Hotel Encourages Theft

Banksy is a British street artist, famous for his satirical graffiti art. He has been known to sneak his art into into famous galleries to hang alongside more traditional curated art. In 2007 thieves removed a section of a wall with an angle grinder because Banksy had stencilled around the 'No Ball Games' sign on it. The wall was later found on ebay for sale for 20,000 pounds. 

In a clever twist The Art Series Hotel is running a unique competition where guests are invited to steal Banksy prints worth AUD 15,000 each.  The two key conditions are you must be a guest at the hotel and you must remove the piece undetected. If you are discovered then the art is returned to the wall for another guest to try their hands. Clues to the art's whereabouts are being posted on Facebook and Twitter. 

12 Days of Advertising - Day 12

Day Twelve: Jasmine Griffin, Whittaker's

Jasmine accepting the Reader's Digest award for
Most Trusted Confectionary brand in 2011

Welcome to the final day of the 12 Days of Advertising series! In the war of the chocolate giants we are tied 1 - 1 with guests Jen Corbett and Steve Dimakis, choosing Whittaker's 'Swear by the Slab' and Cadbury's 'Share the Joy' respectively, as their favourite campaigns of 2011. 

To settle the score our final guest is Jasmine Griffin, Brand Manager of Whittaker’s. I first heard Jasmine speak at a digital conference in Auckland earlier this year. I was particularly struck by the way Whittaker’s integrating digital and traditional advertising campaigns. Whittaker’s is a great example of what can be achieved when you have an overall brand strategy - not separate traditional and digital media approaches. 

Growing up Jasmine wanted to be a ballet dancer, while she still dances now, she switched career paths at the last minute and studied Marketing at Victoria University in Wellington. Turning out to be a natural she stayed and achieved First Class Honours. 

Having a sweet tooth she struck it lucky landing the dream job of marketing assistant at Whittaker’s straight from university. It didn’t take long until Jasmine’s skills in digital and branding meant she was promoted to brand manager. She has led the way for Whittaker’s to embrace an integrated social media strategy. 

Don't forget our Puma giveaway closes 20th December - so leave a comment and tell us what you think to enter! 

12 Days of Advertising - Day 11

Day Eleven: Steve Dimakis, MEC Wellington

The guest contributor for day eleven is Steve Dimakis, a Senior Media Planner at MEC Wellington, the media arm of Y & R. You can find out more about MEC New Zealand here and globally here. Steve has had over 10 years experience working in the advertising industry comprising of time spent working in agencies, for media providers and directly consulting to brands. His pick for 2011 demonstrates how a brand can successfully utilise their "essence" and he has some wise insights on the matter.

12 Days of Advertising - Day 10

Day Ten: Tom Reidy, Catalyst90

Tom Reidy is the Founder and Managing Director of Catalyst90 - a social media agency that agencies use. Tom describes Catalyst90 as a group of "bright, creative and passionate geeks" which is probably why they also started the Wellington chapter of the Social Media Club. Tom has more than a decade of technical sales and marketing and more than three years social media experience behind him.  

If you're based in Wellington, I'd highly recommend popping along to the next Social Media Club event in the new year and in the meantime get a fix of social media new on Catalyst's blog.  

Leave a comment to go in the draw to win a pair of Puma kicks (closes 20th December 2011)! 

12 Days of Advertising - Day 9

Day Nine: John Lai, Social Media NZ 

John Lai is the Malaysian born, Auckland bred, founder of Social Media NZ. Social Media NZ is an influential digital and tech information hub. John is passionate about business and technology. John is also involved in a startup in Palo Alto, California called Chattrspace. He's also a big sports fan and die hard Liverpool FC supporter. 

You can check out John's blog here and the latest digital and tech news on Social Media NZ's site. 

Read what John's pick (well picks) were for 2011 and leave a comment for a chance to win a pair of Puma hi-tops! 

12 Days of Advertising - Day 8

Day Eight: Emma Lawrence, Emma Lawrence PR
(Don't forget that just by commenting on this post you are in the draw to win an awesome pair of Puma kicks!)   

Emma Lawrence is an online PR and marketing expert based in Gisborne, New Zealand. Emma helps small businesses make a big impact using creative, social and engaging communication. She shares practical advice on PR and social media on her website - check it out here. You can also follow Emma on Twitter and Facebook.

