Insurance Ads done correctly ...

We've all seen boring insurance Advertisements. The lifeless acting, the annoying characters and jingles, impossible claims and useless details.... but every so often along comes a campaign that breaks the mould. State Insurance (New Zealand), along with the very capable talent at Colenso BBDO have just conceived what is being touted as the longest one-shot commercial in New Zealand history (90 seconds continuous filming) and featuring a memorable, if somewhat cheesy song from yesteryear that is far better than your average jingle.

This campaign wins our Editor's Pick of the week. Yes, even if it is for an Insurance company .....

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DOSSIER: The Hunger Games Social Media Strategy

 As The Hunger Games gets set to be another worldwide success in the same way(but perhaps not the same genre) as Harry Potter or Twilight, we bring you an interesting article that takes a look behind the scenes at managing the social media strategy, so crucial to success in a crowded market place ....

DOSSIER: Hunger Games - Social Media Strategy

Agency Focus: Strawberry Frog wins Emirates contract

Dubai Emirates is launching a major branding and marketing campaign that will promote the airline as a lifestyle proposition. The campaign will help the airline refine its image from just 'service' to a lifestyle brand..

The campaign will be launched next month - when the airline enters its new financial year - replacing its existing 'Keep Discovering' campaign that has been running for nearly a decade. "The new global campaign will focus on how Emirates is connecting people and cultures and creating relevant and meaningful experiences that are shaping the world," Sir Maurice Flanagan, executive vice-chairman of Emirates airline and Group said. "The key message is that through connecting people and cultures we connect people's hopes, dreams and aspirations." Last year Emirates hired Strawberry Frog as its lead communication agency. "Once you have a cultural movement you can do anything.

Previous campaigns have promoted the airline as a means of discovery, with strong links to iconic images of modern Dubai, but the new campaign is likely to extend this concept to a range of other services and goods.

In the fragmenting media scene, Strawberry Frog is an innovative global agency that develops strategic vision and creative solutions that create growth for our clients," the agency says on its website. Emirates spends 3 per cent of its revenue in communications and branding. Within three years Emirates will be the largest airline in the world. 

The campaign developed by the New York team of StrawberryFrog was designed to show Europeans how many 
jobs were created as a result of Emirates' largest orders for aircraft in aviation history. "In addition to creating the campaign created for Emirates, StrawberryFrog is responsible for developing their global brand and a stellar strategy platform and communications for the parent and sibling brands," the agency says. Explaining the shift, Flanagan said, the airline's Keep Discovering campaign has fulfilled its objectives.

Easter Madness: When Historical Events have Social Media Pages

Following the hilarious and hugely successful campaign using fake Facebook pages to represent historical events and figures (as seen here ), the concept appears to have popped up again in the annual showdown between Good and Evil that occurs in downtown Auckland.

The latest TBWA Agency offering shows the Crucifixion as a Facebook shared Image with one "like" by Judas.

Those of you living outside of New Zealand or unaware of the regular showdowns that occur at Saint Matthew's in the City may be surprised to know that these adverts are actually sponsored "as thought-provoking messages with the aim of inspiring healthy debate and reflection", by the Church itself !

The self-proclaimed progressive Anglican Church in the heart of Auckland City is not one to shy away from controversy, posting a picture of the Virgin Mary looking at the results of a pregnancy test in the run up to Christmas last year.

Campaign: The Great Wine Depression

".....Back in '87 everything was big. Big hair, big sweaters and one big problem. Wine was in and beer was out. Kiwi guys pretended to like wine to fit in, but they never stopped thinking about beer. Luckily neither had Morton Coutts of DB Breweries. Morton figured if guys were drinking wine to appear more sophisticated, he'd brew a more sophisticated beer. A premium lager that was both crisp & refreshing, but still full of flavour. He called this beer Export Dry. 25 years later, guys can still say no to wine thanks to Export Dry..."

This recently aired and ongoing tongue-in-cheek campaign is beginning to ruffle a few feathers among wine producers and consumers who have failed to see the funny side of the kitsch 80s themed commercial. Whichever group you most identify with, the fact remains that it is a superbly produced TV spot. Early data 

Tech: Brand Matchup - iPads and Jetstar

Jetstar launches in-flight iPads

Jetstar has announced the roll-out of 3000 Apple Pad 1 and Pad 2s across its fleet, with more to be released once the tablets are installed throughout the Jetstar Asia network.  The devices will be available on flights longer than two hours for a fee of between SAU1O ($NZ13) and $AU1S ($NZ19.50).  The units will come pre-loaded with music, TV shows and music videos, games, ebooks and magazines, accessible through a custom-built Jetstar app, and will include locally produced content.

The Pads have been modified in several ways to make them suitable for the cabin environment. Each device will come in a custom case that prevents users from accessing the home button and the sync cable, ensuring that Jetstar settings are maintained and users are unable to upload their own content.  

