The Marmite Toast Post: Percussion, Bulgarians and Mr Stalker

You’re in good hands when Ad Hoc’s driving the Love Bus
The so-called atheist bus campaign may have hit a snag after NZ Bus declined it space, but according to organizer Simon Fisher, many more media companies have been offering up space and are keen to take both the cash and the crap. Fair enough for NZ Bus to say no – it’s one thing to have a billboard defaced, but another altogether to have your bus done over. Don’t know about you, but I personally hate it when my bus is out of action. Having to resort to driving the Toyota Bunnythorpe just isn’t the same as feeling the power of a heavy vehicle underneath your hands. Sigh.

Catch up on your Ad Crack
If you missed last week’s Ad Show, you can catch up OnDemand. Dave Mansfield from Affinity Id and Keith Norris of the Marketing Association were kind enough to come along and talk about privacy issues around database marketing – always a prickly issue – and Scott Coldham of Colenso BBDO talked us through the Burger King campaign. We also had a chat about the atheists and their buses. Buses again! What is this! Anyone would think it was Mad Monday or something.

Teletubbies for Vodafone
You’ve probably seen Vodafone’s cute new little doo-doos on the telly. They’re not a Colenso job, however, and were in fact imported from Vodafone India, according to Vodafone spokesdude Paul Brislen. They’re called the Zoo Zoos – check them out in all their glory here. They’re bound to be polarising, which is what you want, really.

This week, on the same Bat Channel
More around Vodafone’s Paul Brislen, who’s kindly agreed to be on a panel about Twitter and its potential and implications for business on the Ad Show this week. He’ll be joined by Y&R creative goat Vaughn Davis (@vaughndavis) talking along the same lines, as well as the rockers from Special on their Orcon/Iggy Pop campaign, and some debate over the NZTA ads and road safety campaigns in general. If you’d like to join the audience, it’s Wednesday at 6.30pm at TVNZ. Email adhoc@nbr.co.nz and fill your boots. If you’d like to go verbose on road safety ads or have any thoughts, likewise hit that email. Go on. Do it. Close your eyes and sin.

Pure and fresh
Barnes, Catmur & Friends has produced a new TVC for beer NZ Pure. It’s a neat spot featuring Kevin the Kiwi and a pair of Bulgarians. BC&F co-head Paul Catmur said the spot was shot out at Karekare. Have a long, cool drink of it here.

Murder Burger and the Sunshine Band
Who needs an ad campaign when you have musical (and inventive) customers? Just film them and get it on Facebook. Murder Burger shows you how it’s done. And if that's not enough to get your blood pumping on a Monday, watch this video that'll prove Michael Jackson is alive and kicking. You can blame thank us later.

The crux of Kiwi
TVNZ and Sky are to launch a new channel called TVNZ Heartland. It’ll be the first channel with 100% local content and will be available to anyone on the Sky basic package. The schedule will hit us in May.

Charitable acts
Also on TVNZ – it’s donating live broadcasting kits to Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands. The equipment has been donated as a result of the migration to digital television. In turn, Air New Zealand has volunteered free seats for TVNZ staff to transport the equipment and help with training, as well as free freight. It warms the heart! And there’s not a charity ad to be seen.

.99 wins the goods
Those talented pumpkins at .99 are hitting the headlines again, winning February Newspaper ad of the Month for their EXIT ad. The judges said it was topical and good creative use of the medium. The judges, by the way, were Danielle Richards from DDB and Mick Stalker from Colenso. Inquiring minds want to know if Mr Stalker has had much stick for his name? Does Mick get stick? What happens when he has to call someone up and announce he's Mr Stalker? What if Mr Stalker got a stalker and had to go to court to sort it out? Is this the coolest new name and one to push both Cormac van den Hoofdakker and Ryf Quail off their perches? The mind boggles, it veritably boggles.

Adhub verdict
Adhub ran a competition recently with BBC.com and the verdict is in: Steph Pearson (FCB), Sarah Clapham (Ogilvy) and Jessica Holmes (OMD) are the winners. They get cash and kudos.

Special aiming for world domination (and their own bus – well, maybe)
It’s official: Special has won TSB Bank. That’s the bank’s third indie in a row after Republik and Sugar. Looks like TSB has a thing for the indies? The appointment takes effect immediately. A feather in Special’s cap and a good choice on the part of TSB. Meanwhile, Special’s pulled out of the Rabo pitch, upon which all hands are still to the mill.