It appears (surprise, surprise) that Josh&Jamie were taking the piss out of us with their press release earlier today announcing they'd bought Assignment Group (see story below).
This seemed to be too good to be true - and it was.
The reality is the exact opposite - Assignment Group has bought J&J. The ad media were sucked in by a rather clever, oddly accurate, press release.
Looking back, it's clear that while J&J scored some good business wins and had creative firepower, they needed more business nous and, probably, capital, to maintain the momentum
Now the industry must deal with an entirely new beast in the market, the New
Assignment - Josh Lancaster, Jamie Hitchcock, Peter Culinane, James Hall and Kim Thorpe. Impressive!
Josh&Jamie has purchased Assignment Group. "We have reached the stage where we are ready to take on more resource and Kim, H, Peter, James and the team have demonstrated a real hunger to step it up to the next level," says Josh Lancaster.
"I believe Assignment's business acument combined with J&J's "legendary creativity creates the biggest small agency in the country."
The new agency will be known as ... Assignment Group. Go figure. In mid-August, it will also have a new home - in Shortland St.
SAATCHI & SAATCHI HAS LAUNCHED another chilling campaign for Women’s Refuge, highlighting the realities for women living in fear of psychological or physical violence in the home.
Click on the images below to enlarge.
Women’s Refuge has been a Saatchi pro-bono client for 10 years. The campaign includes a TVC, print and Adshel executions and an online viral game.
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Client Company: Women's Refuge Client contact: Janet Bagshaw Brand/product: 2010 Annual Appeal Creative/Account team: Executive Creative Director: Dylan Harrison, Associate Creative Director: Scott Henderson. Strategic Planner: Sarah Hodgetts, Group Account Director: Dawn Marrs, Account Manager: Claire Dooney Media strategist: Starcom Writers: Scott Henderson, Tony Haigh, Phoebe Smith Art direction: Scott Henderson, Tony Haigh, Samantha Jukes
ELECTRONIC
Agency producer: Anna Kennedy Production company: Flying Start Pictures Producer: Peter Mayo Director: Miles Murphy Post production online: Toybox Editor: Jonathan Venz Soundtrack: Paul Stent (Marmalade Audio) Music: Jeremy Cullen
PRINT
Photography: Steven Boniface Photography (web): Matt Grace Retouching: Isaac Nana Digital: Touchcast/Next
Band registrations close tomorrow (Friday) for the CAANZ/Flying Fish Battle of the Ad Bands 2010.
There are just four places left – but a release from the BOTAB committee laments the absence of “a couple of notable agencies”. The registration fee is $250+gst
JOSH&JAMIE HAS WON FAIRFAX Media’s Stuff.co.nz. The incumbent, Big Communications, withdrew before the pitch stage.
“We advised the guys at Fairfax some time ago that we would not be looking to continue with the relationship,” says Big md Ant Salmon. “We were not involved in the pitch.
“Stuff is a great brand and it will be in very good hands, I’m sure. Our congratulations to Josh&Jamie.”
THE 2010 ART OF THE ENVELOPE Awards has issued its call for entries at www.pushtheenvelope.co.nz.
The people behind these awards, Candida, Kinetic 121 and NZ Post Targeted Communications, say they’re looking for entries that bring “sexy” back to the humble envelope.
The overall winner gets to choose from a prize pool worth $5000, while category and monthly winners win new Apple gear and vouchers.
Categories include the Mailed Masterpiece (envelopes & packages that have already passed through the mail), the 50 Cent Classic (a redesigned standard envelope showcasing creativity on a budget), and Redefine & Redesign (an unrestrained opportunity to create an artistic or futuristic ‘masterpiece’).
The People’s Choice Awards brings the public into the equation (via www.pushtheenvelope.co.nz), with monthly voting for prizes that include an Apple TV, a $500 bar tab or iTunes voucher.
The deadline is Friday 22 October. The winners will be announced in Auckland in November or December (date ytba).
SHIRTCLIFFE & CO’S Matt Shirtcliffe and Rapp’s Darryl Wong & Kenton Osmond are the guest speakers at NZ Post Targeted Communications’ upcoming free DM workshops.
Shirtcliffe will present on Thursday 5 August, and Wong & Osmond on Thursday 9 September. Both workshops will be held at the NZ Post Media Centre, 2 Watt St, Parnell.
They’re aimed at agencies and marketers, and are designed to provide a comprehensive working knowledge of the intricacies of direct mail – from direct mail processes, to data and consumer insights and innovations, as well as a guide to working with NZ Post. Places are limited. To book, contact Jackie Shaw at 09 367 9680 or jackie.shaw@nzpost.co.nz.
Y&R BRANDS IS ABOUT TO LAUNCH full-service digital agency VML into the NZ market, where it will be known as VML@Y&R.
“We are negotiating with prospects in NZ, and expect to have the operation up and running within a couple of months,” says the Melbourne-based ceo of Y&R Brands Russel Howcroft.
VML@Y&R has established 11 offices worldwide since it was formed last year, and will open a further eight offices over the next year, including Australia, where it will operate with George Patterson Y&R.
VML joined WPP in 2001 and has operated independently as a Y&R agency since 2006. In 2009, it became Y&R’s global digital partner.
TBWA\ CD Guy Roberts and his creative partner Corey Chalmers have quit to join Droga5. Roberts has been at TBWA\for eight years; Chalmers for four. “They’ve been tapped on the shoulder, and you can’t stand in their way,” Dave Walden told Stop Press.
Interestingly, while at TBWA\, Chalmers & Roberts worked on ASB – now they’ve crossed over to Droga5 (which won ASB last month), they’ll be working on the same business.
FINALISTS HAVE BEEN UNVEILED for the NZ Marketing Awards – see them at www.nzmarketingawards.co.nz. The winners will be announced on Thursday 26 August at the Langham Auckland.
DDB NZ ROSE ABOVE THE TROUBLED Adfest 2010 to take out one of the top prizes – the Grande 360 Lotus for Moro 4th Best in the 360 Lotus category.
4th Best was inspired by a global survey that ranked Auckland as the world’s 4th most liveable city. “Using typical NZ humour, DDB built a campaign around the number 4,” said Cyber jury president Brett Mitchell, digital director at Droga5 Sydney.
“The New National Animal idea [a close runner-up to 4th Best] was possibly stronger, but from a 360 perspective, Moro just had more spokes in the wheel and a whole lot more elements to the campaign, and it won on that basis. I think the jury made the right call.”
The riots in Bangkok earlier in the year had forced the cancellation of the Adfest festival, but voting went ahead in Tokyo, courtesy of the Japan Advertising Federation. Results with an NZ connection were ...
Directing
Bronze: Sweet Shop Auckland Pure Blonde 'Dove Love'.
Finalist: Curious, Goodoil Sydney, Film Construction Sydney, Flying Fish NZ.
DraftFCB has made new appointments to newly created positions (HR manager & head of craft), plus appointments in account service and creative.
Nick Smith joins to head the craft department. He previously spent four years running the craft department at Saatchi & Saatchi.
Joining the creative team as senior writer is Steve McCabe. He's ex London (DDB, DMB&B, Lowe, Euro RSCG), Sydney (George Patts) and came to NZ six years ago to join Generator. Tucked away somewhere he has a couple of Cannes Gold Lions and a Silver. Most recently he was Deputy CD at Y&R Auckland (and helped lead the agency to the Fairfax AdMedia Agtency of the Year in 2007.
In between fulltime Auckland agency gigs he did freelance stints in Dubai and Nigeria (and in Auckland).
Roslyn Koskela joins as DraftFCB's first HR manager. Previously, she worked in psychology and accounting.
The agency has also appointed two new account managers - Hannah Peterson (in Auckland) & Sarah Meikle (in Wellington). Peterson, who's previously worked in promotions and digital, will work on Draft's Westfield account. Marketing & business management graduate Meikle moves from Auckland to DraftFCB's Wellington office to take up her role.