Green Marketing: Biofuel News Update

Cooking oil flight ready for take-off 

Qantas will run two biofuel flights next month powered by a mixture of recycled cooking oil from commercial kitchens and jet fuel that emits 60 per cent less carbon dioxide. The A330 flight will go from Sydney to Adelaide and return on Friday, April 13. The fuel will be supplied by Dutch company SkyNRG. The recycled cooking oil comes from restaurants in the US and is further refined and fully certified for use in commercial aviation and endorsed by the World Wildlife Fund.

Virgin Australia is moving ahead with plans to source and refine aviation fuel from WA mallee trees. European plane maker Airbus is joining this effort, which also involves US giant General Electric and Australia’s Future Farm Industries CRC. The project aims to have an alternative fuel production pilot plant operating in Australia within the next year.

Public Service Communications

The latest NZTA campaign is perhaps not as exciting as eggs driving around like lunatics and cracking their heads open (Eggs Campaign). It is, however, a fine example of spreading an important message to as wide an audience as possible and making it seem simple enough for all of us to understand.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the pecularities of driving in New Zealand, we can summarise it like this: just like the eccentric Brits, we drive on the wrong side of the road and have spent the last few decades thinking up odd rules to relieve non-existent traffic congestion that puzzles the hell out of everyone (tourists and residents alike) and often leads to much arm-waving and swearing. All that is about to change, because on the 25th March, those same puzzling "right of way" rules will be banished, to be replaced with....another set of puzzling rules.

Brands: Latest Shifts (Retail)

Some Brands are winning over consumers, but are they providing real value?

 Everyone agrees that Brand equity is something precious to hold on to and can sometimes help you ride out the rough times, but in times of crisis it is also true that our fickle consumers will become treacherous and turn their backs on their favourite product, in search of a cheaper or fresher looking.alternative.

In a recent Bigger Picture Market survey, some of the shifts in New Zealand's Brand Leaders and Losers have come as somewhat of a surprise in a country that relentlessly adores home brands and shuns outsiders, and does so in a consistent manner - year in, and year out.

Take, for example, The Warehouse - "Where everyone gets a bargain". Back in 2005, when I last visited these shores, The Warehouse was best known for selling "cheap and cheerful" goods (to be polite). Walk into any of their glistening red warehouses today and you'll be met with...yes, you guessed it: "cheap and cheerful" goods again. Surely a successful model that has stood the test of time? 

Well...yes and no. This latest survey actually ranks the country's largest listed retailer well behind many of its competitors when it comes to delivering value. Market Research firm Big Picture surveyed 300 New Zealand consumers last week, asking them to rate 44 well-known brands in terms of their value.

Green Branding Featurette

This is a fine example of screaming about your green & sustainable credentials in a far more subtle and believable way.



Using an almost perfect balance of story-telling and brand association, this short story delivers a message that has been described as bold, delightful and provocative at once. To quote the resident expert and Editor at Idealog, the charming Esther Goh, this is "Marketing that doesn't bash you over the head" which we tend to agree stands a much better chance at going viral.

EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD: "Corona" - summer, advertised properly

As the Southern Hemisphere wonders where its summer went, and Northern climes start the long hard trek to elevated temperatures, we return to cover one of the best artistic pleasures of the summer advertising season, and yes....it is a beer commercial !

One of the Billboard Images used perfect positioning of the corona to shine above the rest

The real beauty of this campaign can only really be appreciated if you are lucky to see one of these billboards out in the open. What amazed me was how well the "corona" of the sun actually blends in with the real world. For example, on sunny days or at sunset, it really looked like a TV screen, and on grey days, the corona almost "shone" out of the billboard as if it was lit.

NABS Highly Recommended Entries - PRINT

The simple but very effective BP Print Ad - Great timing, good use of Brand associated colours and general simplicity

The judges also highly commended an ad that grabbed their attention: BP's Leap Day from "99" Agency: "The strength of this ad was down to its pure simplicity - 3 words to say it all, resulting in a 'clear stand-out factor'."

NABS Monthly Winning Entries - PRINT

The Tui Ad appeared across various newspapers inviting readers to cut and fold for a novel gift

The judges agreed that it showed "great use of the medium and was interactive" and that it "spoke nicely to the immediacy of newspapers".

The end result - a bunch of Roses

Winner Credits:

Executive Creative Director: Antonio Navas

Creatives: JP Twaalfhoven, Brad Collett, Slade Gill, Adam Thompson

Group Account Director: Mark Cochrane

Account Director: Natalie Downes

Clients: Tui Brewery Ltd: Jarrod Bear, William Papesch, Clare Morgan

Valentine's Day Madness - The Edible Phone!