NZTA's 'Legend' aka 'Ghost Chips' started off the 12 Days of Advertising series and Emma picks another government campaign related to alcohol use as her favourite of 2011. 

12 Days of Advertising - Day 7

Day Seven: Jen Corbett

(Don't forget that just by commenting on this post you are in the draw to win an awesome pair of Puma kicks!)

Our seventh guest contributor for 12 Days of Advertising is Jen Corbett. Jen grew up in Sunny Gisborne and Havelock North but went on to study Media and English Literature at Victoria University in Wellington.

After University, she moved to Auckland to work at boutique design agency before deciding to get into ads. She was accepted into the Axis Adschool at Media Design School and shortly afterwards landed a place at DraftFCB. After that, she scooped up the dream job of Social Media Specialist at GrabOne in 2010, and is now off to help implement social media for the New Zealand Fashion Festival (Feb 24th to March 4th 2012). She's also about to get married to longtime partner Justin Flitter and is supporting the development of their new marketing startup Flitter.

Outside of social media and setting up her new blog ideas before breakfast she loves good New Zealand wine, fashion, food & exploring a passion for photography and dreaming about all the far-off places she will one day get a chance to travel to.

Jen's extensive background in social media strategies means she has some great insights for marketers in 2012, and her pick for 2011 is a brand that successfully pulled off an integrated TV and social media campaign that was engaging and supported the brand personality perfectly.

12 Days of Advertising - Day 6

Day Six: Shane Harmon, Rugby New Zealand 2011
(Don't forget that just by commenting on this post you are in the draw to win an awesome pair of Puma kicks!)  

Shane Harmon is a Sports Marketing and Major Event specialist with 12 years experience in Australia and New Zealand.

Shane is a veteran of two Rugby World Cups; RWC 2003 in Australia where he was Head of Marketing and most recently RWC 2011 in New Zealand where he works as General Manager, Marketing and Communications for Rugby New Zealand 2011 (the local organising committee). Shane has also worked as General Manager Marketing for Australian Rugby Union, and as Membership and Direct Marketing Manager for the Sydney Swans Football Club, in Australia's AFL.

12 Days of Advertising - Day 5

Day Five: Katie Du Fall, Stolen Rum

(Don't forget that just by commenting on this post you are in the draw to win an awesome pair of Puma kicks!)  

Our fifth contributor for 12 Days of Advertising is Katie Du Fall. Katie hails from Rotorua and moved to Auckland to complete her Communications degree at AUT, whilst at University she worked for Red Bull as a sampler and taking up experience opportunities in sales and communications. 

After university, she began her career with the international brand BurgerFuel as part of the marketing team, dabbling in all facets of marketing from PR to communications to advertising. She is now the Marketing Manager for the boutique rum brand Stolen Rum (follow on Twitter and Facebook). In her spare time, of which there is little, she hosts and produces a web based social media show with Social Media NZ – The Social Life. She loves fashion and beauty with a wardrobe and shoe collection to envy! 

Katie takes us through her pick of 2011 - a pop up concept that sets a new standard for ‘brand experiences’ in New Zealand and also what she thinks brands should be doing in 2012.  

12 Days of Advertising - Day 4

Day Four: Nigel Fowler, Online Marketing Agency 

(Don't forget that just by commenting on this post you are in the draw to win an awesome pair of Puma kicks!)  

The guest contributor for day four of 12 Days of Advertising is Nigel Fowler, the marketing chef (called that by his team for his ever growing passion for marketing and communications) at Online Marketing Agency. He's keen on turning ideas into reality and growing the businesses of his clients.   

You can visit Online Marketing Agency here: www.OnlineMarketingAgency.co.nz

12 Days of Advertising - Day 3

Day Three: Kaleb Francis, Marque Creative 
(Don't forget that just by commenting on this post you are in the draw to win an awesome pair of Puma kicks!)  

Our next guest contributor for the 12 Days of Ads series is Kaleb Francis. Kaleb is a senior account manager at Marque Creative. He has seven years experience in New Zealand; and in the last couple of years worked in the UK for Salter Baxter and Interbrand (London). His main areas of interest are brand strategy and social media. 