Toni Becht has returned to DraftFCB as media planner on two key global brands after three years at ZenithOptimedia Sydney & Auckland.
And joining the creative team is interactive designer Lyle Markle.
Auckland's Cirkus Productions held kamikaze animation workshops during the Cannes Lions festival, a process that saw Episode 15 of of its guerilla animation project 'Exquisite Corpse' made during just six days.
Exquisite Corpse is designed to drive people to the Cirkus website (www.cirkus.co.nz) and to get an ongoing guerilla animation project going, based on publicly submitted storylines. You can see all 15 eps at www.exquisitecorpse.co.nz.
The following video was shot at Cannes and shows feedback on different stages of the animation process ...
AUCKLAND PRODUCER SCREENTIME Communications has won a Stevie International Business Award in Istanbul with its Out of the Wild promo video for Manuka Health honey.
“We engaged Manuka’s international market by having a small documentary crew spend a day with the beekeeper visiting hives in the Wairarapa Hills,” says producer/director Steve King.
“White manuka flower as far as the eye can see is a glorious sight.” Watch the video here ...
Brainbox, the animation & design division of Auckland post shop Toybox, has signed Dominic Taylor as a director.
He’s recently returned from Berlin where he worked in post, and also as a director with Butter und Vater Berlin. A recent NZ job was shooting a Crowded House video for Saturday Sun ...
“Film and video increasingly use larger and larger elements of design, animation and graphics, mixed with live action,” he says.
“As a director at Brainbox, I have the ability to take these post-heavy projects from shoot and production through to finished product.”
DDB TEAM JAMES TUCKER & Simon Vicars took out the $10,000 cash main prize for the 2010 Newspaper Ad of the Year in Auckland last week. The winning ad, Mark Rothko, was one of a series of newspaper ads promoting subscriptions to Sky TV’s Arts Channel.
“The judges unanimously agreed the campaign idea was striking and beautifully written,” said NAB gm Robert Munro.
During the show, a full-page press ad announcing the winner was produced live and despatched from the venue to appear the next morning in the NZ Herald, Dominion-Post, The Press and ODT.
The $500 Ad Student’s Newspaper Ad Competition (sponsored by the Herald) was won by Edward Knowles & Charles Twaddle from The Ad School, and the $250 48 Hour Bonus Brief was won by Jonathan Fox & Jack Delmonte, also from The Ad School.
Special Group handled advertising for the show; the judges were Rebecca Carrasco (Mojo), James Mok (DraftFCB), Levi Slavin (Colenso), Angus Wardlaw (Saatchi) and the chairman was Chuck Porter (Crispin Porter + Bogusky). Watch Porter’s video (which screened on awards night) here ...
YAHOO!XTRA HAS LAUNCHED ROUND two of its quarterly Digital Strategy Awards.
Entries close Friday 13 August, and will be assessed by a panel of three, including regular judges Yahoo!Xtra gm Laura Maxwell-Hansen and Mohawk Media’s Helen Baxter. A third judge will be confirmed later.
The four quarterly winners will compete for the overall Y!X DSA annual prize of $10,000 worth of advertising on Y!X plus automatic entry to the Best Use of Digital category at the 2011 CAANZ Media Awards.
The first of the annual winners will be announced in February. MEC (Mediaedge:cia) won round one for its Caltex with Techron campaign. More at nz.advertising.yahoo.com/awards.
AUSTRALIA’S CAXTON AWARDS HAS issued its call for entries at www.caxtonawards.org.au. The winners will be announced at the Quay West Resort, Noosa, Queensland, October 22-24.
KIWIS ARE RAPIDLY INCREASING their participation in social media, is the predictable finding from Nielsen’s 2010 Social Media Report, released Monday. Content sharing is the most popular activity.
The report found that 81% of internet users sent or shared a photo in the past year, 75% posted photos online, and 73% sent or shared a link. The biggest increases were reading wikis (up 26 percentage points), updating and creating social networking profiles (up 16 percentage points).
And 42% interact with companies via social networking sites, and 44% have published opinions about products, services and brands; while 73% have read other consumers’ product opinions online.
Facebook was the most popular site, followed by YouTube, Wikipedia, Bebo, OldFriends, MySpace, Yahoo!Answers, Twitter, Flickr, Yahoo!Groups, Blogger/Blogspot, Friends Reunited, Photobucket, and Linkedin.
Email ed@fastline.co.nz for a copy of the full report, including graphs.
DDB has again infiltrated the creative ranks at Colenso, this time snatching three rising stars ...
Simone Louis joins as a copywriter, partnering Brett Colliver. She began her career at Colenso before doing a short stint at Mojo then moved to Three Drunk Monkeys Sydney, where she was creative partner to CD Noah Regan.
She’s worked with Frucor, Mini, Mercedes Benz, Lion Nathan, Foxtel and Telstra. Her award wins include a rare YoungGuns Black Bullet, plus gongs from Cannes, One Show, AWARD and Axis.
Also joining DDB from Colenso is young creative team Steve Hansen & Paul Kim (Emerging Talent Award winners at Axis 2010).
“I’ve had my eye on Simone since she wrote some great long-copy ads for Mercedes at Colenso,” says ECD Toby Talbot.
“Steve & Paul have the hunger to go far. The department has never been in better shape.”
DDB’s latest raid on Colenso comes just two months after the snatching of senior team Lisa Fedyszyn & Jonno McMahon.
THE NZ MARKET RESEARCH SECTOR will celebrate its best work at the Market Research Effectiveness Awards, to be held at the Hilton Auckland on Friday 3 September. Details at www.amro.org.nz or from info@amronz.org.nz.
NZ POST Targeted Communications has launched a new data segmentation product, called Genius, to provide marketers with “the most targeted consumer information available in NZ”.
Genius pulls together data from a variety of sources, including the Census, property valuations, and the NZ Lifestyle Survey to identify target markets, new prospects, store catchment areas, product ranges, cross-selling opportunities, and to tailor direct marketing campaigns.
It divides NZ into nine clusters and 36 segments – each with distinct characteristics – and differentiates between urban and rural areas.
Genius was soft-launched to analysts in May and, says Targeted Comms analytics manager Susan Needham, “has been creating huge interest for the level of insight and accuracy it offers”.
“It’s the most exciting thing to happen in the NZ data space for years.”
Film Construction Auckland holds its second FC Jam tomorrow (Wednesday 21 July) at the Film Construction Studio, 22 Minnie St.
Agency band The Hathaways return with their punk/pop stylings, and composer Jim Hall brings mod rock with The ConRays. Also featuring are Dictaphone Blues, The Frisk, and Chris Cope. There will be another impressive VJ set from Nude On The Moon, and DJ Johnny Elbo will keep the music pumping between acts.
The full lineup:
Dictaphone Blues. Three lads that love a bit of a knees up and a tickle of clobber, with a sellout album and backslapping reviews from critics and fans alike. They have toured NZ several times and graced the stage with The New Pornographers, Liam Finn, and Lawrence Arabia. Read more: http://www.myspace.com/dictaphoneblues#ixzz0tngNyrpE
The ConRays. Franklin Road composer Jim Hall brings his retro vibes from 60s UK music scene. With an all-star lineup of Suzanne Lynch, Eddie Rayner, Paul Crowther, and Malcolm McCallum. Read more: http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/The-Con-Rays/114974361878487
The Hathaways. Fresh from a feisty performance at the last FC Jam, they are Ogilvy's BOTAB band that features musicians from throughout the agency playing a mix of punk/new wave hits and punk/pop originals.
A change in line-up this year sees new guitarist Nich Cunningham (from the agency's recording studio) join - along with drummer Gary Horne (graphic designer) who replaces Hathaways original Jeremy Taine on drums. Back again are keyboardist - Petra Skoric (account service) - vocal Damon O'Leary (ECD) and Bass - Brendan Boughen (PR) along with new addition to the line-up backing vocalist Bex Riley (Receptionist).
