Campaign Overview:

The Big Event was the second annual accessibility expo held by the Auckland Disability Providers Network. The challenge to Alexander Communications (AC) was to increase foot traffic through the 2013 expo and bring the accessibility message into mainstream media. In the past, communication messages about accessibility and disability have remained largely within the disability sector.

The Auckland Disability Providers Network worked with AC to find engaging stories within the expo.

Results

The results achieved for The Big Event saw visitor numbers at this year’s event nearly double on the inaugural 2012 expo.  The New Zealand Herald profiled an AC client working with The Big Event and included a positive mention on the client’s work with the Auckland Disability Network and the upcoming expo.

Shine TV also featured The Big Event on its nightly news bulletin, Focus, giving viewers a taste of the Friday show, ahead of Saturday.

Radio New Zealand National attended the event and produced a half-hour documentary segment for its One-in-Five show. This included several positive interviews that profiled different aspects of the event. The full interview can be heard here.

The Big Idea, an online arts website, also featured the event’s art exhibition, Perception.

The event featured on leading entertainment site eventfinda and in the Auckland Council and GrownUps newsletters. Other coverage was achieved in news sites infonews, yahoo and Scoop.

Campaign Overview

The Guardian Trust Rose Hellaby Maori Education Trust is an annual scholarship recognising talented and hard working Māori students. Guardian Trust and AC have a long-standing relationship, first working together on corporate and philanthropic campaigns in 2006.

To boost the profile of the inaugural Rose Hellaby Awards, where $130,000 in scholarships was presented to 120 Māori secondary and tertiary students, Guardian Trust, the sole trustee and investment manager of the Rose Hellaby Māori Education Fund, worked with AC to tell the story of Rose Hellaby and the three students who were the major award recipients for 2012.

Results

Miriama Ketu-Mckenzie, the recipient of a prestigious $30,000 scholarship from the Rose Hellaby Māori Education Fund, was interviewed by Good Morning.

Speaking to Phil Morgan Rees, Guardian Trust’s general manager of personal client services, and Miriama, interviewer Matai Smith discussed how entrusting a legacy to Guardian Trust can see it grow and benefit others far beyond a single lifetime.  Guardian Trust, which distributes $32 million annually from 462 New Zealand charitable trusts, had its website linked to Good Morning’s website, with an invite to potential future recipients to apply for the Rose Hellaby postgraduate Māori scholarships and other gifts from the fund.

Miriama Ketu-Mckenzie was also interviewed by Paul Diamond, the stand-in host of National Radio’s ‘Saturday Mornings with Kim Hill’, and Radio New Zealand’s Eru Rerekura for Te Manu Korihi.

The other 2012 recipients, Lewis Neihana Tait Jones and Jessica Templeton, also received coverage; Lewis featured in the Waikato Times and online at Stuff.co.nz and Jessica appeared on Canterbury TV.

Campaign Overview:

AMP Capital Shopping Centres (AMPCSC) briefed Alexander Communications to help generate a fresh public relations campaign for Botany Town Centre and Bayfair Shopping Centre.

Understanding the increased importance of the online world, AMPCSC was interested in developing a campaign that took advantage of the growing online trend and added to the overall shopping experience.

Alexander Communications developed an initiative to find a dedicated shopping video blogger for each of the leading centres. With fashion video blogging (vlogging) becoming increasingly popular, timing for the search was perfect.

To ensure optimal results were met, Alexander Communications liaised with leading magazine, New Zealand Woman’s Weekly (NZWW) to form a partnership for the campaign.

Through this mainstream media channel, the competition was announced to find dedicated shopping vloggers. This included coverage through NZWW online and in print.

Throughout the competition period, other media including local newspapers and websites came onboard to promote the campaign.

Bay of  Plenty Times covered the competition online and in print.  Tauranga’s SunLive also promoted the campaign online.

More FM radio spoke with NZWW on the campaign during an interview that featured in September 2012.

For many of the contestant’s, blogging was already in their blood, so many promoted their own nominations through personal blogs already in place.

Popular lifestyle blog, Street and City Photos got onboard and wrote about the competition also.

A selection of the copy featured in NZWW can be seen below.

