Young Couple Show Off Their Cardboard Box Home in New Kiwibank Ad

Kiwibank - Life in Paperdale

As a kid, one of the most fun experiences I can remember was being handed a large empty cardboard box that our family’s new freezer had just arrived in. My mind exploded with possibilities for the box.

I used my mother’s best steak knives to carve out doors, a windshield and a pair of super-groovy teardrop protholes to create a ‘sweet’ 1970s-style van. The van lasted through several imaginary road trips, but met with a soggy end after a hard summer rain.

In a new ad (that reminded me of that story) from Kiwibank targeting first-time home buyers, we meet Sally and Simon Brown, a young couple who have created their dream home made entirely from cardboard boxes and a lot of packing tape. The couple were undeterred when one of the walls blew away on a windy night. They simply went down to the supermarket and got a new one.

With the introduction of a law that prospective home buyers must have a 20% deposit to take out a mortgage, and the ad hopes to encourage them to work with Kiwibank to find creative ‘out-of-the-box’ ways to make their dream come true.

The ‘Life in Peperdale’ ad was created by the Assignment Group, and directed by Jason Stutter of Spooky Pictures.

[via StopPress]

New Zealand

Ford New Zealand Creates Hot Sauce to Promote Limited Edition Fiesta ST

Ford ST Hot Sauce

The new limited edition Fiesta ST may be a hot looking car all by itself, but Ford’s New Zealand ad agency JWT decided to take things up a notch. The agency recruited chili sauce maker Chris Cullen of Cullys to create a special chill sauce containing the hottest chilies grown in New Zealand.

The sauce was created using the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper, which clocks in at a tongue-melting 1.463 million on the Scoville scale, the measurement of spicy-heat created by American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville in 1912. By comparison the Habenero earns a rating of only 300,000 SHU.

A limited number of 3,000 bottles of the ST Hot Sauce bottles were produced, with 1500 finding their way onto tables at trendy Mexican restaurants and burger joints around Auckland. Others were sent to potential customers, while others were given away on the Ford New Zealand’s Facebook page.

[via Campaign Brief]

New Zealand

Demon Office Chair Wreaks Havoc in New Zealand Insurance Company Ad

NZI Insurance - Devil's Chair

A reclining office chair that may have been sent from deepest, darkest bowels of hell is the star of “Devil’s Chair”, a raucous animated ad for New Zealand Insurance company NZI.

The ad created by Draft FCB New Zeland and animated by Assembly Films features the evil chair being passed from one person to another, and the mayhem that ensues when it’s unwitting owner leans back to relax. The cow pooping made me laugh out loud, but then again that’s the kind of high-brow humour I enjoy. Shit happens.

Bonus points to everyone involved for the inspired use of Ennio Morricone’s theme from the Clint Eastwood classic The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.

It all comes together at the end with the tagline “Bad’s not going anywhere. Neither are we.”

[via StopPress]

New Zealand

Bear Grylls Goes Wild in Air New Zealand Pre-Takeoff Safety Video

Air New Zealand - Bear Grylls Pre-Take-off Safety Video

Passengers on Air New Zealand never quite know what, or who to expect when the pre-takeoff safety videos are played.

Past safety videos have featured the All Blacks rugby team, American fitness guru and short-shorts enthusiast Richard Simmons sweatin’ out the instructions in a disco-fueled performance, while just last fall a cabin full of characters from the upcoming movie ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ appeared pointing out the exits and how to use the oxygen masks.

Now it’s Bear Grylls’ turn in ‘The Bear Essentials of Safety’. The British adventurer, best known for his television series Man vs. Wild, filmed the safety video in a remote part of the Routeburn Track near Fiordland in New Zealand’s South Island late last year.

Bear Grylls says shooting an in-flight safety video in the wild was an inspired idea. “New Zealand is a country that I have always called my home away from home and I feel so proud to be involved with this campaign. We shot in a truly amazing setting with an amazing team – and that is always a privilege.”

Besides making sure your seat-belt is fastened and your food tray is the upright position, Bear highlights other important safety points, such as safely storing your fish under the seat in front of you and not using the oxygen mask as a portable loo.

Online viewers of the clip can earn a chance to win a trip for two to New Zealand to complete the Great Kiwi Bucket List by counting how many times a moa (a giant flightless bird) appears in the video. The prize includes a 10 day New Zealand holiday with the winner’s choice of six adventure activities from a list that ranges from swimming with dolphins in Doubtful Sound to hot air ballooning across the Canterbury Plains.

[via Air New Zealand]

New Zealand

New Zealand DJs Play Peeping Toms in ‘Secret Diary of a Call Girl’ Stunt

Secret Life of a Call Girl - New Zealand promo

On November 19, More-FM drivetime host Clarke Gayford began discussing a provocative scene unfolding in the window of a home across the street. A woman, who appeared to be a prostitute was interacting with her clients in full view of the radio station’s broadcast studios. Over the next 2 days, the activity in the window became the talk of the show, with Gayford and his on-air team providing a play-by-play description for their listeners.

All was revealed (pun intended) on the third day as it turned out to the whole event was a stunt for the new season of ‘Secret Diary of a Call Girl‘ on New Zealand’s Prime.

Agency DraftFCB Auckland had taken a brief calling for a 30 second radio ad, and turned into a stunt that played out on the air and on social media by their hosts and listeners of 3 of Auckland’s top radio stations.