The Frisk. Indie rock 5 piece who check all the boxes - think Muse meets Bloc Party and The Strokes. Melodic, punchy, toe-tapping, high energy songs – which make their presence felt in a lively stage show. Read more: http://www.myspace.com/thefrisknz#ixzz0tnvWbAtI
Chris Cope. Guitarist from much-missed Kiwi band Eight, who achieved gold status and No.1 NZ Rock Radio airplay status. He’s played Big Day Out and supported international acts like Creed and Incubus. Read more: http://www.myspace.com/chriscopemusic#ixzz0tnw1cNYE
Nude On The Moon. VJ/DJ combo Jimmy Olsen & Karl Sheridan are an audio visual adventure. With video and music, spun, chopped sampled and mixed on the fly, they are a group that never fail to make you twitch.
DJ Johnny Elbo keeps the music rolling with his blend of party music - Hip Hop, cheese, blue eyed soul, NY disco, acid house, with some brown sugar for sweetness. Read more: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10563686485&ref=search
For more details, call Ron Redel at Film Construction 09 3732895 or email Ron@filmconstruction.com
Doors open at seven and the music will start flowing early.
Registrations for the Battle of the Ad Bands has been pushed back from today till Monday (July 19).
"Sorry for the inconvenience - we're blaming technology," says a statement released this afternoon by the BOTAB Committee. Register at www.botab.co.nz.
A DDB creative team won the $10,000 Newspaper Advertisement of the Year 09/10 for Sky Television’s Arts Channel, at Hopetoun Alpha Auckland tonight.
The winning ad, Mark Rothko, was one of a series of newspaper ads promoting subscriptions to Sky TV’s Arts Channel.
“The judges unanimously agreed the campaign idea was striking and beautifully written which is what great newspaper advertising is all about”, said Robert Munro the NAB’s General Manager.
Sky TV also went on to win the Newspaper Client of the Year award for its series of programme promotion press advertisements by DDB. The winners were announced at a function in Auckland this evening where guests viewed the 13 Finalists on display along with student competition Finalists from AUT and The Media Design School.
Chairman of Judges, Chuck Porter from Crispin Porter + Bogusky presented a witty question and answer video during the show responding to questions posted earlier on the Campaign Brief New Zealand website. See it here ...
Local judges for the Newspaper Ad of the Year were Rebecca Carrasco Publicis Mojo, James Mok DraftFCB, Levi Slavin Colenso BBDO and Angus Wardlaw Saatchi & Saatchi.
During the show a full page press ad announcing the night’s winner was produced live and despatched from the venue appearing in tomorrow morning’s The New Zealand Herald, The Dominion Post, The Press and Otago Daily Times.
The Ad Student’s Newspaper Advertising Competition sponsored by The New Zealand Herald was won by Edward Knowles and Charles Twaddle from The Media Design School earning them a $500 prize. The 48 hour bonus brief was won by Jonathan Fox and Jack Delmonte also from The Media Design School with a $250 prize.
All Finalists and competition details for the new round can be viewed at www.nabs.co.nz.
Client: Mike Watson, Sky TV
Group ECD: Toby Talbot
Art Director: James Tucker (pictured above, at right)
Writer: Simon Vicars (pictured above, left)
Head of Art: Mike Davison
Production Manager: Nick Conetta
Account Team: Danielle Richards, Brad Armstrong, Scott Wallace.
VFX, animation, and digital creative convergence studio Oktobor has released details of its new CG animation studio, Oktobor Animation, created in conjunction with Backyard Animated Pictures (USA).
"Oktobor Animation will initially be servicing Nickelodeon Studios," says gm Bruce Everett. "We will be creating multiple CG animated television series for them.
"We've also secured a long-term contract which will see Oktobor Animation working on several high-profile television series, including The Penguines of Madagascar, based on the hit DreamWorks animated feature.
"Production has already commenced and currently our staff number 30. By mid-next year, we expect to have a crew of over 120 artists and technicians - rising to up to 300 jobs over the first four years."
Pictured below are senior producer Fraser Clark (left) with animation director Myke Sutherland; and below that, Oktobor animators at work.
The story continues under the images ...
Oktobor Animation will also provide openings to the growing number of regional CG artists, offering up to 15 three-month paid internships up to four times per year to top graduates of local NZQA schools and between 120-140 contract jobs.
"It's been a long and worthwhile process bringing Oktobor Animation to life," says Everett. "We began discussions with Backyard, and presented our proposal to Nickelodeon early this year.
"The Post, Digital, and Visual Effects [PDV] rebate has been a key economic driver in helping us bring this business into the Auckland area.
"We've received invaluable assistance from the Ministry of Economic Development, as well as input from the NZ Film Commission and Film NZ.
"Over the next three years, Oktobor Animation will become an international hub for Nickelodeon's rising number of CG productions, giving Auckland a major international presence in the growing longform CD animation industry."
"Oktobor Animation is inspired by WETA, whose success is owed in part to the strong commitment made by the NZ Government to incentivise international producers to bring their films to the region," said Sydney-based Christopher Mapp, md of Oktobor parent Omnilab Media (the driving force behind such ventures as Dr D, the innovative digital filmmaking studio, with Dr George Miller & KMM, which is working on Happy Feet 2 and Mad Max 4).
"We have a strong belief in the NZ market as a whole, and will continue to invest in more projects as this vibrant market continues to develop."
THE HANDLEY BROTHERS, DEREK & Geoffrey, have sold The Hyperfactory, the global mobile marketing company they founded in NZ in 2001, to US media & marketing giant, Meredith Corporation.
The sale, which was announced in an embargoed press release from Network PR on Tuesday, came 12 months after Meredith took a 20% strategic stake in The Hyperfactory.
The sale price was not disclosed but Derek Handley said the deal “sets a significant benchmark for the sale of a NZ business in the emerging technologies sector”. In other words, tens of millions.
That's Derek Handley below, and below that a shot of Derek & Geoffrey (on the right).
Meredith is a major content provider in print, television, online, mobile and video, and describes itself as “the leading media and marketing company serving American women”. It owns a slew of US magazines, including Better Homes & Gardens, Parents, Ladies’ Home Journal, Family Circle, American Baby and Fitness, plus TV stations.
Meredith plans to retain The Hyperfactory’s network of offices in Auckland, LA, New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, Sydney and Hyderabad. It’s understood there will be no redundancies, and the Handleys will stay with the company, at least in the short term.
OMD has appointed its first head of technology – Nivin Sewpershad, who brings four years’ experience as ad operations manager at OMD Digital and interactive manager at Ponsonby-based agency Marker.
“This appointment narrows the gap between traditional and digital media strategy,” says OMD Auckland md Chris Riley. “It enables the agency to progress the integration of the current media landscape via technology platforms. Using technology as a driving force behind strategic media direction may be unfamiliar to the NZ market, however it’s an international trend.”
Sewpershad says it’s essential that strategy is driven from a holistic perspective, considering the best of digital and traditional media ideas, and how technology can be used to optimise results.
“The technology space has no limits – and that’s where we’re headed.”
Organiser Amar Trivedi reports from Social Media Club Auckland on Tuesday: This was a hoot with 150 SMperor penguins huddled inside the Saatchi & Saatchi atrium braving the winter chill.
The topic, Social Media for Social Good, featuring speakers from NZ’s leading NGOs, created quite a stir, leading to a heated Q&A.
The evening wrapped up with five lucky SM Whiz Quiz winners taking home a Motorola Milestone & T-sticks from Telecom, and T-shirts from Oxfam and All Good Bananas.
Fastline sponsored prizes for the top three Qs at the Q&A, and top three tweets with hashtag #SMCakl on the live tweetwall – which was a ‘tweet as’ success!
