s restructure, Postie Plus has adopted a “responsible retailing” model, dropping prices by 30 precent and taken on a new look crafted by Saatchi & Saatchi. Elly Strang talks to Pepkor South East Asia managing director Jason Murray to find out about its new persona and what the store has to offer the New Zealand market.
Research shows trends that go up quickly also tend to go down quickly. And there’s also substantial evidence that a focus on the long-term is more profitable for businesses. So, as Emma Popping writes, while the current context often demands short-term results, we need to give brands time to grow.
Idealog’s Henry Oliver talks to Spotify’s global creative director Alex Bodman on how the music streaming service is relying less on the old marketing rule book and turning to data to connect with its audience in a more authentic way.
It’s that time of year again, the internet is abuzz with excitement over another smartphone as Samsung releases its Galaxy S7. With Samsung phones so popular around the world we thought we’d see what’s driving all the hype in New Zealand.
Skinny, and its customers, have plenty to celebrate this month with it taking out the Canstar Blue Most Satisfied Customers award and the Consumer NZ People’s choice award 2016.
In 2008 Canadian musician Dave Carroll was travelling with United Airlines. During a layover he heard a fellow passenger remark that baggage handlers on the tarmac in Chicago were throwing guitars. He arrived at his destination only to discover his $3,500 guitar was severely damaged. After an unsatisfactory response from the airline, he used his musical talent to create a song he dubbed ‘United breaks guitars’ with a music video and all. The song went viral and the incident created a PR disaster for the airline. But now, when Googling the airline, there is no mention of the incident. This is an example of the power of search engine optimisation (SEO) and its role in protecting brand reputation. We chat to Pure SEO’s Richard Conway about this idea and the threat of negative SEO.
Tui has tapped into surf culture to celebrate the launch of its new golden lager in a new spot features views of sunsets, rolling waves and the tagline ‘men in expensive suits’.
When it comes to corporations, history shows that consumers tend to forgive accidents—and even stupidity. But willful deception is another kettle of fish. And Volkswagen inventing technology to cheat on its emissions tests is about as willful and deceptive as it gets (if it wasn’t so evil, you could almost applaud their inventiveness). So far, it has had a major impact on Volkswagen’s share price (and other car brands’ share prices), it is getting ready for a recall of 11 million cars, billions of dollars in fines are on the cards and the first of what could be many lawsuits have already been filed. Some believe it could bring Volkswagen to its knees. So can the company recover from this reputational car crash? And what can marketers learn from the saga?
While most retail advertising released today features little more than price, product and sale shouted through every available megaphone, there are also some examples of retailers returning to a more creative approach when it comes to their advertising. And the most recent example of this is the new Farmers brand ad. PLUS: should marketers focus on the emotional or the rational? Should they be doing more brand or retail ads?
You might be wondering why Justin Timberlake is dressed up as a giant lime in a recent commercial. Well, it’s because he has founded his own tequila blend in partnership with Sauza Tequila called Sauza 901 and subsequently stars in an E True Hollywood story-styled mockumentary about the sad state of limes after the triple distilled liquor hits the shelves.
ANZ has launched a new cross-Tasman brand ad by Whybin\TBWA that gives a nod to the pioneering human spirit by featuring a series of snippets from innovators in their respective fields.
The recent storyline couldn’t be better for the Black Caps. A dream run at the World Cup including winning in the last few balls against South Africa, record beating scores and packed grounds to experience the big occasions. So how has the Black Caps brand fared through this process? Julian Smith has a look.
Last year, New Zealand retail giant The Warehouse announced it would stop selling all R18 games and DVDs. It also announced that it would introduce a living wage for many of its staff. These moves will cost the company money in the short-term. But, as Janisa Parag writes, brands that put people and purpose first outperform those that focus on profit.
Despite approaching his 80th birthday, contemporary pop artist Billy Apple (something of a human brand) hasn’t lost the desire to create. And now, in collaboration with Saatchi’s design director Derek Lockwood, he has released a Billy Apple-branded cider.