Kaleb puts together Marque Creative's Friday Top Five which is a must read compilation on the best on branding and marketing. On top of agreeing to be one of the 12 Days contributors, he also has given me some great guidance to improve The Envy Collection. 
Needless to say I definitely owe him a beer or two!     

12 Days of Advertising - Day 2

James Polhill - Droga5

(Don't forget that just by commenting on this post you are in the draw to win an awesome pair of Puma kicks!)  

The second guest contributor for the 12 Days of Advertising series is James Polhill. James is a business director at Droga5. He has over eight years experience in client service, working on a number of well known brands including DB Breweries, ASB, Telecom, TVNZ and Hallenstein's. James's pick for 2011 a campaign that cleverly walked the advertising line around the 2011 Rugby World Cup... 

12 Days of Advertising - Day 1

Day One: Julie Roulston, NZ Fashion Week 

(Don't forget that just by commenting on this post you are in the draw to win an awesome pair of Puma kicks!)  

The first guest contributor for the 12 Days of Advertising series is Julie Roulston. Julie is one talented, and no doubt busy, woman. She's the owner of Profashion Ltd, the Social Media Manager for NZ Fashion Week and Fashion Editor/Business Developer for Ponsonby News! On top of this she's also mum to Gaby (12) and Noah (5). 

Somehow between all this she found time to tell us her pick of 2011 and some insights on what 2012 may hold. 

Introducing 12 Days of Advertising

The Background 
A wee while ago I came up with an idea to run 12 Days of Advertising - a blog series that showcases the best of New Zealand advertising in 2011. I thought it would be interesting if I could get 12 New Zealander's with advertising and marketing backgrounds to pick their favorite campaign of 2011 and look into their crystal balls for 2012.  

Nice idea in theory but I've never had a guest post on my blog. I've only been blogging for 6 months so it seemed like a good idea. A few people had mentioned that they enjoyed reading The Envy Collection so that gave me somewhere to start. But I had no idea whether people would want to do it. It took a few weeks before I got the courage to start the process. But as the saying goes nothing ventured, nothing gained.  

Sorted's Silly Season Warning

"Christmas is the season when you buy this year's gifts with next year's money." ~ Anon 

With Christmas less than a one month away, silly season advertising is ramping up. Swimming against this tide these bus shelters caught my eye. Sorted (The Retirement Commission) has extended their "Dumb Debt" campaign to address our Christmas spending habits. This post by Sorted shows how true the above quote actually is for many New Zealanders. 

What I like about this campaign is the copy writing - without sounding patronising it highlights the juxtaposition between our actions and thoughts. It reminds us of the longterm consequences of silly season splurging. A pretty effective message that cuts through the Christmas ad clutter.   

Are Interactive Catalogues All Show But No Go?

One good thing about Christmas shopping is it toughens you for the January sales  
~ Grace Kriley 

This Christmas, like every before, retailers will be pulling out all the stops to get your present spending. From the usual 'shout at you' ads, through to some more elegant ways of pulling in the holiday dollars. 

The biggest hurdle for most shoppers is the actual experience of shopping during Christmas season. The crowds and carpark pandemonium are enough to deter most sane people. Hence, online shopping becomes an attractive option, even for consumers normally preferring the bricks and mortar option. Enriching the online experience and lowering barriers to purchase remain important factors in converting online browsers into sales. One format that caught my eye is the interactive retail catalogue. 

Farmer's Interactive Christmas Catalogue 

Farmer's have just released their latest interactive catalogue for Christmas. The first edition was pretty harshly received on Stoppress and I was interested to see what improvements has been made. 

The Good Bits...

1. The Christmas Section 

As a slight caveat I will admit I'm a Christmas fan. Yes I am that person that happily spends hours spent wrapping presents in matching ribbons, planning elaborate table decorations and my Christmas tree has a theme colour. That said, I experience the same gift purchasing stress and online shopping is a nice way to avoid the lunacy that is a Westfield mall during December.

• Christmas countdown: The homepage/front cover features a real time countdown to Christmas in days, hours, minutes and even seconds. What a wonderfully panicking way to drive Christmas hysteria! 