Results:

The response to the initial call out was very well received, with each of the centres having a healthy response. As video entries were received, the videos were placed online at NZWW, giving the public a chance to view the videos for themselves and vote.

The nominations also featured separately on YouTube.  Some examples can be seen here.

After much deliberation between each of the centres, Alexander Communications and NZWW, a decision was made.

An event was held at Auckland’s Botany Town Centre with NZWW to announce the winners (one each per centre). At the event, aspiring bloggers spoke with NZWW about the world of magazines.

Botany Town Centre was thrilled to announce Britney Hazeldine as the resident blogger. Bayfair Shopping Centre was equally as excited to announce Kerry Hardisty as Bayfair’s blogger. The announcement was made with NZWW both online  and in print.

The campaign gained significant appeal and social media took to the concept with gusto.

International shopping centre website, Shopping Centre Weekly, wrote an article about the campaign and the effective publicity it gained.

NZ Girl also featured the monthly blogs and posted to the website as they appeared online – these can be seen here and again, here.

Botany’s resident blogger has been using the campaign to her advantage and regularly posts to her popular personal blog, Lemonwood and Honey.

Have a look at some of the recent entries by each of the bloggers here.

Campaign Overview

In February 2012, the NZ Pops Orchestra was launched at Morton Estate House. The orchestra is the first of its kind in New Zealand, and has garnered the support of musical entrepreneur  Gray Bartlett as Patron and Gina Sanders who is involved both behind the scenes and centre stage as a soloist. Will Martin will be headlining the first concert on March 18. Rising star Toni Gibson will also be performing at the March event.

Modelled on internationally renowned groups such as Andre Rieu’s Johann Strauss Orchestra (his Auckland concerts sell out), Boston Pops Orchestra and Queensland Pops Orchestra, the NZPO is this country’s first dedicated pops orchestra.

Results

As a new organisation, the NZ Pops Orchestra had its work cut out against other established musical groups. Gina Sanders was interviewed by Eva Radich for Radio New Zealand Concert and Will Martin was interviewed on the Coast network. Grown Ups, a popular website for the 50+ age group, ran a give-away promotion for double passes to the March 18 concert as well as a story about the NZ Pops Orchestra. Major television network TV 3  News also picked up the NZ Pops story ahead of the first inaugural concert. Toni Gibson was interviewed and quirky clips of her singing in the bathroom at home were included in the story The news clip can be seen here.  The story also appeared on the TV 3 News website and was uploaded to popular news website Scoop.

Campaign Overview

A new social change enterprise, Be. Institute, was launched at the Auckland War Memorial Museum on 6 May 2011.

Three innovative national campaigns were introduced on the evening: Be. Accessible, Be. Leadership and Be. Welcome. All three are highly significant for New Zealand. Be. Accessible is the country’s first nationwide accessibility programme, and Be. Leadership, New Zealand’s first national disability leadership programme. Be. Welcome is a unique location accessibility assessment programme.

Be. Institute aims to inspire and enable a 100% accessible society for all New Zealanders. The driving force behind the programmes is to improve the accessibility of the physical environment, enable better access to information, promote the inclusion and leadership of disabled people in employment and the community, and change social attitudes and behaviours.

Alexander Communications was briefed to assist with building the profile of Be. Institute and raising awareness of the three programmes and the recent Be. On The Road national tour.

In June, Be. Accessible launched a nationwide tour, Be. On The Road. The three-week roadshow visited the 12 Rugby World Cup host cities to introduce the Be. vision and accompanying programmes, and to discuss the current and future accessibility of each city.

Results

The Be. On The Road tour received a warm welcome from each host city and the Be. team met with passionate advocates who shared and supported the Be. vision.

The news of Be. On The Road caught the attention of local media, which were curious to learn more about the Be. Institute and supporting programmes. Reporters attended the presentations, and face-to-face interviews with Be. Accessible chief executive Minnie Baragwanath were secured.

The regional publications supported the campaign by including stories about Be. Accessible visiting their city to address local accessibility. Articles were featured in the Taranaki Daily News, Southland Express, Manawatu Guardian, Nelson Mail, Waikato Times, Northern Advocate and Manawatu Standard among others.