All in all, a great networking event with Monteith’s flowing all night, nibbles from Milk Cafe and fair trade bananas for everyone.
Next meet on Tuesday 10 August. Topic: SM Analytics & Listening. Add yourself on SMCakl's Facebook to keep up with the latest updates.
THE POLAROID – STILL ONE OF THE most recognisable brands in the world – is back, courtesy of a global group of enthusiasts who are breathing new life into instant photo technology.
NZ agent Endurance Distributors currently stocks the Polaroid Two instant digital camera (with inbuilt no-ink printer), and the classic Polaroid 300, an analogue film camera that produces instant images that are still unmistakably Polaroids, but sharper and cleaner.
The Polaroid Two retails for $379, and the 300 at $199. Both are available at select camera shops (for other outlets, visit www.polaroid.co.nz). Endurance Distributors’ Chris de Witt (chris@endurance.net.nz) says many more new Polaroid products are in the pipeline.
Marketing & promotion is out of Mark Devlin at Impact PR.
THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL Awards has announced a third deadline extension. Entries have now been pushed back to Monday 19 July. Details at www.liaawards.com.
AT LEAST SIX COMPLAINTS HAVE been made to the ASA about the Whittaker’s Ghana Peppermint Chocolate TVC, made by Assignment Group with Curious director Darryl Ward at the helm. The ASA has yet to make a ruling – but delightfully naughty as this ad is, it’s not exactly X-rated, and we expect the ASA to rule accordingly.
"It’s been a while since I sent a music video out,” wrote Flying Fish executive producer James Moore on the email carrying Greg Page’s video of P-Money’s Falling Down (with Milan Borich).
"I’m pretty impressed with the production values on this one. All post was done here at Fish Digital ... am thinking about renaming it Figital – and welcoming any feedback on that, and a logo from any bored Art Directors ..."
NZ IS ON THE SCHEDULE FOR THE latest B&T Digital Bootcamp one-day seminar series. It opens in Brisbane on August 12, then runs in Melbourne (August 19), Auckland (Wednesday 1 September) and wraps in Sydney on September 8.
The Bootcamp last ran (to a full house) in Auckland two years ago.
This year’s topics include ... Ideas for an Interactive World, Integrating Digital Strategy, Outdoor Moving Digital, Search, Online PR, the Power of Data, and Mobile.
Places cost A$450 BUT there’s a special 2-for-1 offer that expires a week tomorrow (on Friday 16 July). You can purchase a ticket (and view the seminar programme) at www.bandt.com.au/bandtevents. Address inquiries to jessica.hughes@reedbusiness.com.au (ph +61 2 9422 2274.)
Fastline has two tickets to give to readers. Check out the Bootcamp image (above), note what the soldier has in his hand, and email the answer to ed@fastline.co.nz. We’ll give the tickets to the 2nd and 22nd correct emails.
OPPOSITION MANUKAU EAST MP Ross Robertson has lodged a Notice of Motion in Parliament moving that “this House congratulate independent Auckland advertising agency Special Group, whose Together Incredible campaign promoting internet provider Orcon has won a prestigious Grand Prix Award for direct marketing at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in France”.
“It is my way of informing the House of your achievements,” Robertson wrote to Special CD Tony Bradbourne. “Congratulations. I wish your company all the best for continued success in the future.” The Parliamentary letter has been posted at www.admedia.co.nz.
Meanwhile, the Cannes organisation has advised Special that its achievements at the festival have seen it ranked the No 8 indie agency in the world.
TWO DDB NZ PRINT ADS HAVE gained automatic entry to Australia’s Caxton Awards after taking out the April/May Could Be A Caxton comp.
The winner was a NZ Deaf Foundation ad (creatives David Brady & Joe Hawkins) featuring a chainsaw graphic. “It’s a lovely, simple visual idea with clean, look-at-me art direction,” said the judge, former Clemenger Melbourne chairman Ron Mather (although he faulted it for “too much copy”).
Runner-up was a long-copy ad for Sky TV’s Arts Channel. “Really nicely written – but slightly try-hard art direction,” Mather said.
Both ads earlier featured in AdMedia’s What’s New showcase, where the Arts Channel work was named Ad of the Month.
TWO NZ SHOPS SHARED GOLD, Silver and Bronze at the Australasian Promotional Marketing Association Star Awards last week in Sydney.
Parnell-based Apollo Marketing won two Golds – Most Innovative Idea for the Kleenex Cottonelle Couture Challenge and Best Sponsorship for the same campaign (which used 25,000 metres of toilet paper to create 22 dresses).
Newmarket-based AmbientX won a Silver in Best Activity Generating Brand Awareness and a Bronze in Best Experiential Campaign – both for Campbell’s Velish Soup Kitchen.
Sydney-based Momentum won two Bronzes for Best Sponsorship Campaign and Best Digital Campaign for Sanitarium NZ’s Weet-bix Power Plays.
The Grand Prix was won by Wunderman Australia for Microsoft’s TenGrandisBuriedHere.com. Sydney Social Media Club co-founder Doug Chapman (of digital agency Amnesia) received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
NAB NEWSPAPER AD OF THE MONTH judges Dave King (M&C Saatchi), Kim Pick (Rapp) and Janelle Herrick (.99) have chosen not to select a June winner.
“This month’s ads relied on the topicality of the World Cup – but without the creativity we wanted to see,” the judges said in a statement.
And coming up next week (Thursday July 15) is the big one – the $10,000 2009/10 Newspaper Ad of the Year at Hopetoun Alpha, Auckland. Contact Kirsty Atkins kirsty@nabs.co.nz) for an invite.
DDB CREATIVES JAMES TUCKER & Simon Vicars won the May Orca with the same radio ads that have just won a Cannes Gold Lion and two Silver Lions – the campaign for Sky TV’s Arts Channel. Hear it at www.trb.co.nz.
THE DEADLINE FOR THE LONDON International Awards has been extended for a second time – the deadline is now tomorrow (Friday 9 July). Details at www.liaawards.com.
You’re invited (RSVP not required): The IAB Digital Social Club holds its next free drinks & networking function in Auckland on Thursday 15 July (6pm-7.30pm) at the Neighbourhood Bar, Kingsland. Details at www.iab.org.nz; inquiries to admin@iab.org.nz or ph Karyne Ross at 09 361 5352.
SOCIAL MEDIA CLUB Auckland (#SMCakl) returns to Auckland this Tuesday (July 13), with a 6pm start at Saatchi & Saatchi in The Strand Parnell.
“With social media now in the marketing mix, the question everyone’s asking is: How do we monetise SM?” says organiser Amar Trivedi. “Charities and NGOs do just that on a daily basis. At #SMCakl 6, NZ’s leading social organisations will share how they leverage SM not only for PR & marketing, but also for ROI, sustenance and growth.”
The topic for the evening is Social Media for Social Good and the keynote speakers are Suzanne Kendrick, Grey Lynn 2030; Lee Hales, Give a Little NZ (Wellington); Stuart Young, Oxfam; Kate Berry, Arnott’s Campbell NZ; Nick Young, Greenpeace.
There’s also an SM Whiz Quiz with prizes (including mobile broadband T-sticks and a Motorola Milestone) courtesy of Telecom.
Visit the Facebook profile (Google: Social Media Club Auckland) for quiz questions & event details, or email trivediamar@hotmail.com. Trivedi is also the MC and quizmaster. Entry to the #SMCakl (and the quiz) are free.
NEW ZEALAND GEOGRAPHIC magazine has launched the 2010 version of its celebrated Photographer of the Year competition.
There’s $6000 cash to be won across three categories – Wildlife (sponsor Lowepro), Landscape (BioPaints), and Society & Culture (Auckland International Airport).
The overall NZ Geographic Photographer of the Year (Nikon) wins $2000 and a creative contract with Getty Images.
There’s also a Young Photographer of the Year (Getty Images) with a prize of $1000 and coaching under the NZ Geographic Trust Young Guns programme.