Marty Neumeier, best-selling author, designer and renowned business adviser, is on a mission to “revolutionise the way business does business in the 21st century”. And you can find out how he plans on doing that at an event on Friday 29 August where he will share his insights on modern brands and the importance of being credible in an age of transparency.
With Spark livery freshly stamped over those of the corporate we used to know as Telecom, the organisation is expanding its Givealittle fundraising platform from charity to individual projects. Spark My Potential will pick out some of the projects listed on Givealittle and give them crowdfunding coaching and in some cases match pledges dollar for dollar.
As Telecom poises to jettison its three-syllable moniker for the punchier Spark title, it’s worth looking at Vodafone’s 1998 rebrand that saw the company change its nationwide identity almost overnight, a move that is today considered by some as one of the best examples of rebranding in the nation’s history.
Colenso BBDO has long worked on Fonterra’s major brands like Anchor, Tip Top, Fresh ‘n Fruity and Mainland and it’s gradually been adding new chunks of the business to its roster, with the most recent being the addition of some smaller brands after Shine shacked up with Goodman Fielder. Now it’s added some more after the agency was appointed as the social media partner for all of Fonterra’s brands after a competitive pitch.
Telecom has announced that it will emerge as Spark on 8 August. But the powers that be say the new name is just one aspect of the company’s transformation into “a confident, forward-looking technology company”. In an edited version of an article originally published in the May/June edition of NZ Marketing, Ben Fahy looks at the thinking behind one of the country’s biggest-ever—and most controversial—rebrands and the important role chief operating officer Jason Paris played in the process.
Over the last three years, Richard Bourke, Daniel Mclaughlin and Mark Neal have toiled away behind the scenes to create the product that was recently released under the Rogue Society Gin banner. Here’s the story thus far.
For a few years now, the tech behemoths have been at the top of the chain in terms of brand value. That trend has continued this year in the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study, but there’s been a change at the top, with Google making an acquisition of a different kind—the number one spot ahead of Apple.
Contact Energy has added a bit of playfulness to its power of late, with lights in Wellington’s cable car tunnel and a Twitter competition to decide the winner of the People’s Choice Award at the Fringe Festival. And that attitude seems to be in keeping with its playful new brand identity, which was created by Wellington’s Designworks and San Francisco-based type designer Jessica Hische.
Ever since Telecom did the splits back in 2011, there have been rumours that the ‘New Telecom’ might not stick with its name, which carries with it a fair bit of equity but also a fair bit of monopolistic baggage. And where there’s smoke, there’s fire, because Telecom has announced that it will change its name to Spark later in the year.
In a new series, we talk to Kiwi keyboard tappers that have managed to shift from the personal realm of blogging to create online media brands that are widely read (and in some cases profitable). In the first segment, we chat to Jamie Frater, the founder of Listverse.
Viewership of broadcast TV is declining here and around the world. And, in correlation, some consumers appear to have largely checked out of advertising altogether, writes Andrew Lewis. So a reliance on brand-led communications to drive engagement will be found wanting.
Creative agency Fly turns 10 next year and to mark the milestone, has brought founder Shane Hansen back into the fold to give the brand a bit of a facelift. Creative director Johnson McKay elaborates on the shift and reflects on the journey to date.
In addition to the creamy goodness of crushed peanuts, every jar of Pic’s Really Good Peanut Butter also comes with the deep and meaningful musings of Taumaranui poet Bill Smith, whose work is printed on the reverse of the label.
Following the successful brand projects for Jazz and Envy apples, Turners & Growers approached BRR with a unique brief to take the Bonita brand and export label and create an engaging brand for generations of kiwi banana lovers. Inspired by the flair for life in South American culture, BRR saw the opportunity to introduce a sense of personality, energy and positivity into the Bonita brand and the wider category.