CHRISTCHURCH, Monday: Canterbury sales & marketing executive Clare Steel writes: “Whilst Mike Gray’s personal account of the February earthquake was compelling and relatable, I thought your decision to send what is essentially a commercial eDM pretty much to the minute of the 10th anniversary of the earthquake was in extremely poor taste.

Stanley Street head of media Andrew Reinholds (at the time of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, he was managing partner at OMD) was figuratively right there – on the phone to Mike Gray – at the precise moment the big one struck …

AUCKLAND, Today: MBM, SweeneyVesty and AKQA are helping Whittaker’s spread the word for the limited-time only return of its Hundreds & Thousands Block, which replicates the Griffin’s Cookie Bear biscuit.

AUCKLAND, Today: F@ck Facebook! Should Australia just go it alone? B&T’s newsletter seems to capture the Australian mood quite nicely (except for the timid @ in Fuck).

Mike Gray, the managing director of Go Media, reflects on the Christchurch earthquake, 10 years on to the day – and at 12.51pm all their digital screens ran the same imagery as a one-minute silence to recognise the 185 who lost their lives.

AUCKLAND, Today: Stuff has advised that its creative advertising competition, The Paper Planes, is returning this year. It launches next Monday 1 March.

AUCKLAND, Today: Due to the disruption caused by the recent lockdowns, the closing date for 2021 NZ Radio Awards entries has been extended.

AUCKLAND, Today: It’s been a brutally quiet news week as the ad/comms/media sectors readjust to a new working year – reflected in lower ad (and editorial) content in TV & print. The Covid restrictions didn’t help, either.

NEW YORK, Thursday: One of the key creatives behind Colenso BBDO’s globetrotting DB Export They’re Drinking It For You campaign has been selected to represent New Zealand on the online grand jury for the New York Festivals Advertising Awards 2021.

AUCKLAND, Today: JCDecaux has established a new vertical digital site at the busy intersection of Grafton Road and Khyber Pass Road.