It’s been a difficult 18 or so months for AMI, which required government assistance to stay afloat after the quakes and was eventually bought by IAG. But it isn’t taking the negativity surrounding it lying down and it has launched a new campaign from DDB and Flying Fish that focuses on the fact that its staff are still committed to the cause.
Freeview, True and Flying Fish launched the new ‘To be fair, it’s got to be Free’ campaign in June and, more recently, Pio has been explaining the joys of its personal video recording system MyFreeview. After the response to the last competition we ran on StopPress to celebrate the coming of the digital switchover, Freeview has offered us another Panasonic DMR-XW380 MyFreeview HD recorder valued at $800 to give away. So tell us what Olympic event you would record and why and the most creative answer will get the spoils.
No local acts made the shortlist for the design lions, not even Alt Group’s well-received Auckland Art gallery identity, but a rightful grand prix winner emerged: Serviceplan Munich for its solar powered report for Austria Solar. The two local radio shortlistings—Saatchi & Saatchi for Tui’s ‘Father’s day Morse Code’ and BCG2 for Jesters pies—didn’t have anything to write home about, with Brazilian agency Talent Sao Paolo taking top prize for its ‘repellent radio’ work for Go Outside, which saw a high frequency broadcast essentially turn a radio into a mosquito repellent.
Who’s it for: Lexus by Saatchi & Saatchi
Why we like it: While Toyota’s marketing is all about New Zealandness, this moody new campaign for its luxury subsidiary Lexus aims to drum home the brand’s proud Japanese heritage—and, more specifically, its focus on craftsmanship. And …
Who’s it for: Freeview by True and Flying Fish
Why we like it: In the final promotional push before the digital switchover begins in four months, the free-ness of Freeview is being hammered home once again, this time with some great animation and a nostalgic and patriotic …
It’s getting to the business end of the digital switchover and there’s just four months to go until the first two regions—the West Coast and Hawke’s Bay—pull the plug on New Zealand’s analogue TV signal. So Freeview has launched a campaign with its new agency True starring Pio Terei that aims to capture the 16 percent of homes still to make the leap to digital–and to convince them to choose the newly pimped out Freeview platform rather than its nearest competitor, the soon-to-launch Sky/TVNZ joint venture Igloo.
Who’s it for: Sony by Frontage, Flying Fish and Blockhead
Why we like it: ‘Tis a beautiful piece of film, with New Zealand in a starring role. David Attenborough himself would probably rather stay inside to watch nature than venture into the real world after seeing this …
Sony has a history of making beautiful ads to sell its TVs, with bouncing balls, paint and rabbits all clocking up millions of views on YouTube. And Flying Fish director Luke Savage and local effects house Blockhead have built on that tradition with a brilliant TVC for agency Frontage Inc in Japan to promote the qualities of Sony’s X-reality picture engine.
There are many differences between New Zealand and Italy. We’re more likely to have milk with our coffee, our menfolk generally only wear budgie smugglers at the beach if they’re triathletes or surf lifesavers, and our prime minister’s parties are pretty tame in comparison to Silvio’s. But as Publicis Mojo’s latest campaign for Subway’s Italiana range shows, there are a few similarities between the two laid-back countries, including a striking upside down geographical resemblance.
While the vast majority of Sky TV’s content comes from overseas, a lot of the content on its sport channels is produced “in New Zealand, for New Zealand”. And, in an effort to localise the brand a bit more and reflect the pride felt by the crews that make it, DDB and Flying Fish have created a series of sports-related vignettes to run at the end of the local productions.
There’s been no shortage of action in bankland recently, with agency shifts galore and fairly sizeable profits being announced by the big boys that could potentially lead to some fairly enthralling market-share battles this year. And one of the big ones is set to be between ASB and ANZ.
Who’s it for: PlaceMakers by JWT NZ and Exposure
Why we like it: Like a nature documentary—but with tradesmen as the focus. A classy reality advertising campaign that shows the nuances of the building site very well, portrays the builders as craftsmen who like …
Judging by the amount of recruitment news this week, it appears plenty of folk began the year looking for greener pastures. Thick As Thieves has stolen Colenso BBDO’s art director Jae Morrison, marketing maven Simone Iles finds a new Post, Wellington Tourism gets some absolutely positive additions to the team, Paul Gardiner crosses the line wearing lycra, Gareth Davies joins RedYeti Films, Fee-fi-fo-fum finds the Ideas Shop, Market Pulse reaches for ignition, Hitchcock directs Flying Fish (no birds in sight), APN Outdoor’s Friends in High Places line-up gets a shakeup, The Sweet Shop moves even further into Asia, Prodigy signs Bradstreet boy, and Blair Haeata joins Ngage.
Burger King has been selling its tiny burgers overseas for a couple of years now (check out the “horniest, most boobstatic Burger King ad ever” from the US). And it’s just launched the seemingly lady-friendly products in New Zealand, with Colenso BBDO and Flying Fish getting together to create a new, fairly strange TVC that features some sweet electro funk, some fairly cool effects and some forced rhyming.