• The Christmas Gift Selector: The gift selector page is pretty clever – however it only selects from the catalogue items so if you want to spend $30-50 on a woman your only choice is a cupcake stand!

• The "Wish List" Perfect for accidentally printing and leaving in obvious places around the house, such as on the fridge door... 

Reebok CrossFit launch creates world record street art

I love seeing what brand's accomplish when they set out to break a world records - usually it's a product launch that inspires this creativity. Encouraged by the value of earned media through social media and the internet, some truly spectacular results are achieved in the name of 'viral marketing'.  

Here's an example from Reebok's launch of CrossFit - as envied on Adverblog

The process of creating the world's largest (and longest) street art piece - images from Super Punch

The wider campaign links to the Reebok Facebook page, where fans can participate in an 'extreme' workout session with Reebok CrossFit team and then share their results on the Reebok Facebook page. 

 

Background from Adverblog: Reebok wanted to create a backdrop of truly epic proportions for their range Cross Fit. Hopping on the 3D street art craze, they commissioned artists 3D Joe and Max to break the Guinness World Record for the largest ever 3D street art piece.

The painting was created in a week amidst fog and rain at London’s West India Quays, Canary Wharf. Anyone could then take part in a Reebok CrossFit WOD (workout of the day) on the 1,160.4m² artwork. I hope the exercise was countering the English November weather well.

Augmented Reality Uses - Part 7

Use #7 - Bring Your Brand To Life! 

National Geographic uses augmented reality to create close encounters in US malls

It's no longer enough to talk at consumers - social media and new digital technology means brands can communicate directly with consumers. Like never before, one-to-one communication is possible. To stand out, brands must provide engaging interactions that allow people to experience the brand, after all actions speak louder than words! Augmented reality provides the perfect platform for an engaging brand experience - here's how two wildlife brands are creating very different results with AR... 

WWF

Augmented reality can be used put your audience into someone else's shoes. This provides a powerful opportunity for charity organisations. WWF Russia let people know how being a Siberian Tiger feels using specially design tee shirts and augmented reality TVs in clothing stores. The result was sure to leave a lasting impression...

Augmented Reality Uses - Part 6

Use #6: Entertain Your Customers

Adidas used augmented reality to create a game controlled by a shoe

Plenty of brands have seen the value of developing games to engage customers and reinforce product messages. Augmented reality elevates game playing to another level, creating an interactive experience that can be unique to each person. 


The benefit to brands is that your product can become an integral part of the game. For example, Adidas has created a game that uses its shoes as the controller (see more here: Wired). Great idea when the shoes are new but wouldn't suggest after a bit of wear! 


Red Bull AR Race Track
As this clip shows - Red Bull created a free app that allows you to create a custom race track by scanning cans of Red Bull. The augmented reality technology then translates the layout of the cans in real life into a virtual track for you to race on. 



Envied at Augmented Planet

Augmented Reality Uses - Part 5

Use #5: Help People Find You

It's the sort of problem that keeps marketers awake at night... what if you customer can't find your product? What if they settle for the competition because you're not stocked? If your customer was walking down a street, any street, would they know your closest retailer? 


What if you could ensure that customers allows knew how you find and purchase your products? Augmented reality allows your brand to be in your customers backpocket in the form of a digital map. 




Here's a couple of examples of how augmented reality is being used to ensure customers can always find a brand... by putting an interactive map in their back pockets. 

Augmented Reality Uses - Part 4

Use #4: Your Virtual Dressing Room   
Augmented reality means your dressing room can be anywhere - even in your customers home! Virtual showrooms and dressing rooms lower barriers for those not keen on pushy salespeople in store or preserve the anonymity of exclusive clients, augmented reality allows consumers to try on your merchandise wherever they are. 


Tissot Watches
Tissot Watches took to the street outside Harrods to allow passerbys to try on their watches using augmented reality wristbands. The same technology is used on the Tissot website, allowing viewers to try on the full range in their own homes by simply printing a wristband. Try for yourself on the Tissot website. 

