Premium content discovery platform Outbrain has launched its proprietary training and certification programme – called Outbrain Academy – in New Zealand, following its May 2016 debut in Australia.

The Epica Creative Awards has extended the deadline for this year’s call for entries – and hinted it may establish a new New Zealand Advertising Agency of Year award.

Kiwi animation legend Brent Chambers, the founder of Flux Animation, died in Auckland at the weekend after suffering a sudden heart attack. He was just 54.

Spark has extended the roles it shares with Clemenger Group by appointing retail agency .99 win as the lead creative agency for Spark Digital.

“Dear Ed: The headline statement that DDB was bypassed for this work is incorrect and it would be great if you could amend it,” writes DDB NZ ceo Justin Mowday.

Getting Aucklanders involved in the local body elections has always been a challenge, with an average voter turnout of around 35% in previous years. So when Auckland Council briefed their digital agency, Goodfolk, on the design and production of a website to help change this, everyone knew it would be a challenging but highly rewarding project.

Iconic Kiwi brand L&P has redesigned its bottle – and introduced a new limited edition flavour – L&P Chilli & Lime. L&P sidestepped their regular agency DDB Group for the redesign – the new look is out Saatchi & Saatchi.

More than half of all digital advertising in Australia remains unviewed, according to a report in B7T Australia. NZ was not specifically included in the data-gathering exercise – but has connections to the company that carried it out.

“Dear Ed,” writes Mihai Gongu, the ECD of GMP/Jung von Matt Romania. “JvM is the second most awarded independent network at Cannes Lions 2016.