Trophy time
Welcome to Idealog Weekly, the free email newsletter for New Zealand commercial creatives, entrepreneurs and anyone rich with ideas.
In this week’s issue: trophy time, classic Kiwi IP, beefed-up ‘Backstage’, eight-legged freak, a message from the Bureau of Morality, no comment? No worries, extraordinarily ordinary, sold out and the quote of the week
Trophy time
We had a noisy and enjoyable night at the Magazine Publishers Association awards last week and even managed to take home a few trophies: no less than Launch of the Year and also Business Magazine of the Year. Which makes a Saturday morning hangover just a little sweeter.
Classic Kiwi IP
There’s one quality that these days is even more in demand than, say, quality, price or even a fashionable colour. It’s authenticity, and it’s not something you can fake—which explains why Maori culture is such a huge drawcard for New Zealand. So, asks Amokura Panoho, why do we have such conflict about Maori IP? Why do some of us get outraged when someone co-opts the haka and others shrug their shoulders? Why do some people treat Maori art and designs as something frozen in time when modern artists produce work with such innovation and impact?
Amokura looks at the issues and has some excellent answers too. Check out her article on our website. The painting in our layout is ‘Pakeha Taniwha’ by Auckland artist Mike Davison.
Beefed-up ‘Backstage’
Last week we put almost 200 of Mark Roach’s photographs of Kiwi musicians on a wiki, called Backstage. We invited everyone interested in Kiwi music to add to and edit the content on the site.
We’ve had a great response, so thank you! We have new pages on a bunch of bands, including The Bats and Recliner (although I’m still trying to work out if Monkeyshuttle is a real band or an elaborate invention), a music label and a new section on classic Kiwi music venues. Coming soon we’ll have a list of upcoming gigs on the site and we’d like to start listing artist discographies too.
Come and lend a hand … anyone can be a part of the Kiwi Music Wiki.
 Blackbox M14 noise cancelling headphones represent the finest Kiwi innovation and ingenuity. Designed for the frequent traveller, the M14 boasts the latest advanced noise cancellation technology from Phitek Systems, blocking up to 92% of background noise. Imagine being able to perfectly hear the in-flight movie! The Blackbox M14 connects to your mp3 player, PC or handheld and is great value at $379. More…
Eight-legged freak
The Burning Man festival in Nevada is not usually short of freaks, but most people would stop to check out the eight-legged Mondo Spider (“1,200lbs of Mechanical Mayhem”) as it stamped around the desert. Once they get it up to motorway speeds this is pretty much my idea of the perfect commuting device. And, as the Burning Man beatniks discovered, it comes into its own at night.
A message from the Bureau of Morality
Ah, heartland Americana . But wait … click and drag … and discover what lies beneath.
Why, hello, it’s another viral campaign—but perhaps not just another viral campaign. Another Version of the Truth is part of an innovative campaign around the latest album from Nine Inch Nails, Year Zero. It’s great to see a viral campaign that doesn’t just look like an attempt to try to get some inexpensive mindshare. Sure, viral campaigns can be cheap, but they don’t have to be. You need a good idea, executed well, and plenty of attention to detail. Rolling Stone calls this campaign “the most innovative promotion scheme since the leaked sex tape”.
No comments? No worries
The excellent Techonology Review decided to take a look at Apple’s outstanding industrial design, perhaps not knowing that Silicon Valley’s finest don’t readily give away their secrets. Undeterred, Daniel Turner has talked to some of the people who used to work for Apple and its suppliers. It’s an interesting glimpse inside our favourite fruity company and a reminder that great design starts at the top.
Extraodinarily ordinary
“Helvetica’s message is this: you are going to get to your destination on time; your plane will not crash; your money is safe in our vault; we will not break the package; the paperwork has been filled in; everything is going to be OK.” The BBC celebrates 50 years of the world’s most inoffensive typeface.
Sold out
 We regret … and we’re delighted … to announce that the first ever Idealog Innovation Series event, featuring Josef Roberts, is sold out. We’re taking names on a waiting list but soon we’ll be able to share details of our second Innovation Series gathering, starring another innovative entrepreneur with a story to tell. Keep an eye on our website.
On Tuesday the famous jazz pianist Chick Corea is visiting Auckland. The New Zealand International Comedy Festival is continuing its run nationwide, and on Thursday the Media Design School will hold its open day for budding young designers. The Queen Street campus is open from midday to 7pm.
Check out Idealog’s events guide, Agenda, online and in print. Anyone can add an event to Agenda—just fill out the form on our website.
Quote of the week
“I believe we should be exporting our intellectual property and building our capacity to run international businesses from New Zealand. The only way we can understand that business arena is to experience it.”
—Kia Kaha’s Matene Love encourages young Maori designers to get overseas experience
More at Idealog online
Read more on our website: web exclusives, opinion, Idealog IP, the Idealog blogs and the Idealog podcast. See you at idealog.co.nz.
Matt Cooney
Editor
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