Augmented Reality Uses - Part 3

Use #3: Your Virtual Sales Person  
While robotic sales people may still be a while off, a virtual salesperson through augmented reality (AR) is already a possibility. AR can be used to provide information on the product and brand. The AR experience often requires the the customer to pick up the physical product and hold in front of a screen. A smart move - considering getting your product in your customer's hands is often the first step of selling in retail!


42Below's Alternate Worlds 
Holding a bottle of 42Below (with a special necktag) in front of an in-store display stand unlocks the 'alternate 42Below world'. Each flavour unlocks a different world which can be manipulated and controlled with the bottle. See how this works after the jump...

Augmented Reality Uses - Part 2

Use #2: Your Virtual Promo Model  


Lynx Causes Angels to Fall From Heaven 
Lynx makes commuters' dreams come to life by using augmented reality to send angels from heaven.

A charity collector interact with a 'fallen angel' but finds she doesn't donate much!

Augmented Reality Uses - Part 1

Use #1: Your Invisible Store   

Airwalk Shoes Invisible Pop-up Stores 
The original Airwalk Gym was sold to a generation of youth that spend their time at the beach or skatepark while ditching gym class. So for the limited edition relaunch Airwalk took the shoe back to these places. They created invisible pop up stores, the only place that the new shoes could be purchased, and the store was only live for one day.  

Still Red Hot After 25 Years!

Today is my 25th birthday. I must admit, I was a little bit upset this (the psychological impact of hitting a quarter century!)... until I found this video from Virgin. The nostalgic 80's tribute  "Still Red Hot after 25 Years" made me smile and I little less sore about this milestone!





I hear they are actually bringing back the famous red high heels to their hostess uniform. While I am a high heel lover, known for wearing towering shoes almost everywhere, I always revert to flats when flying. Poor girls! 

Style.com innovates backwards by launching print magazine

“It’s a magazine for fashion obsessives by fashion obsessives” ~ Style.com 

With so many magazine titles moving to digital, and new titles being launched online only – Style.com has surprised many by doing reverse. This week the site launched the inaugural edition of their print magazine. But there’s no possibility of forgetting the magazine’s online roots with its slightly awkward title Style.com/print. So what does Style.com hope to achieve by innovating backwards? 

Top 5: Fun Halloween Advertising Campaigns

Halloween is about having fun - treats, tricks and dressing up - no downside! Here's my top five creative Halloween advertising campaigns - while the confectionery category was (logically) well represented the automotive brands also had some great ideas.





  

'Occupy George' Activists Stamp Inequality Graphics On Dollar Bills

Just 400 Americans control as much wealth as the bottom half of the entire country.

A pair of San Franciscans has given a pointed word picture to support the Occupy Wall Street protests in the form of Occupy George, five graphic stamps placed on $1 bills.

Barbie's Fashion Night Out in NYC

Keeping a brand fresh and fashionable is always a challenge, but even more so when your target market have limited attention spans and are lightening quick to embrace the newest trend. Mattel has started taking a grown up approach to marketing by embracing social media and interacting with an older audience to increase Barbie's relevance for the modern woman.

Shopping for a good cause: Glassons Opens Cure Shop

Back in 2004, Glassons embarked on their first designer collaboration to raise funds for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Research Trust. Partnering with Karen Walker, the retailer produced a series of tee shirts with money for each sale going to the NZBCRT. NZ woman embraced the collection supporting this great cause and the cute Karen Walker designs.

Seven years on the project has grown up and stepped up to a whole new level. Glassons have opened "Cure Shop" which will act as a dedicated concession store in all Glasson retail stores and online at glassons.com. 

Shopping for a good cause while getting access to NZ's best designers at bargain prices - WIN, WIN! 

The World's First Interactive Tattoo

The Ballentine's catchphrase "Leaves An Impression" couldn't be taken more literally than through a tattoo. Signalling a fairly permanent acceptance of new media, a man in France has recently been given the world's first interactive tattoo as part of Ballantine's "Celebrate Original Minds" campaign. At the centre of the piece is a QR code that when scanned reveals a video, essentially "animating" the static tattoo. Given that a QR Code will fail to function if a single square is out of place, I'm certain some extra care would have been taken checking this stencil!

