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.

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)

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?

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.