Warning: clip contains a NSFW words (skip ahead to :24 to avoid)

[via AdMedia]

New Zealand

Hobbit Characters Prepare for Takeoff in Air New Zealand Safety Video

Air New Zealand - An Unexpected Briefing

Air New Zealand has become well-known for their creative flight safety videos including one featuring flight crews wearing just body paint and another with fitness guru Richard Simmons (who thankfully was wearing real clothes).

Air New Zealand’s latest safety video (embedded below), features a flight crew and plane cabin full of characters from the upcoming movie ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘, including Peter Jackson, and author J.R.R. Tolkien’s great-grandsons Mike and Royd Tolkien.

The video is part of Air New Zealand’s sponsorship partnership with The Hobbit, which includes the (temporary) re-branding of the Airline of Middle-Earth.

Viewers should watch for the Elvish script, then enter to win a trip for two to New Zealand, which includes a tour of the Hobbit movie set, a visit to the Weta Cave, and double passes to the movie premiere of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’.

The safety video was created in partnership with Jackson’s Weta Workshop and Weta Digital.

[via mUmBRELLA)

New Zealand

Cat Risks Nine Lives for Purrfect Car in New Zealand Toyota Ad

Toyota Corolla - Alloroc the Cat

Without giving it all away, this New Zealand ad for Toyota Corolla may not be the best one for overly-sensitive cat lovers to watch.

In the ad, Alloroc, a hyper-focused, puff ball of a cat falls hard for the serenity of the new Toyota Corolla (it even kind of matches it’s fur). After just one ride to the vet, the cat is smitten and will do ‘anything’ for another drive. Soon certain ‘accidents’ begin to happen around the neighbourhood.

The TV ad is supported by a website featuring downloadable Alloroc wallpapers, as well as a CatCam walkaround of the car features inside and out. A special window sticker of Alloroc is available from Toyota dealers in New Zealand.

The ad was created by Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand, directed by Hamish Rothwell for Goodoil.

New Zealand

Men Turn into Crybabies on ‘Girl’s Night Out’ in Lindauer Sparkling Wine Ad

Lindauer - Don't Worry Boys

What in sweet, holy hell is turning these men turn into weeping, distraught, bumbling, emotional wrecks?

Did their team lose? Did they lose a bet? Did they burn a steak?

Nope, nope and nope. It turns out they’re just missing their better halves, who are simply out for a girl’s night on the town. This ad for Lindauer sparkling wine plays on the idea that men are at a loss without the women in their lives.

The “Don’t Worry Boys’ ad was created by DDB Group New Zealand, directed by William Stahl and featuring the song ‘Every Minute Alone’ by Danish band WhoMadeWho.

The Lindauer ad is heavily influenced by (well, pretty much duplicated from) Stahl’s 2011 work with WhoMadeWho on the video for ‘Every Minute Alone‘.

I’m not sure what his secret is, but it turns out that Stahl really knows how to make men cry.

[via mUmBRELLA]

New Zealand

Wellington Craft Beer Competition Promoted By Beer Brewed in a Bus Shelter

Wellington in a Pint

Click photo to view album (photo fr. Wellington in a Pint Facebook page)

The folks at Wellington, NZ ad agency ClemengerBBDO have gotten together with the pubs of Craft Beer Capital and craft breweries Parrotdog, Tuatara, Garage Project and Yeastie Boys (best name ever) to try to capture the spirit of the New Zealand capital in the ‘Wellington in a Pint’ campaign.

As part of the campaign, Anderson Design created a special shelter on Manners Street, in which they placed a special 30 litre tank (with UV coating to protect it from the sun, and heating pads to protect it from cold) of wort to ferment. In the photo album caption they admit, “it probably won’t taste very good, so we’re calling it Bad Manners”.

Round 1 began in April, and participants were asked to submit their creative idea desrcibing Wellington would be via the website or on the back of special beer-mats. A few of the more colorful examples include “”Bohemian Armpit – flavoured with a hint of cumin and patchouli”, “Courtenay’s Tears – a youthful beer best drunk on a Friday” or “Black Umbrella – dark and blows you away”.

Round 2 is the creative brewing portion where home brewers can step up and make a beer of their own to submit. For winners will be selected by a crew of judges that includes local chefs, footballers, cricketers and New Zealand’s foremost doom, stoner-rock metal group ‘Beastwars'(!!)

Round 3 will see craft breweries Parrotdog, Tuatara, Garage Project and Yeastie Boys selecting one each of the winning beers, refine it and turn it into a professional craft beer for the beer-loving masses.

On June 27 the beers will be released to the thirsty public in Wellington, and yes, I just went and checked on flights to New Zealand ($2400 return from Toronto).

The campaign is brilliantly supported by social media, including a Facebook page, Twitter profile, Google Maps and Foursquare tip list.

New Zealand

Find Your Doggie-Double Using Doggelganger

The Pedigree Adoption Drive - Doggelganger

It’s a common belief that people and their dogs can look-a-like. Using that idea as a launchpad, Pedigree has launched a human-to-canine matching site named Doggelganger to promote the Pedigree Adoption Drive.

The website, created by Auckland agency Colenso BBDO lets users upload a picture of themselves and then tries to match them with their doggie double.

Just check out my canine match, a handsome looking 2 year-old male Staffordshire Bull Terrier.