Local radio stations and television also showed excellent interest in the campaign and several interviews with Minnie Baragwanath were secured. The news of Be. On The Road and the accessible campervan featured on Dunedin’s 9 Local News, and interviews with Ms Baragwanath were broadcast on The Breeze Manawatu, Newstalk ZB New Plymouth, More FM Rotorua and Classic Hits Whangarei.

Most recently, Next Magazine featured Minnie Baragwanath as the Change Maker personality in its August 2011 issue. The full-page spread includes a Q&A session with Ms Baragwanath and references the Be. Institute and its founding origins. In positioning Ms Baragwanath as an industry leader, the article also discussed why a social change enterprise such as the Be. Institute is necessary for our community.

Earlier in the year Simon Collins from the New Zealand Herald sat down with Tony Howe of the Disability Resource Centre. They discussed Be. Accessible and the vision of the campaign for a story which featured in the New Zealand Herald metro section.

To find out more about the Be. Institute and the supporting programmes, visit www.beaccessible.org.nz

Botany Town Centre enlisted the help of Alexander Communications to assist with a secret campaign designed to surprise unsuspecting shoppers and get them talking.

Botany Town Centre hosted South Seas Film and Television school student Stijn Van de Velde and a group of dancers who created a flash-mob scene on 27 October 2010, wowing shoppers and drawing crowds of onlookers.

On Sunday afternoon, over 120 strategically-placed students shopped and sipped coffee in the town square before springing into action and getting their jive on to ‘Greased Lightning’ from the film Grease.

Video cameras were set up in advance to capture the event and the reactions of shoppers. A few key media received a tip-off the day before. 

The Flash Mob campaign highlighted Botany Town Centre’s support of the local community’s creative projects. As a first-to-market New Zealand retail initiative, it reaffirmed Botany Town Centre’s position as an innovative retail centre.

Results

The news of the Botany Town Centre Flash Mob spread quickly. It was well-received by local media and made headlines nationwide. The story featured in the Howick & Botany Times and the New Zealand Herald, and was nominated as picture of the week by the Weekend Herald.

 The Flash Mob news spread as far as the Bay of Plenty Times, Hawkes Bay Today, Wanganui Chronicle, Wairarapa Times Age, Daily Post, Northern Advocate and Oamaru Mail.

TVNZ’s Breakfast show mentioned the event and South Sea Film school’s initiative and organization of the ‘Greased Lightning’ dance. 

A video of the Flash Mob in action was uploaded to Youtube.com, receiving over 3,900 views and numerous positive messages. Following the Youtube.com posting, the footage appeared on several other blogs, including retail-blogbiz, fastnews.in and viralvideochart.unruly.media.com.

New Idea magazine ran a double-page spread, ‘I’m a flash mob fanatic’, featuring an interview with Stijn Van de Velde in which he discussed his inspiration and vision of creating a flash mob. 

This summer Morton Estate released Mimi, a young and fresh addition to the company’s now nine-strong range of Methode Traditionnelle wines.

The story of Mimi’s creation has special meaning for the Morton Estate team, particularly general manager Fiona MacDiarmid – it was her daughter Amelia who served as the inspiration for the new sparkling wine. 

Mimi was developed to appeal to an urbane market seeking a light sparkling wine with a hint of France for summer celebrations. Distinctively packaged, the wine’s eye-catching label features a Mimi-inspired portrait and a glamorous gold and black hood.

Alexander Communications was approached by Morton Estate to assist with the launch of Mimi, billed as ‘the new girl in town’, to a select group of wine writers, media and special guests.

On the eve of her release to supermarkets and wine stores, Morton Estate hosted a debut party to celebrate the unveiling of Mimi. 

Results

The launch party was a great success: guests were greeted by Mimi Ambassadors as they walked the red carpet and were offered a glass by glamorous Mimi Girls.

The master of ceremonies John Hawkesby welcomed guests and regaled them with wine-related tales before handing over to Alex Witten-Hannah, who entertained guests with his interpretation of the Mimi story and then performed the tricky act of saubrage.