The judges are Rob Suisted (Wildlife), Arno Gasteiger (Society & Culture) and Andris Apse (Landscape). The convenors of judges are NZ Geographic editor James Frankham, plus a representative of Getty Images.
Amateurs, professionals and students are invited to take part. Entry to all categories is free and copyright remains with the photographer. To enter, see NZ Geographic July/August or visit www.nzgeographic.co.nz/photocomp.
Last year, bcg2/Blackwood CEO/ECD James Blackwood distinguished himself with a runner-up award in the Wildlife category.
BRAND DUNEDIN HAS APPOINTED two creative agencies to work together to promote the city – Dunedin shop BandAid+ and Auckland-based Projector Media (which is run by Dunedin-bred John Coghill).
The brand partners – Allied Press (the ODT), Dunedin City Council, Dunedin Venues (the new rugby stadium), Otago Chamber of Commerce, Otago Polytechnic, Otago Southland Employers Association, Tourism Dunedin and the University of Otago – also announced they will not be promoting a city slogan “because ‘Dunedin’ is the brand”.
Projector and BandAid+ were appointed from 25 agencies (whittled down to a shortlist of five) that had expressed interest.
Flybuys Music scored a hit on Adshel's new mobile marketing network Adshel Mobile. The campaign ran for two weeks in May, reaching 28,500 Bluetooth handsets.
To capture the attention of pedestrians and commuters, Fly Buys offered free Kiwi music downloads at selected bus shelters around NZ - either through one of Adshel's 20 Bluetooth hotspots or via a QR code.
The integrated campaign was conceived by Clemenger and OMD in conjunction with Adshel.
FLYING FISH HAS ADDED US animation stars Psyop – who animated DDB’s Cadbury Frieda – to its production roster.
“Psyop’s reel is world class,” says Fish’s James Moore. “Their Coke Happiness Factory put them on the map.” Psyop has 70-80 staff in LA and NYC. View their work at www.flyingfish.co.nz/psysop.
Fish has worked previously with Psyop - here's their Emmy-winning Coca-Cola Heist ...
MC RAYBON KAN STRUGGLED TO be heard over the hoots and whistles of a crowd that got rowdier as the night wore on at last week’s magazine award-fest, the annual MPA Awards.
It might have been the location of the Fastline table but a particularly vocal Tangible Media group showed their support for colleagues and colleagues-to-be at the nearby HB Media tables drowning out the hapless Kan.
Maybe it was just the generation gap; they were after all, representing finalists and support team in the Youth & Pop Culture section from Tangible’s Real Groove and The Groove Guide.
Fashion maven Paula Ryan, accepting her Lifetime Achievement award, attempted to add decorum in an impressive outfit befitting her status and an impressive appearance belying her 60-ish credentials by about 30 years.
HB Media’s Adrian Clapperton scored another fistful of gongs, as expected, to add to his designer supremo collection. HB took its fair share of plaudits but seemed a little subdued at having lost out on some of the plum awards to smaller or more specialist trade titles in some categories.
Adrenalin’s Cathy Parker, a long-time MPA and awards supporter, was over the moon at her first-ever awards for her newish custom title Beauty NZ.
From the sour grapes category, there was disappointment at the number of categories that had one or two finalists from as few entries, and a couple of interested, but non-magazine types commented that it would have been enlightening to have seen something more of the winning work.
NEW ZEALAND HAS ENJOYED ITS best Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival ever, with 25 Lions, placing us =9th in the world – the first time NZ’s made the top 10.
Ahead of NZ was the US (with 135), UK (72), Germany (59), Brazil (56), Sweden (46), Australia (44), France (39), Spain (28), with Japan, NZ, and South Africa sharing 9th.
The rearguard included India, the Netherlands, Canada, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Scandinavia.
Apart from Special’s Direct Grand Prix & Gold Lion for Orcon Ziggy, Colenso was NZ’s best, with 10 Lions: three Gold, four Silver, and three Bronzes.
DDB was next with eight Lions: three Gold and five Silver (Liquid Studios shared six Lions with DDB).
Alt Group won two – a Gold and a Silver, JWT also won two – Silver & Bronze, while TBWA and Aim Proximity each won Bronze.
Noteworthy: Curious director Daryl Ward worked on Australia & NZ’s two Grand Prix campaigns (Leo Burnett Sydney’s Media Lion GP and Special’s Ziggy), and Flying Fish’s Kiwi director Niki Caro won a Silver Film Lion for Australia, for her work on an HBF health insurance TVC out of new Perth agency Meerkats.
Details of all NZ’s Lions will be posted here later this morning.
Two new senior appointments at Tribal DDB: Software development manager Stephan Rothlander, a Canadian (but long-time NZ resident) who has been hired as an executive producer.
Prior to Tribal, Rothlander (below, right)worked at Grey Lynn-based software developer Propellerhead, and before that he spent seven years at Eden Terrace-based Virtual Spectator International as operations manager.
And Dan Stoneham (on the left) has been appointed strategist at Tribal. He’s originally from England, where he spent 13 years working for top-tier pure digital agencies.
SKY, TVNZ AND TVWORKS HAVE confirmed the reappointment of The Nielsen Company as the supplier of TV audience measurement services for the next eight years.
The new service will include live viewing, the ability to measure time-shifted viewing (MySky & TiVo), and the expansion of the sample from 500 homes to 600.
THE ASA, CAANZ & ANZA WILL HOLD a briefing to advertisers and agencies on the revised Codes for Advertising to Children, Advertising of Food, and the new code, Advertising of Food to Children on Wednesday 7 July, 3pm-5pm.
The venue is Simpson Grierson, Level 28, Lumley Centre, 88 Shortland St. Entry is free but you need to confirm a place – send an RSVP to vanessa@caanz.co.nz.
NZ ADSPEND FOR Q1 2010 GREW 8% (from US$270 million to US$293 million) compared to Q1 2009, according to Nielsen Media Asia Pacific.
For the first quarter since Q3 2008, all 12 markets across the region recorded strong growth. NZ, however, ranked 11th on the list, ahead of only Australia, which recorded growth of just 5% (having been one of the nations least affected by the downturn).
India (32% growth) led the way, followed by Indonesia (26%), Hong Kong (25%), Philippines (24%), Malaysia (23%), Taiwan (20%), China (17%), Singapore (14%), South Korea (14%), and Thailand (11%).
“This is the clearest sign yet that the region is accelerating out of recession,” says Nielsen Media Asia Pacific md Richard Basil-Jones. “Six of the 10 most confident consumer markets globally are from Asia Pacific, and these are setting the pace of recovery.
“The outlook for main media advertising across the remainder of 2010 appears extremely positive in all 12 markets.”
Overall, adspend in the region in the 12 months to March 2010 is up 15% to an estimated US$132.38 billion.
TV was the main driver of growth in the region (up 16%), followed by newspapers (+14%) and magazines (+4%). Email ed@fastline.co.nz for a more detailed copy of the Nielsen report.
NZ died in the Film Lions. Despite our five finalists, we scored ... nothing! Not even a Bronze.
Australia, in contrast, was impressive – picking up two Gold Lions (to Droga5 Sydney and Leo Burnett Sydney), plus two Silver and a Bronze.
NZ did better in the Film Craft Lions, with Colenso BBDO winning two Gold Lions for NZ Book Council reading campaign Going West (in the Sound Design and Animation categories). Australia won just a Silver Film Craft Lion.
No Golds for NZ or Australia in Integrated Lions. NZ won one Lion – a Silver for Colenso BBDO Yellow Chocolate. Australia won a Silver and a Bronze.
The ASB has appointed Droga5 as its ad agency, and parted company with TBWA after 12 years.
The appointment, which came after a hotly contested pitch, was announced in Auckland late yesterday.
ASB general manager brand & marketing Deborah Simpson said the Droga5 team stood out for their innovative and fresh approach.