With the big shoots few and far between these days, it’s pretty tough out there in production land at present. But there’s still no denying the power of the visual medium to get a message across and, whether it be Mammoth Dips, Whittaker’s ‘Swear by the Slab’, or Sky’s ‘Do Nothing’, Flying Fish managed to churn out plenty of stellar work last year. Executive producer James Moore pipes up on 2011.
Who’s it for: Mitre 10 Mega and Plunket by DraftFCB and Flying Fish
Why we like it: We’re suckers for time-lapse, especially when it’s used to promote a campaign helping to raise money for Plunket. A good idea, well-made and a nice original track from …
If men had their way, chips and dip would probably have its own segment on the food pyramid. And now, following on from the very successful launch of Mammoth Supply Co. yogurt, ice-cream and iced coffee ranges last year, Fonterra and Shine have referenced that manly desire with a very funny new ad for its new range of peri-peri, Kiwi onion, nacho cheese and spare rib dips that makes fun of nerds and nibbles and once again features the husky cowboy tones of Sam Elliot.
Who’s it for: ASB by Droga5 and The Sweet Shop
Why we like it: It’s a good way to explain why ASB is better than its competitors. It’s got some added gravitas with the voice talent of Dame Judi Dench. And it’s a nice …
You’ve marvelled at the winners, who each get to drive a new Audi A1 Sport Plus for a week, and you’ve seen the pictures from the CAANZ Battle of the Ad Bands. Now, thanks to Flying Fish and Audi, you can hear some of the ear/see some of the eye candy those there on the night got to lap up by heading to the Experience Audi website.
The air was thick with the smell of rock, bourbon and groupies last night at the King’s Arms as the CAANZ and Flying Fish Battle of the Ad Bands, easily the most anticipated and important event on the advertising calendar, pitched agency against agency, virtuoso against virtuoso, rock god/goddess against rock god/goddess. And in what can only be described as a battle of the titans, TBWA\’s three-piece outfit Virgin Galactic backed up last year’s victory as Backslash and were crowned the kings of adland.
In a highly controversial move, Flying Fish has just announced the addition of Bob Kerrigan to its line up of directors, an appointment executive producer James Moore calls “strategic”.
Part 143 in an occasional series, this time starring Tenfold Creative and Jennian Homes, Mission Hall and Arthritis New Zealand, JustONE and the Topp Twins, Levi’s and Wieden + Kennedy and a ‘social-film’ by Toshiba and Intel.
The questions have been asked, the consumers’ votes have been tallied and Nestle’s Kit Kat Chunky ‘3’ campaign by JWT Sydney and Flying Fish’s Joe Lonie has come out on top in the June edition of Colmar Brunton’s Ad Impact Award.
We left the best until last, but Kiwi agencies picked up three Lions on the last night at Cannes, with Colenso taking home five of the six local Lions won in this year’s festival of creativity.
In the Editing category, Capital City Films took a silver for Frucor’s ‘Ladders’, Robber’s Dog took bronze for DDB and Volkswagen’s ‘Milk Run’, while Curious came away with two bronzes, one for Liam Finn’s Guide to New Zealand for Tourism New Zealand and the other for Nike’s ‘The Tomic Incident’; in Visual Craft, Capital City Films and Sky took gold for ‘Leafblower’ and silver for Frucor’s Ladders, while Flying Fish picked up a bronze for Vodafone’s ‘In With the New’; and in the Direction section, Capital City Films took another gold with ‘Leafblower’ and three other bronzes were handed out, one for Capital City Films and Frucor’s ‘Ladders’, one for The Sweet Shop and Lotto’s ‘Lucky Dog’ and one for Film Construction’s ‘ALAC Sam’.
The first round of finalists for AWARD have been announced, with Special Group, DDB, DraftFCB, Colenso, M&C Saatchi, Clemenger BBDO, AIM Proximity, Flying Fish, The Sweet Shop, Film Construction, YukFoo and Curious Film among those that made the cut in the Direct Marketing, Craft in Film and Craft in Print categories. More category finalists will be announced soon and the awards will be dished out on 25 February.
In yet another example of using consumers to come up with the marketing material, Apex Car Rentals has opened the door for the public to suggest the direction of the next instalment of its recent “hugely popular” television commercial, which was made by Christchurch ad agency Strategy and directed by Gregor Nicholas of Flying Fish.
Three good’uns share the gold this week.
Who’s it for: Sky TV by DDB and Prodigy Films
Why we like it: Despite the fact that Rugby World Cup games will be shown on a number of free to air channels after last year’s broadcasting palaver …
Not surprisingly, there’s been no shortage of opinions on Droga5’s massive new ASB campaign/rebrand, which went live over the weekend. And we’re giving you even more chances to judge, with the first two TVCs ‘Chance’ and ‘Mint Sauce’, a few press ads/posters that were created by three upcoming Kiwi artists and some online executions.
Who’s it for: ASB by TBWA\Tequila and Paul Middleditch
Why we like it: Ira Goldstein has been a feature of New Zealand’s advertising landscape for about 10 years. And this is his final swansong for ASB. So let us bow our heads and give thanks …