Guests sampled a variety of sparkling wines from the Morton Estate range. In addition to Mimi, the non-vintage Brut, the Blanc de Blanc and the IQ3 were served. The wines were accompanied by a delicious range of Regal Salmon canapés created by Morton Estate’s cellar door chef Harrie Geraerts.

AC focused on boosting the profile of Morton Estate’s latest sparkling wine to New Zealand’s top wine writers and social trend setters, spreading the word of ‘the new girl in town’.

The Mimi Girls appeared with the Morning Mad House crew on the radio station The Edge, chatting about the debut of Mimi on wine-store shelves that day and participating in the weekly ‘one-minute dance party’.    

Photographs and coverage of the debut party appeared in the Herald on Sunday’s SPY supplement and on TheAList.co.nz.  

Mimi was also featured in NBR Food Industry Week, Sunday Detours, Southland Times, hospitalitymag.co.nz and tizwine.com.

Wine reviewer Jayson Bryant conducted exclusive video interviews with Morton Estate proprietor John Coney and Australian winemaker Jon Reynolds; both interviews are available on winevaulttv.com. 

Further coverage of Morton Estate’s Mimi will soon be seen in DrinksBiz and in special promotions in My Weddings, Let’s Travel and GetFrank.co.nz and on Easy Mix.

In June 2010, Konica Minolta and the Vodafone Warriors launched the third annual League in Libraries programme in Auckland.

The Alexander Communications team was challenged to show kids that ‘reading and writing is cool’, and to encourage them to learn that reading is a valuable life skill whether they dream of becoming a rugby league player, doctor, firefighter or dancer.

Children were invited to write a short story or poem about their favourite Vodafone Warriors player for the chance to win a reading and writing session at an Auckland library with some of the team’s players. The four selected libraries that hosted League in Libraries 2010 were Pakuranga Library, Waitakere City Library, Glenfield Library and Manurewa Library.

Konica Minolta has received an overwhelming response from Auckland schools since the programme began in 2008. From just two schools, the programme grew to 50 schools (more than 500 entries) in 2009.

Each year, Konica Minolta has the tough job of choosing eight winning schools from the many entries. Not only do the students get to meet their favourite Vodafone Warriors players, but each of the eight schools receives two Canterbury of New Zealand rugby league balls and tickets to a Vodafone Warriors home game.

In addition to the library literacy sessions, League in Libraries 2010 included a surprise school visit from Vodafone Warriors NRL Reading Captain Jerome Ropati. Dropping by Northcote Primary School, Ropati presented overall winner Finn Nicholson with a signed Vodafone Warriors shirt, and tickets to a Vodafone Warriors home game for his entire class. Finn’s winning entry was a brilliant short story about the Warriors hat-trick win against the Brisbane Broncos which included colourful descriptions like ‘fighting over the ball like lions’.

Because League in Libraries Auckland received such a great response, there is consideration for a national campaign. To get the ball rolling, some of the Vodafone Warriors took the programme to one lucky Christchurch school – Central New Brighton School. Two classes were selected to meet some of the Vodafone Warriors players and take part in a League in Libraries activity afternoon. 

Results

The local community newspapers were very supportive and super-keen on the involvement of the Vodafone Warriors. We achieved excellent coverage in the Eastern Courier, Howick and Pakuranga Times, North Shore Times, Upstart Magazine, Christchurch Mail and Pegasus Bay News.

Popular children’s television show Studio 2 Live (TVNZ) were most interested in this initiative and sent host Matt Gibb along with his television crew to capture the action at Pakuranga Library. 

The clip included interviews with Vodafone Warriors NRL Reading Captain Jerome Ropati, team mate Michael Luck and stories read by participating students from Oranga School and Sunnyhills Primary School.

TVNZ's ONE News Breakfast host Tamati Coffey with children at the Kids Cook at LynnMall kitchen

Inspired by the huge popularity of MasterChef, LynnMall Shopping Centre briefed the Alexander Communications team with a creative cooking concept to encourage kids to embrace healthy eating and learn basic cooking skills.

During the July school holidays, kids were invited to don their chef’s apron and hat and come down to the Kids Cook kitchen at LynnMall. For $5 per class, children got the chance to create a delicious and nutritious 5+ A Day approved recipe with all proceeds going to the Foundation for Youth Development (FYD).