"We are entering a new phase for our brand, and Droga5 offers us a different perspective," Simpson said in a statement.
"Droga5 partners Andrew Stone, Mike O'Sullivan and Jose Alomajan have the industry experience and creativity we are seeking to deliver the ASB brand into the future.
She said the long relationship with TBWA had helped build ASB into one of NZ's strongest brands.
TBWA ceo Dave Walden said the company was "immensely proud of the work we have produced for ASB over the years - especially the creation of one of the country's most loved and recognisable advertising icons, Ira Goldstein".
"There has been considerable change at ASB in the last few months - their decision to appoint a new agency is a reflection of that change.
"We're looking forward to developing future relationships and continuing to share the wealth of expertise and experience we have in the financial sector."
No word yet from Droga5. More on this story as it develops.
Five NZ entries have made the Cannes Film Lions shortlist, Australia has 18. The winners will be announced on Saturday night. The Kiwi finalists are:
• DDB Sky News West Bank
• DDB MySky HD Que Sera Sera
• Clemenger BBDO WWF Earth Hour Fatso
• Colenso BBDO NZ Book Council Reading Awareness Going West
• Saatchi & Saatchi Toyota Nimble As a Mouse
The Design, Press and Cyber Lions were announced overnight to the great delight of NZ shops Alt Group and Colenso. In Design, Alt picked up a Gold and a Silver (details below) and Colenso won a Silver. In Press, Colenso won Australasia's only gong - a Silver Lion for its Amnesty campaign. And Colenso enjoyed NZ's only success in Cyber - a Bronze for Yellow Treehouse. The NZ tally so far:
• Direct Lions: Special won the Grand Prix plus a Gold for Orcon Ziggy.
• Radio Lions: DDB won Gold and two Silvers – all for Sky TV’s Arts Channel.
• Promo Lions: DDB won Gold & Silver for Coastguard Live Rescue. Aim Proximity won Bronze for Tower Missing Pictures.
• Outdoor: Colenso won Silver (for Breast Cancer Foundation Blob) and Bronze for TVNZ Dogfight. JWT won Silver for Kit Kat Chair. TBWA\Tequila won Bronze for Visa Go.
• Media: Colenso won Gold for Yellow Chocolate, and Bronze for TVNZ The Pacific. JWT won Bronze for Kit Kat Chair.
• Design: Alt Group won Gold and Silver Lions (both for The Vigneron). Colenso won Silver for Alzheimers Eraser.
• Press: Colenso scored a Silver Lion for Amnesty.
• Cyber: Colenso won Bronze for Yellow Chocolate.
Fastline is keeping abreast of events in Cannes with daily email updates (ed@fastline.co.nz if you want to receive these). You can also follow NZ’s progress via Y&R CD Vaughn Davis at http://twitter.com/vaughndavis and on the Campaign Brief NZ blog.
The CB NZ site also has great video footage from the Direct jury press conference, including Special's outstanding Cannes submission reel. Stoppress also has good video of the Grand Prix announcement (the links button at the top of this page can take you to the Campaign Brief NZ and Stoppress sites).
KIWI EXPATS ANDY WYETH & KAT STAMM got among the spoils at the International Chip Shop Awards this week, picking up a Gold Chip for Best Press Ad with their Nike Finish Line concept ...
Wyeth (an art director) and Stamm (copywriter) are ex TBWA\Whybin but now freelance in Berlin.
“The Chips (www.chipshopawards.com) are not the usual overpriced black-tie event,” says Wyeth. “Quite the opposite – they’re founded on creativity without limits, which basically means ideas that don’t have cowardly clients with miniscule budgets trying to shut them down.
AMONG THOSE HONOURED AT LAST week’s Qantas Media Awards was Getty Images NZ chief photographer Phil Walter, who won Best Sports Picture.
The winning image shows Prada bowman Bernard Labro submerged in a wave as they round the bottom mark during their race against BMW Oracle Racing on day 7 of the Louis Vuiton Pacific Series held on the Waitemata on February 5. Walter and this image are pictured below ...
THE CAANZ BATTLE OF THE AD Bands is ready to blast off again at the usual venue – the Kings Arms in Eden Terrace (the last true rock’n’roll pub left in Auckland), on Thursday 19 August.
Band registrations open at 10am on Friday 16 July at www.botab.co.nz. The rego fee is $250. For inquiries, or to be involved as a sponsor, contact lauren@caanz.co.nz.
ADSHEL HAS PARTNERED WITH THE Strand-based Everything Design to launch 20 day/night Adshel Create sites for the Breast Cancer Foundation’s Girls’ Night In fundraising campaign.
The creative concept, designed by Everything, features a ‘window frame’ with the core campaign message sitting on a ‘pull-down blind’. Different silhouettes printed on the reverse side of the poster become visible at night, and show women of different ages having fun at home.
“This technique adds potency to our message – encouraging women to have a fun night in with their girlfriends and help the foundation raise funds at the same time,” says Everything CD Jason Saunders.
TBWA, DDB, SAATCHI, COLENSO, ALT Group, NZ Herald and Touchpoint are among the agencies & media to provide mentors to yMedia, an outfit that enlists AUT students to take part in a competition to produce digital creative work for not-for-profits.
From now until August 9th, 62 students will compete to develop and implement the digital media initiatives. It all comes to a head with an awards dinner and a $5000 prize.
MEDIA MINGLE IS UPON US AGAIN – this time at Cargo Bar in the Viaduct on Tuesday 29 June. There’s a free glass of sparkling on arrival, followed by drink specials and complimentary canapés (all courtesy of MM sponsors Gardyne Holt, Bullet PR & Clinton Tudor Photography).
The event runs 6pm-9pm. Register (for free) at www.mediamingle.co.nz.
AUCKLAND-BASED CROSS-CULTURAL agency Bananaworks has formed an alliance with two Wellington shops – Hyve Communications and DFVBY (Donnithorne Fordyce Vintiner Birss & Young) – to broaden its services to advertisers wanting to access NZ’s Asian market.
Bananaworks creates campaigns in Chinese, Korean and Japanese to complement homegrown comms delivered in English. Its client list includes ANZ, BNZ, HSBC, Inland Revenue, Telecom, Te Papa, Western Union, and Yellow.
MEC (MEDIAEDGE:CIA) WELLINGTON has won the first round of Yahoo!Xtra’s new quarterly Digital Strategy Award with a campaign that included a traffic mini-site for Caltex With Techron. “The content was of real benefit to consumers and created outstanding engagement, with an average of over seven minutes spent per unique browser,” says Yahoo!Xtra gm Laura Maxwell-Hansen.
The judges (Maxwell-Hansen, Mohawk Media’s Helen Baxter, and NZ Transport Agency ad manager Rachel Prince) commended MEC for “excellent use of tailoring across multiple channels”.
All quarterly winners become automatically eligible for the DSA annual prize of $10,000 worth of media on Y!X plus free entry into the CAANZ Media Awards (Best Use of Digital category). Entries for the 2nd quarter campaigns close on July 16 (at http://nz.advertising.yahoo.com/awards).
DDB has devised a creative way to help Fifa World Cup fanatics take time off work to watch the games unfold on Sky TV (“every football lover’s happy place")...
AUSSIE MARKETING MANAGEMENT consultant TrinityP3 has set up shop in Wellington, and appointed St John Craner to run it. Trinity P3’s mission is to help clients maximise the effectiveness of their agency relationships – specifically, agency remuneration, agency search & selection, and pitch management.
TrinityP3 rents space from Origin Design at Level 1, 10 Cambridge Terrace, Wellington 6011, ph 04 801 6644. The website is www.trinityp3.com, and Craner can be reached at 021 515 650 or stjohn@trinityp3.com.
