Idealog
- Business Magazine of the Year MPA Awards 2007, 2008 & 2009 Business Website of the Year MPA Awards 2009
Dual control
Welcome to Idealog Weekly, the free email newsletter for New Zealand commercial creatives, entrepreneurs and anyone rich with ideas.
Dual control
We’re always told that outsourcing is the Holy Grail for business success. But is it really? Cousins Caro and Celia Allison beg to differ on that. One runs a fashion label and the other, a merchandise business; what they sell is designed and made here, in New Zealand, and not overseas.
Business heresy? No, for the Allisons, keeping it close to home just makes more sense. Read Amanda Cropp’s story about the creative Kiwi cousins who say they can do things here that the Chinese can’t match.
Barrow your bum
Kudos to Matt Moriarty for coming up with the seminal Nu Zild seating device.
Smarten up
In the current issue of Idealog, we said we’d start publishing some of our features and columns online before they appear in print. Our readers are an informed and, dare we say it, enlightened bunch, so we reckon some stories will benefit from comments and context from readers, sources and experts in the field. First up: ‘The rise of the smartocracy’, Jamie Cullinane’s essay on how increasing IQs and more demanding popular media are changing the ways that people think of brands and marketing. Drawing on the research of University of Otago professor James Flynn, among others, Jamie draws a line from Starsky & Hutch to The Sopranos, via The Simple Life and Grand Theft Auto. Check it out on our website.
Lost and maybe found
David Wolf-Rooney’s brother Paul went missing in 1999, and both he and his elderly mother desperately want to find him. This however is harder than it seems, and expensive, so David decided to put technology to good use and created a simple website to get the global Internet community involved in finding people.
There are rewards for finders, and the lost can also decide they want to remain missing. With over two million people registered as missing worldwide, the site seems like it could make a real difference.
Prized science books
The Royal Society of New Zealand is kicking off its New Zealand Science Book Award this year, with five titles shortlisted:
- The Awa Book of New Zealand Science edited by Rebecca Priestley (Awa Press)
- Falling for Science by Bernard Beckett (Longacre Press)
- Hot Topic: Climate Change and the Future of New Zealand by Gareth Renowden (AUT Media)
- In Search of Ancient New Zealand by Hamish Campbell and Gerard Hutching (Penguin)
- Wetlands of New Zealand: A Bitter-sweet Story by Janet Hunt (Random House)
We’ve read The Awa Book of New Zealand Science and Falling for Science, and liked them both. But we’re doubly pleased to see Hot Topic on the list, as it’s a sister title of Idealog. Both are produced here at HB Media and published by AUT Media. If you’re not familiar with the title, check out Gareth’s Hot Topic blog—a must-read for anyone interested in climate change (even the deniers read it religiously).
The winner will be announced by Professor Richard Dawkins in a live video conference between NZ and the UK, at the Auckland Writers and Readers festival on May 15 this year. A $10,000 prize will be awarded to the author, and $2,500 to the publisher of the book.
Art from a 120kV tube
Eerie CT scan art that’s oddly brilliant at the same time. The porcelain doll looks creepy though, not to mention the detailed skeletal structure of the Barbie doll.
How about something a bit more (weirdly) familiar? New Zild under the x-ray, perhaps?
There’s no time
Kill Bill, parts 1 and 2, in one minute and one take.
Type-ical
Designery types have iPhones, and here’s the mobile game they’ve been waiting for. Kern is “the first and only video game in history with the potential to get typographers all hot and bothered”. Finally …
Job of the Week
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Our client has a great reputation within the Wellington region—a small but well formed design agency with a key focus on brand and a huge passion and knowledge of strategy.
Their offices have all the latest technology and a great collective working environment.
They would like to recruit an Account Director who has a stable of clients they can bring onboard, or perhaps you are a small agency looking to merge with another. Our client is open to exploring a variety of combinations for the right person.
If you feel this is the right next step for you, please send your details to Louise Lawton at Portfolio Recruitment on 09 379-9303, or apply on our website.
What’s the date again?
Mercedes-Benz shows how sustainable mobility has become an integral part of its vocational training with the F-CELL, which boasts a joystick, a design inspired by a Benz from 1886 and a top speed of 25 kilometres per hour. Jeremy Clarkson will not approve.
Beautifully failed business models
When traditional media, the entertainment industry and video rental shops protest that the Internet is killing them, is it really such a unique event? Probably not; photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre have visualised the forgotten theatres of America, that started disappearing from the 60s onwards as TV, cinema multiplexes and urban decay made them obsolete. Some have survived but are used differently, such as adult cinemas, churches, clubs, bingo halls and even supermarkets.
You can see this closer to home as well, by taking a walk around the centre and inner suburbs of Auckland, noting how in some cases video stores have moved into old theatres, which is a rich irony by itself.
The theatre is a lovely institution, yet we don’t hear many calls to protect it from being ravaged by other media. Just a thought there.
And while you’re at the site, don’t miss Marchand and Meffre’s shots of Detroit in decline.
A southerly fringe
Speaking of theatricals, the Dunedin Fringe Festival starts this week, continuing until April 5. There’s comedy, dance, some outdoor events (brrr!), music of course, visual art and, would you believe it, theatre too.
If you’re down Dunedin way, there’s Chindogu and more awaiting at the Fringe. Check it out.
