AUCKLAND, Monday: Colenso BBDO has bolstered their creative leadership with the addition (as group CD) of Matt Swinburne – who joins from Special NZ, where he’d also been a group CD.

AUCKLAND, Today: Special continues its golden run of form with a third straight New Zealand Agency of the Year title at Australia’s B&T Award.

AUCKLAND, Monday: Leading business news website, NZME’s BusinessDesk, launches improved website today, while also announcing it will soon incorporate FundSource investment data into its offering.

AUCKLAND, Today: “A criticism occasionally levelled at our Media Design School students is that they concentrate way too much on tech and not enough on the ‘traditional’,” writes CD Kate Humphries.

AUCKLAND, Today: New Zealand been named 11th best country in the world to do business in the entrepreneurship, agility and social purpose sectors.

BEIJING, Sunday: Brands are starting to launch their own branded virtual idols, giving them a level of creative control impossible with flesh-and-blood key opinion leaders, according to post by Mumbrella AU acting deputy editor Emma Shepherd.

CHRISTCHURCH, Friday: Merrivale agency Harvey Cameron and Bagrie Economics are to host Business & Marketing Through Economic Uncertainty forum – a free event “packed full of value”.

AUCKLAND, Friday: The Marketers & Media Meet Up (MMMU) was jumpstarted last night at bright-and breezy-venue, East Street Hall, off Karangahape Road.