Shirtless oily beefcake: Advertising’s a fishy business

We here at NBR Towers certainly don’t condone the blatant objectification of men, particularly when they’re shirtless and oily. However, in the case of the new campaign for John West’s new tuna slices, which are – ahem – “perfectly cut,” we’ll admit it’s a good fit. The campaign, by Grey Melbourne, came to Ad Hoc’s attention via an insert in the January issue of Women’s Health magazine (a ripping read, on shelves now). It features a print ad – see image, right – along with a 2011 calendar with double entendre tuna tips, with a different “perfectly cut” scenario for each month. Nifty. Seems Mr John West needs to get himself a new job though – with that smoky, oiled exterior he’d be far better suited to the 2011 fireman’s calendar.

In other news munchies…
Been too long since the last Battle of the Ad Bands, fingers itching to bust out a few chords? Got the back-to-work blues? Have we got the thing for you. Barnes, Catmur & Friends, OMD and Ogilvy are putting on a “Small Night In” next week to help soothe the pain of everyday existence. It’s scheduled for January 26, from 5.30-9pm at Parnell’s Juice Bar. Attendees will be able to reminisce and rock out with The Hathaways (Ogilvy), Friends Electric (BC&F) and The Chased (OMD). Get on it.

Colenso BBDO has cracked out a campaign for beautifying Auckland. Click here for the full deets. As rubbish can’t disappear, the idea was to find a way to make it beautiful instead. Ordinary rubbish bags have been turned into bushy hedges and hey presto – beauty abounds. The agency supplied city businesses with the special bags, so the city was transformed in unison on rubbish collection day. Cute.

Other neat work? AIM Proximity’s Christmas campaign to provide solar powered lights to the small Samoan community Apolima.

Just when you thought TV wasn’t worth watching any more and you'd thrown your remote at the cat in disgust! Fluffy can rest easy, as TV3 has saved the day, announcing it’ll produce a third series of New Zealand’s Next Top Model this year. Judges Sara Tetro and Colin Mathura-Jeffree will be back, alongside photographer Chris Sisarich. Director of programming for TV3 Kelly Martin says the format was hugely successful internationally (it's currently in 17 markets) and the local version has gone from strength to strength over the past two seasons. Auditions for the hopefuls start in March in Auckland, rolling out around the country.

The Big Won’s Directory has confirmed what we’ve known for some time: That DDB is fantastic. (Heh heh! I know that makes you all want to spit tacks.) DDB’s made the list of the top 20 most successful creative agencies, coming in at 18th. Moreover, DDB creative partners Simon Vickers and James Tucker ranked 12th (copywriter) and 16th (art director).

How was everyone’s holiday? Anybody get up to anything particularly naughty? Anyone know of someone else who got up to something particularly naughty? Email adhoc@nbr.co.nz with all the filthy details, hot goss, news and bribes.