AUCKLAND, Tuesday: Sadly, we have to report that Marcel de Ruiter, a long-time production/studio director at DDB, passed away last week. His funeral was to be held this week – and the agency hopes to provide more details soon.

AUCKLAND, Today: A date’s been set for the TVNZ New Zealand Marketing Awards 2020, and tickets have gone on sale (for $225+gst).

AUCKLAND, Today: DDB NZ has changed its name to DDB Aotearoa – a meaningful signal in the context of New Zealand society in the 2020s.

AUCKLAND, Today: In a year that has forced people around the world to take stock and reevaluate, School Road Publishing, New Zealand’s newest independent magazine house, surveyed 750 Kiwi women aged between 35-74 for a major piece of research titled New Zealand Women in the Post-Covid World.

LONDON, Tuesday: Clemenger BBDO Wellington has enjoyed a spectacular night at The Cresta Awards in the UK with five Golds, 13 Silvers, and two Bronzes – mostly for its celebrated NZTA Belted Survivors campaign.

NEW YORK, Today: Boyd PR Auckland has won a major healthcare award at the 2020 Asia-Pacific Sabre PR Awards for its work with Sir John Kirwan’s mental health app Mentemia.

SYDNEY, Tuesday: Fandom is a A$4.3bn industry in Australia, with the average fan spending more than A$900 every year, according to strategist Toby Boon, reported in UK marketing site Warc.

AUCKLAND, Monday: M+AD yesterday characterised a new relationship beween Transtasman agencies as “a merger” – the result of a confusing media release.

AUCKLAND, Monday: Nick Licence, of Customs St-based digital agency Krunch, writes: “Dear M+AD Editorial team, much as Krunch would love to have scored a Gold, we didn’t quite get there this time around!

SYDNEY, Today: Bauer Media AUNZ has begun its long way back from the abyss of 2020, relaunching as Are Media (“Audience/Reach/Engagement”).