TOMORROW (FRIDAY 18 JUNE) IS the deadline for entries to the $10,000 Newspaper Ad of the Year (and the $1000 Prego lunch for Newspaper Client of the Year). Full details at www.nabs.co.nz. Enquiries to kirsty@nabs.co.nz.
BBDO NZ SHOPS HAVE WON THE only metal for this country at the New York Festivals International Advertising Awards, held in Shanghai.
Clemenger won gold for NZTA It’s Your Call and silver for NZTA Heaven Radio (both in the Radio category), and Colenso took a bronze for Alzheimers NZ Car.
Australian agencies won five golds, seven silvers and nine bronzes.
ADSHEL IS PLANNING TO INSTAL and sell advertising space on Telecom’s payphone network later this year.
The once-ubiquitous network has now slimmed down to 3800 modern booths nationwide – but these are in key locations like malls, airports, and tourist spots – and Antarctica (where there’s three). Around nine millions calls are made from them each year.
Payphones are currently being fitted with ad panels and spruced up with better lighting.
CHRISTCHURCH-BASED ONLINE digital strategy & ad agency Hexamon Communications is launching a personalised, multi-purpose broad spectrum entertainment card.
Called 1-Night, the card is linked to a website (www.1-night.co.nz goes live on Sunday) and confers special offers via text messaging and ezine newsletters, and the opportunity to participate in incentivised text surveys, new product launches, competitions and giveaways, discounted drinks and entertainment specials.
The website will feature directory listings, forums, microsite pages, music, restaurant & entertainment reviews and social networking apps. For 1-Night website ad enquiries, contact Gary Hogg at 021 405 711 or hexamon@xtra.co.nz.
THE IAB PRESENTS KIA MOTORS – A case study, starring IAB chairman (and TradeMe head of advertising) Michael Gregg & Kia strategic & current affairs manager Graeme Perry – at Juice Bar, 144 Parnell Rd, on Wednesday 30 June.
The topic is Kia’s recession-defying growth; the event runs 4pm-6pm, and costs $95+gst (but $65+gst for CAANZ, ANZA & IAB members). Book at www.iab.org.nz.
ALBANY-BASED PUMPT ADVERTISING md Dominic Sutton has bought fortnightly national shopping magazine Best Buys and plans to merge it with its own monthly Auckland title, Smart Saver. The merged title will retain the Best Buys name.
Sutton bought Best Buys from the Rural Media receiver and has kept the profitable title alive after its parent went belly-up 12 months ago.
THE MEDIA DESIGN SCHOOL, home of the Ad School (formerly Axis Adschool), is running a short course in Social Media Marketing, from July 26 to September 26 with one session per week – on Mondays, 6pm-9pm – and a Sunday workshop on September 26.
Each week covers a different angle, and all feature hands-on workshops and live case studies. The topics include search engine optimisation, social media campaigns, making Twitter work for you, and blogs.
Guest speakers include Orcon’s Duncan Blair, blogger Courtney Lambert, and Air NZ marketers.
The course is aimed at marketing professionals, and costs $1995 incl gst. To register, email shortcourses@mediadesignschool.com or call Suzi on 09 303 0402.
Five Adshel sites in Auckland and Wellington are breaking new ground with LED advertising display technology.
Apart from their role in attracting the eye of passing traffic, the LED displays enable advertisers to update the display information at any time.
Currently, Vodafone is using the technology to provide interesting factoids about cellphone use - like, :42% of mobile internet users access the internet on their mobile while eating", and "23% have used their mobile to cheat in a pub quiz".
The campaign was conceived by Aim Proximity, SparkPHD and Adshel, and will run for six months.
DraftFCB has been appointed to provide advertising and specialist media relations services to Statistics NZ for the 2011 Census. The agency described the pitch process as "exhaustive" but did not name the other contenders (see next week's Fastline for these).
CAANZ CEO RICK OSBORNE JOINS AUT’s Prof Elaine Rush and McDonald’s director of marketing Justin Watson on tonight’s Ad Show to discuss the new children’s food advertising code.
Also on the agenda are two controversial TV campaigns – Tourism Australia and Colenso’s Fresh Up Thirst is Creepy. Watch 'There's Nothing Like Australia' and two executions of 'Creepy' here ...
The show screens on TVNZ 7 at 9.35 (or watch it at your leisure at www.tvnz.co.nz/theadshow.
Meanwhile, The Ad Show’s season – originally 15 episodes – has been extended by a further five shows, reflecting its status as TVNZ 7’s most downloaded programme.
.99’S 'DEAR LISTENER', AIR NZ CEO ROB Fyfe’s charming & witty sign-language confrontation with The Listener, has been voted the May Newspaper Ad of the Month.
“This was an entertaining exchange between two advertisers within mainstream media that broke away from the realm of traditional press wallpaper and drew people in,” said the May judge, Josh&Jamie’s Josh Lancaster.
“This is what newspaper advertising should be about – powerful, topical, fast-moving answers that start people talking.”
Credits: ECD Craig Whitehead; CD Craig Pethybridge; account director Matt Dickinson; account manager Kate Gilmour; media strategist Jarrod Hunt; writers Jon Coles & Craig Pethybridge; art director Dom Antelme; designer Jon Tricklebank; agency producers Hannah Alderson & Ross McWhirter.
The .99 creative team wins $250 cash, NAB sponsorship into next year’s Axis Awards, an AdMedia What’s New insertion, and automatically becomes a finalist in this year’s Newspaper Ad of the Year (with its $10,000 cash prize). The Air NZ ad can be viewed below, and all the current NAY finalists at www.nabs.co.nz/Inspiration/AdofMonth.
Australasian producer Film Construction has scored a coup by signing London All Films founder Ron Redel as executive producer in Auckland. Redel, who recently emigrated with his Kiwi wife Megan and family, has produced over 200 TVCs with maverick Diesel creative-turned dark comedy director Brian Baderman (Citroen Suicide).
“This is one of the most exciting times in advertising history because of the profound changes to the way ads are being made and distributed,” Redel says. To see his reel, contact 09 373 2895 or ron@filmconstruction.com.
Fairfax Media has closed weekly business newspaper The Independent and boosted its multimedia Businessday newsroom by eight new journalist appointments.
Businessday sections appear in the Dominion Post, The Press, and the Waikato Times; Businessday.co.nz appears online as the business section of Stuff.co.nz.
THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL Awards deadline is this Monday (June 14). Details at www.liaawards.com. Judging takes place in Las Vegas in September, with Droga5 Sydney’s David Nobay as a jury president.
Fastline has eight copies of the LIA 2009 book to give to readers. Just put LIA Book in the subject line and email it to ed@fastline.co.nz. We’ll give a copy to every third email.
This is a beautiful book – but heavy! So winners will need to make the pick-up from the Mediaweb hub office in Kingsland.
We also are planning a screening in Auckland of the 2009 LIA reel – register your interest to ed@fastline.co.nz (put LIA Reel in the subject line).
SPECIAL has won Lion Nathan's Diageo portfolio after a pitch against two unnamed agencies. The incumbent was Running With Scissors which was forced to withdraw because of a conflict of interest with DB.
The Diageo portfolio includes Smirnoff, Baileys, Guinness, and Johnny Walker.
IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME IN THE making, but Blackwood Communications Group & Grey Global Group have finally unveiled their integrated advertising & communications offering - to be known as bcg2.
The deal includes all of BCG, G2 and Grey Healthcare.
Ownership involves a mix of local and international shareholding. It will be locally managed, with BCG chairman Bert Lamb becoming chairman of bcg2; BCG CEO/ECD James Blackwood takes up the same role at bcg2, and BCG managing partner Michael Jarvis & G2 md Sarah Norrie both become managing partners of the new company.
Additionally, Grey Australia chairman Paul Gardner will join the bcg2 board. The bcg2 healthcare division will be managed by former Grey Healthcare head Stuart Ogden. There’s been just two redundancies across both BCG & G2, and the new agency employs 30 staff.