Adidas Releases Limited Edition All Blacks Shoes

Adidas Releases "All Heroes"

Adidas have teamed up with designer Frank Liew (founder of Qubic Store) an All Blacks limited edition Original Campus 80's sneakers. Four All Blacks legends were chosen to represent the "All Heroes" and brought to life by New Zealand illustrator Elliot F. Stewart. A very simple, understated design is sure to be a hit with collector's, with only 100 pairs being released.

Victoria's Secret Revealed Through QR Code Billboards

While QR codes aren't normally the prettiest things, the "Sexier Than Skin" Victoria's Secret campaign puts them in a whole new light!

Backstage Pass: How Social Media Makes Fashion Accessible

Looking back at NZ Fashion Week, the underlying marketing trend was enabling fans direct contact. The stand out in my view was designer Kathryn Wilson's use of social media. Through a Facebook event, she cleverly allowed fans from outside the industry direct access to her new collection.

Bus Advertising - Snapper

Snapper has teamed with sister company iSite Media to create this eye catching bus signage. Love the concept but wonder how effective it would be when the bus is driving around town normally. Guessing the best application is CBD routes where the buses will be stopping often and driving slower.

Hell's Mis-fortune Cookie

With predictions like "You will see your mum in a strip club" and "Cookies may contain traces of spider eggs" these mis-fortune cookies could only be the work of Hell Pizza.


Envied on Best Ads on TV 

New Blood, New England - The real RWC branding scandal

Forget the controversy surrounding Adidas gear pricing or Telecom's abstain campaign debacle... I think the real scandal is the England's black playing strip. The last thing that English supporters will see at Heathrow on their way to the tournament is the above billboard! Game on England!

Group behind Flash Hakas Revealed - kapahaka.co.nz

Update on the Flash Hakas - the group behind these are www.kapahaka.co.nz - brilliant efforts and guerilla marketing!

You can see the Queens St intersection video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Dc0Gf5Ql1U&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Haka Flash Mobs Strike in Auckland

Sylvia Park Flash Haka - Is there a brand behind these well organised flash mob hakas that broke out in Auckland today? My cynical side suspects so but my heart wants to believe that this is just rugby fans taking their RWC exctiement to the streets! This video sent chills up me and made me proud to be a kiwi, I really hope a brand doesn't go and wreck this nice nationalistic feeling for me!

Also seen on Queen/Victoria St intersection via Twitter user Ajay Murthy (@ajaystwtr)

WORLD Made Me Do It! Number One Shoes launch

So exciting - tonight is the final of NZ's Next Top Model - live from the WORLD Fashion show. I'm not overly concerned who will win but I am looking forward to seeing the new collaboration between WORLD and Number One Shoes. From opposite ends of the fashion budget this is partnership will allow a far larger audience to access one of NZ's favourite designers. Benny Castles of WORLD sums it up nicely in the video below "fashion doesn't exist unless people are buying the product and wearing it and loving it" Shoes will be on sale in stores tomorrow, what a great way to launch! Read on to view Benny Castles and Francis Hooper video interview.

Introducing the Volksubishi - new road safety campaign launches

More examples after the jump!

NZ Next Top Model - live from WORLD show

In a first for NZ's Next Top Model the finalist will be chosen on a live finale after walking in the WORLD show - should make for interesting watching - hope there's not a repeat of Australia's version (when the wrong winner was announced live!).  

QVS releases "Design your own print competition"

M.A.C Party Launches NZ Fashion Week

NZ Fashion Week officially kicked off last night with the opening event hosted by M.A.C Cosmetics. The event features were eight body painted models, each representing famous artists including Warhol, Matisse, Mondrian and Lichtenstein. It took up to six hours to painstakingly hand paint each model for the event.  


Read on to view individual model photos.

Backing NZ 100% - Pak'n'Petone

Photo via Twitpic

The Soccer World Cup in 2010 perfectly demonstrated the fact, you don't have to be a sponsor, to capitalise on sporting events. Nike did it with their "Write the future" campaign - features most of the current soccer stars from around the world but perhaps the most remembered were the Bavaria beer girls. The official beer sponsor was... darn I forget... but it wasn't Bavaria! 36 dutch women dressed in matching orange dresses (the brand colour) were accused of ambush marketing - which carries jail time in South Africa. The girls and brand both denied any association - but the publicity and rumors were still widespread.