Though we tend to cover the bigger seasonal trends, we have often steered clear of the kitsch and the cuteness of valentine's day, simply because we think that romantic is relatively personal. However, this story coming from our Japanese correspondent was worth a mention....

The limited edition phone is almost good enough to eat

Online Time - What do you do in NZ ?

TNS’s (http://www.tnsglobal.com/) recently-released Digital Life study provides some useful insights into how Kiwis spend their time online:

• 39% of our time is spent on Entertainment (including multimedia, online gaming & shopping)
• 34% Communications (social networking and email)
• 22% Information (pre-purchase research, knowledge & education, news, sport and weather)
• 7% Management (personal admin, planning & organising)

AGENCY NEWS: DraftFCB Nabs Air NZ Account

DraftFCB (New Zealand) has been appointed as the lead advertising agency for Air New Zealand after a competitive pitch.

The Airline is also known to frequent Saatchi & Saatchi for some of its work. Last year it run a successful but somewhat controversial campaign with the Colenso BBDO group.

An admired brand, often recognised and awarded for its innovation and customer service including being recently named 2012 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World, Air New Zealand will join a portfolio of other household names and iconic New Zealand and global brands at DraftFCB including Mitre 10, The National Bank, Genesis Energy, NZI, Greggs, PAK'nSAVE, and BMW. 

2011 REVIEW: Ghost Chips ...

In the first of a series highlighting the best of last year's communication campaigns, we bring you a glimpse of one of the most successful Public Service announcements in recent years. Number one on the viral charts, number one on the "most recalled TV Ad" list and number one in a host of other public surveys over the Christmas and New Year period. Don't drink and drive messages are always grim, but this campaign successfully mixed a hard-hitting message with some cultural flavors to really make a statement.

D&AD - last of the true awards ?

I have been a fan of D&AD ever since their conception. Far from being another "luvvie" organization trying to glorify their own troops, D&AD have brought real talent, ground-breaking campaigns and a touch of flair to the international circuit for quite some time now. Is all that about to change?

A stylish approach to saving electricity

We've all done it - left the TV on stand-by or the mobile phone plugged into the wall... Despite the fact that numerous studies have shown that these devices continue to consume electricity when we think they have been turned off or have fully charged, we still continue to do it. But all that could change as the next generation of chargers and smart consumer electronics is unveiled to us at CES 2012.

Spotlight on: "Carbon Zero"

Around the world, Governments, Companies and Individuals are embracing the eco-friendly vibe and at least trying to give the impression that they are making headway against the impending doom that is forecast for us all. From a Marketing perspective we have witnessed waves of "greenwashing", some downright lies, and a whole range of half-hearted attempts to jump on the Sustainable bandwagon. So isn't it nice that some guys do come out smelling like roses and tasting as sweet as honey....? Read on to discover how one Kiwi brand is doing their bit for our future well-being ....

J.Friend's "Carbon Conscious" and extremely delicious honey

Competition

Stay tuned next week for our Competition 

An unlikely partnership ...

This M&C Saatchi campaign is very clever indeed on a number of fronts. Firstly, the mix of street art and gritty scenarios depicted in the Ads have an immediate impact. In this post-earthquake campaign aimed at motivating young New Zealanders to join the force, Saatchi have cleverly mixed a number of conflicting elements and made it coherent like only they can.

"Bansky-esque" Street Scene in Christchurch

Fiji Me Tourism Campaign

Timing can be everything, and during an unusually cold winter in New Zealand, Auckland was subjected to the taunting invitation of the Fiji Tourism Board's outdoor campaign. Ingeniously simple, the billboards featured a rather kitsch "generic" tropical island picture with a digital "Fiji Temperature" insert which changed daily.

Eggs Save Lives?

This charming and easily recognizable campaign features "crash test eggs" in a series of gory crash situations. Although the animations and the expressions on the eggs' faces as they are put through the various situations is funny, the message about road safety is deadly serious.

Chocolate - an interactive approach

Salted Herring (a digital design agency based in Wellington, New Zealand) are already known for producing first-class interactive experiences, and this site for Whittakers Chocolate is no exception. Using an undeniably "hands on" approach, each element was painstakingly hand-crafted, photographed and assembled to make a fantastic website that simply looks good enough to eat.

Happy New Year 2012

Thanks to all our readers for their comments and encouragement. This year has certainly got off to a flying start and Ads from New Zealand has changed its format in order to bring you even more news and content on the go with our regular and mobile sites.

Our team of journalists and media experts from within the Industry will be bringing you the very best of News, Views and Reviews from the wonderful world of Advertising and Communication in the South Pacific.

Our specific focus on New Zealand and the Pacific Islands makes us unique in the world, and even in a shrinking global playing field, our aim is to capture the essence of creativity "down under" and bring it to the wider international audience it deserves.

Happy New Year, and thanks for your continued support as we enter yet another rollercoaster of a year in the Advertising Industry.