“We have brought together two teams who are well versed in managing global business with a distinctive local perspective,” said Blackwood.
bcg2 will be based at G2’s current offices at Level 2, 1 Cross St, Newton 1010; PO Box 105120 Auckland 1143. There’s a new phone number (09 379 9007), a new website due soon (at www.bcg2.com), and new email addresses (firstname.lastname@bcg2.com).
Ogilvy has appointed Rupert Price as head of planning, replacing Michael Prentice, who left in March (to join Strategy Design & Advertising in his home town, Christchurch).
Price comes direct from O&M London, and before that he worked at Saatchi & Saatchi UK and JWT UK. “He’s moving to NZ with his family and will take up the role in a couple of months’ time,” says md Greg Partington.
“In the meantime, he’s working for us from home in London. Rupert has a formidable reputation in building powerful brand strategies.”
NZ POST TARGETED COMMUNINICATIONS has launched a new website that offers marketers free insights into their target audiences.
www.nzpost.co.nz/datahub allows users to employ popular NZ Post datasets to crunch their own numbers (eg, if a user wants to find out how many NZ householders are thinking of purchasing a new car in the next year, they can obtain the answer – 37,117 – via the Data Hub’s Lifestyle Survey tab).
The Data Hub offers a numerical snapshot of data available from the NZ Lifestyle Survey, New Movers, Rural and PO Box Direct lists. Users can then liaise with the Targeted Communications team to get even richer data insights. Details from fiona.woolley@nzpost.co.nz.
COLENSO & AIM SCORED NZ’S ONLY win at D&AD but it was a big one – a Yellow Pencil for Yellow Treehouse (in Branding). NZ’s three nominations were also from within Clemenger Group – Treehouse, Colenso’s Book Council Going West (in Animation) and Clemenger BBDO Wellington Road Safety It’s Your Call (Radio).
Australia’s Sapient Nitro Brisbane won Black Pencils (in Integrated & Direct) for Best Job in the World, and South African agency TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris for exiled newspaper The Zimbabwean (in Graphic Design).
NZ’S CANNES ENTRIES ARE UP 19% (358) from last year (290). Australian entries are up even higher – 30% (1025 entries, against 784 in 2009). Globally, entries are up 7% to 24,242.
Saatchi & Saatchi has matched its growing list of departees with four new creative hires: Copywriter Anne Boothroyd, who’s ex Colenso & Clemenger Wellington, joins on July 7 as Creative Group Head; Scott Huebscher joins from Saatchi LA as Digital CD on June 16, while creative team Steve Andersen & Dave Reid (both ex Aim Proximity Auckland and Saatchi Johannesburg) join on June 14.
“Anne Boothroyd [three nominations at this year’s D&AD] writes more irresistible participative ideas before lunch than most agencies do in a year,” says Saatchi ECD Dylan Harrison.
Huebscher brings extensive experience working on Toyota’s interactive efforts at Saatchi LA. “He’s driving some of the most innovative interactive creative in the Saatchi global network,” says Harrison. “We share the belief that the only place for a Digital CD is in the heart of the creative department – Scott will be a key part of putting interactivity into everything we do.”
Mojo Auckland has hired Rebecca Carrasco as CD, reporting through NZ ECD Lachlan McPherson to Sydney-based Mojo Australia & NZ chairman Craig Davis. For the past three years, she’s been running her own Sydney agency (read on). At Mojo, she replaces Steve McKenzie, who resigned last week.
Carrasco is an Aussie who’s spent much of her working life in Auckland – at Colenso and Saatchi (where she was creative partner to ‘new’ Deputy CD Toby Talbot in 2005).
She’s won multiple golds at Cannes, One Show, D&AD, London International, Clio, and AWARD, the Andys, and is currently undertaking a PhD at the Sydney University of Technology.
Since leaving NZ in 2006, she’s worked at Saatchi Sydney, Lowe Hunt Sydney, and in 2007 she set up her own Sydney creative shop, Colman Rasic Carrasco, with Ben Colman & former Lowe Hunt Sydney CD Dejan Rasic. She left suddenly earlier this year, and her agency has now shortened its name to Colman Rasic and continues in business.
“This is a real coup for us,” McPherson told Fastline yesterday. “I’m totally thrilled to have Rebecca here.”
FLYING FISH COMMERCIALS director James Soloman has picked up the Best Music Video trophy at the Juice TV Awards for The Dukes’ Vampire. “James is very much a young gun,” says Fish executive producer James Moore. “He’s done a couple of TVCs and last year shot Mojo’s Xmas Appeal for Auckland City Mission.
“He has a great eye and is constantly looking for new ways to excite his audience through visual techniques and photography. He embraced the Canon 5D on music videos well before we considered it for TVC work, and is consistently pushing the boundaries.” Here's the video ...
Saatchi & Saatchi DGS CD Matt Shirtcliffe – the ‘S’ in DGS – has announced he will leave the agency in one month to start his own shop, Shirtcliffe & Co, in partnership with his wife Mary (who has a background in agribusiness & financial services).
Shirtcliffe’s exit, and the apparent imminent departure of gm Tony Gardner (‘G’), means the agency will shortly be without all three founders of DGS (Digital CD Aaron Dustin left last year).
Shirtcliffe has had an illustrious career – he spent six years at Aim Proximity, playing a major role in growing the agency’s global creative reputation. In 2006, he joined Proximity Canada as ECD but was lured home in 2008 by Saatchi’s Andrew Stone & Mike O’Sullivan to start the DGS direct & digital division.
Shirtcliffe says he’s not yet ready to discuss the model of his new company except to say it’ll “occupy a midway point between freelance and a full new agency. There’s a real demand for experienced creatives out there,” he said. In the meantime, he can be contacted at mattshirtcliffe@yahoo.co.nz.
FASTLINE & ADMEDIA HAVE 25 DVDs and three Blu-ray discs of Mad Men 3 to give away, courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
The promotion starts today with a dozen DVDs & two Blu-rays on offer. All you have to do is check out this image below and send us an email (to ed@fastline.co.nz) telling us what Don Draper is holding in his hand.
Put Mad Men in the subject line – the DVDs go to the first odd-numbered 12 correct emails we receive, while the Blu-rays will go to the 2nd and 4th correct entry.
We’ll give the rest away in AdMedia June (due out in a fortnight). Mad Men 3 goes on sale at retail outlets around NZ this Wednesday (June 9).
Next week, we give away one dozen LIA Awards 2009 books. Stay tuned.
Late news: SORRY - ALL THE MAD MEN DISCS HAVE GONE. WE'LL BE DOING A FEW MORE IN ADMEDIA JUNE (DUE OUT IN 10 DAYS). - ED
TONIGHT’S BIG APN OUTDOOR rock concert – held exclusively for 250 agencies & clients – kicks off at 7.30 at Studio, 340 K Rd. But guests are invited to arrive at 6.30 to “walk the red carpet” and meet the performers – chart-topper Dane Rumble, along with rising artists Artisan Guns, AutoZamm and Lisa Crawley.
The concert marks the launch of Friends in High Places, APNO’s new networking programme that references billboards’ geography and audience reach. Attendees receive a membership card giving access to future events, music downloads, and flight discounts. It will be filmed and posted on Facebook & YouTube.
Entry is free – but by invitation only, and tickets are scarce. But if your need is strong and your talk is smooth, you may yet wheedle one from kent.harrison@apnoutdoor.co.nz.
OUT OF HOME REVENUE IN Q1 2010 was $13.618m, down 1.7% on Q1 09. “Although far from satisfactory, it does show a significant improvement on the 8.1% shrinkage OOH experienced in 2009,” says OMANZ chairperson Pauline Hanton. OMANZ has also announced the appointment of Jo Davenport as project manager, responsible for implementing the OMANZ business plan, including investigation of an industry code of practice, a new research and insights programme, and the potential of a return to annual OOH Awards by 2012.
