PRINZ (the Public Relations Institute) has unveiled 20 finalists in its 40th annual industry awards. The list includes AUT, Westpac, Unitec, Fonterra, Whitaker Group, Stronger Christchurch, Auckland Council, FCB PR & Activation, Convergence, PPR, Porter Novelli, Strategic Lighting, Canterbury University, NZTA, McDonald’s.

.99 won the IAB’s April Interactive Creative Award with its campaign for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand, featuring normally outspoken local celebrities who challenged people to say absolutely nothing on Facebook for as long as they could. View the winning campaign video here.

MediaWorks has promoted publicist/corporate comms manager Rachel Lorimer to the newly created role of Group Head of Corporate Communications.

JWT worldwide, about to celebrate 150 years in the ad biz, looks set to mark the occasion by returning to its traditional name, the J. Walter Thomson Company.

Ogilvy NZ has unveiled its new digital division, Neo@Ogilvy. It will be led by Eddy Whatt, formerly Ogilvy’s digital media director, for the past three years, and will be part of a global network of 40 offices.

Zenith Optimedia has added business manager Andrea Glidden and senior planner/buyer Henry Rowley to its team, as well as Tasmin Wheeler to a media assistant role. 

The Marketing Association has issued more details for the 2014 TVNZ NZ Marketing Awards. The event will be held at the Langham on Thursday 28 August – the entry deadline is 5pm on Friday 23 May. The MA also unveiled an extended late entries deadline (“at a nominal fee”) to 5pm, Friday 20 May.