More than 370 children participated in the cooking classes over the two-week period, creating pizza, fruit parfait, oaty pancakes and pizza kebabs in the Fisher and Paykel kitchen. Fresh produce and products were supplied by Countdown and Healtheries.

Kids Cook at LynnMall was an event for the whole family to take part in, and with the Family Cook-Off challenge, several families took up the opportunity to submit their favourite family recipe online. Team Madison and Team Hannah took out the top two spots and were challenged to a cook-off on Sunday 18 July. 

The special guest judges – Nestle Hottest Home Baker winner Toni Causley, Deputy Mayor of Waitakere City Penny Hulse, and TV personality Trudi Nelson – had a difficult time deciding between the two dishes created by Team Madison and Team Hannah. In the end, Team Madison won the overall prize for their chicken pesto wrapped in bacon, while Team Hannah received a runner-up prize.

The Saxon Twins Olivia and Hayley with a variety of pizza toppings

In addition to the funds raised from the children’s cooking classes, LynnMall Shopping Centre was proud to present an even bigger cheque to the Foundation for Youth Development, with money raised from a charity auction that took place after Family Cook-Off.

The celebrity guest visits by Sticky TV’s Sam Wallace and Auckland Blues players caught the attention and interest of shoppers who passed by the Kids Cook kitchen.   

The concept received great reviews. Kids Cook at LynnMall was an unforgettable learning experience for everyone who participated.  
 

Results

TV1’s Breakfast programme broadcast live from the Kids Cook at LynnMall kitchen on Friday 2 July 2010. The five weather segments were presented by Tamati Coffey outside LynnMall Shopping Centre and around the Fisher and Paykel kitchen. 

The community papers and children’s publications were also supportive and keen to find out what the children created. We achieved front-page coverage in Education Weekly, a feature in the Western Leader and coverage in the Titirangi Tatler.

We were also supported radio stations The Edge, Easy Mix and The Breeze also supported Kids Cook at LynnMall by giving ad-lib mentions about the programme.

There was an excellent response from online media with posts at Eduvac.co.nz, Freshinthekitchen.co.nz, whatnow.co.nz, familytimes.co.nz and on various event-listing pages – Eventfinder.co.nz, whatsonmsn.co.nz and eventsyahoo.co.nz, among others.

Auckland Blues Communications Assistant James Rigby filmed the players’ visit to LynnMall and as a result, the footage is now featured on Youtube.com, Aucklandrugby.co.nz and worldcuprugbynewzealand.com.

Campaign Overview

It’s a word you’re more likely to see in the context of the art-filled drawing room of a Henry James novel than in today’s world of instant obsolescence, but ‘curio’, defined as something unusual and worthy of collecting, was unearthed as the name of a new range of exclusive, single-estate and at times single-block wines from the Mud House Wine Group in 2009.

The inaugural Curio Collection, hailing from five different vineyards in Marlborough, Nelson and Central Otago, launched with five varietals. Each wine was carefully selected on the blending table from a myriad of single-vineyard fruit parcels, from which only the stand-out examples were deemed worthy of the Curio label. 

The wines were launched into some of the best restaurants and fine wine retailers around the country, including Bisque, Circa, Capitol, Museum Hotel and Ambeli in Wellington; Sticky Fingers and Annies in Christchurch; and in Auckland, O’Connell Street Bistro, The Engine Room, Rocco, Cibo and Soul Bar & Bistro.

The unique and artistic label design was a distinct characteristic of this young, stylish and carefully considered range of wines.

AC was asked to help launch the new Curio brand and connect the range with wine writers and consumers to help make it jump out on restaurant wine lists and on the shelf.

Results

Curio partnered with a number of key events around the launch to connect with the artistic elements of the collection.  

First, it came on board as a key supporter of the spectacular Breast Cancer Research Trust’s Art for a Cure exhibition. Held at Hopetoun Alpha, the exhibition featured artworks created by some of New Zealand’s most preeminent artists inspired by leading Kiwi musicians. The artworks were auctioned for the charity and complementary glasses of Curio wine were served to guests at  the opening function and final auction.

In addition, Curio was the wine sponsor at one of central Auckland’s most stylish art spaces, the Gus Fisher Gallery. Curio partnered with the gallery to serve the wine at two highly successful New Zealand art exhibitions, Marti Friedlander Looking Closely and Len Lye Art that Moves. A special wine tasting with Curio wines was also held for the public at the gallery during the exhibition.

AC focused on boosting the profile on the new wine and getting it in front of the leading wine writers in New Zealand to swirl, sniff, and sip to their hearts’ content!

The Curio Collection was well received by the wine writers, with reviews featuring in nearly all of the country’s major provincial daily publications. This included the NZ Herald’s Viva magazine and the Herald on Sunday’s Detours as well as The Press, the Otago Daily Times and the Marlborough Express.

Special promotions were also set up with Life & Leisure and Mindfood magazines to promote the wine.

2008 CURIO d’Auvergne Vineyard Wairau Valley Marlborough Gewurztraminer reviews:

Viva Wine Columnist Jo Burzynska described the Curio d’Auvergne Vineyard Wairau Valley Marlborough Gewurztraminer as a “gorgeously textured wine, with layers of mineral and hints of rose petals, seasoned with savoury spice and finishing with a fresh twist of citrus peel.” NZ Herald 4 November 2009

 ”A perfectly balanced, delicate and slippery gewurztraminer that sings turkish delight, ginger, rose petal and soft citrus.  Musky, fruit-laden flavours enhanced by wild yeast ferments and time in oak give it a sexy, spicy finish. Available from fine wine stores and selected restaurants and bars”.  Bay of Plenty Times 9 November 2009 

 ”…My pick of the bunch is Curio d’Auvergne Vineyard Wairau Valley Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2008.  It smells so good you don’t want to stop sniffing the harmonious mix of musk rose, mango and cloves.  On the palate it’s like sucking on Turkish delight before it sets; luscious fruit flavours with silky texture made all the more interesting from barrel fermentation and wild yeast.”  Capital Times – Wellington 21 October 2009 

2008 CURIO Bendigo Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir reviews:

 “Great packaging is one of the appeals of this spicy young Central Otago pinot noir.”  Joelle Thomson, Herald on Sunday Detours, 13 December 2009 

 “Ah, that’s what a good pinot noir is all about – it’s light, ruby-red translucent colour belies its rich and full flavoured character, with satisfying length. Currants and vanilla were evident. This pinot is velvety smooth, with no furry tannin feeling. Ideal with piquant cheeses and scrummy appetizers.”  David Killick, The Press, 11 January 2010 

 ”An attractive, lush wine with soft, overly ripe, sweet fruit, oozing cherries, strawberries and boysenberries, supported by darker tones of toasty oak, and finishing with a firm, spicy grip”.  Charmian Smith, the Otago Daily Times, 18 November 2009

2008 CURIO Ganes Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc review:

 ”Despite its tender age, this lovely wine is full of personality. It does what classic sauvignon blanc does best – slightly acidic and bursting with apricot, passionfruit and gooseberry flavours.  There’s a weight and complexity underpinning all these delights which stamps this as an outstanding wine.” Chris Moore, The Press – Christchurch, 27 January 2010 

 “Juicy, tangy, with tingly acids and some underlying warmth. The aroma rolls on through to the palate – we enjoyed the pleasant grassy/tropical blend in this full-bodied wine. The flavours are quite intense out to the finish, which is herbal, drying and warming. A really nice example of Wairau Valley sauvignon blanc.”Deborah Walton and Peter Morice – The Marlborough Express 18 February 2010

Curio Castles Vineyard Awatere Sauvignon Blanc 2008 review:

 “Quite a ripe Awatere style though it shows typical concentration. Green capsicum and mineral flavours with a stone fruit influence. A bold and appealing wine with character.”

Bob Campbell, December 2009 www.bobswinereviews.com

“Typically funky, pungent Awatere sauvignon, with wonderfully exuberant fruit oozing herbs, salad leaves, and mineral, complex, and textural makes a definite statement.”  Charmian Smith, the Otago Daily Times, 21 October 2009