Quote of the week
“Outsourcing was a complete disaster. You can’t keep control of the quality and inevitably, it slips. I don’t want the stress. I realised if this is what it was like to outsource to Christchurch, what on earth was it going to be like in China?”
—Caro Allison of Dual, on why keeping things in-house makes sense for her
More at Idealog online
Read more on our website: web exclusives, opinion, creative directory, Idealog TV, the Idealog blogs and the Idealog podcast. See you at idealog.co.nz.
Juha Saarinen
Ideologue, Weekly
{Worth their Alt} Previous
Next {A site for sore eyes}
Previously in Idealog Weekly …
October 30, 2009: Man of the moment
October 23, 2009: By the numbers
October 16, 2009: Pavlova principles
October 9, 2009: The secret of the songbook
October 2, 2009: Free and easy
September 25, 2009: What the world wants
September 18, 2009: A slice of the pie
September 11, 2009: Walking man
September 6, 2009: A calmer kind of business
August 28, 2009: We have issues
August 21, 2009: Mincing about in waistcoats
August 14, 2009: Wired on pop culture
August 7, 2009: Trust is not a commodity
July 31, 2009: Fuzzy logic
July 24, 2009: Game of life
July 17, 2009: Grape expectations
July 10, 2009: Blade runners
July 3, 2009: Free: another word for nothing left to lose
June 26, 2009: Poorly pleased
June 19, 2009: The giver
June 12, 2009: Buggy on down
June 5, 2009: Brand Cambo
May 29, 2009: When the going gets tough, go proactive
May 22, 2009: Bayerische Wasserstoffmotorenwerke
May 15, 2009: Rugger blogger
May 8, 2009: Get on our cloud
May 1, 2009: Easy Tiger
April 24, 2009: Tiki tacky
April 17, 2009: The not-so-great indoors
April 3, 2009: A site for sore eyes
March 27, 2009: Dual control
March 20, 2009: Worth their Alt
March 13, 2009: Biofuels or bio-fools?
March 6, 2009: It's electrifying
February 27, 2009: Experience-rich and theory-poor
February 20, 2009: It's a hundred-and-fourteen-pager
February 13, 2009: Own your mistakes
February 5, 2009: Rules—made to be broken
January 30, 2009: Money: that's what I want
December 5, 2008: Framed by the thousands
November 28, 2008: Spank-branding novelty next week
November 21, 2008: In the Loop
November 14, 2008: Your good health
November 7, 2008: Misfits of science
October 31, 2008: No absence of colour
October 24, 2008: Plain-speaking Peri
October 17, 2008: Rebels with a cause
October 10, 2008: Seoulipsism
October 3, 2008: Fall seven times and stand up eight
September 26, 2008: Don't label us
September 19, 2008: Bloody Graham
September 19, 2008: Dream proposition
September 5, 2008: Taxi!!!
August 29, 2008: Up-Skilling on Idealog TV
August 22, 2008: 144 pages of pure pleasure, plus politics
August 15, 2008: Wash down that Lovemark with a Steinie
August 8, 2008: Strange journey
August 1, 2008: SMElly and happy
July 25, 2008: What a dive
July 18, 2008: Softly and woolly does it
July 11, 2008: The saviour from Timaru
July 4, 2008: Last laugh
June 27, 2008: King Kev
June 20, 2008: Slow ART
June 13, 2008: Killing two birds with methane
June 6, 2008: A combine harvester
May 30, 2008: Gold paint
May 23, 2008: Rock, out
May 16, 2008: Goodwill hunting
May 9, 2008: No wine jokes please
May 2, 2008: Who's bad?
April 24, 2008: Succession success
April 18, 2008: Out now or thereabouts
April 11, 2008: Paint by numbers
April 4, 2008: Reincarnated good
March 28, 2008: Making it
March 20, 2008: Knock three times
March 14, 2008: The customer is always tight
March 7, 2008: Beautiful words
February 28, 2008: Goodnight, I'm off to work
February 22, 2008: The art issue
February 15, 2008: Straight to the top
February 8, 2008: H for hot
December 13, 2007: Nothing in common? Perfect
December 6, 2007: Who needs a beer?
November 30, 2007: Dirty secret goes public
November 23, 2007: Don't speak
November 16, 2007: Worthy work (and free beer)
November 2, 2007: East meets best
October 25, 2007: Raid the fridge
October 19, 2007: Looking good
October 13, 2007: Can't miss it
October 5, 2007: Fresh meat delivery
September 28, 2007: If the walls had eyes
September 21, 2007: Phoenix rising
September 15, 2007: Can we fix it? Yes we can
September 6, 2007: Feats of social engineering
August 31, 2007: Doesn't bite
August 24, 2007: Telling us where to go
August 16, 2007: Tomorrow time
August 10, 2007: Going West
August 3, 2007: How to ... be your business
July 27, 2007: Freaky food
July 20, 2007: Meet the neighbours
July 12, 2007: Free Hollie
July 6, 2007: Green queen
June 29, 2007: The truth about youth
June 21, 2007: Walk this way
June 14, 2007: Times ten
June 7, 2007: The ape woman needs a label
June 1, 2007: Impossible is something
May 25, 2007: Yeah, we're still here
May 11, 2007: Trophy time
May 3, 2007: Friends with the band
April 23, 2007: Why worry?
April 19, 2007: Done by the big jobs
April 12, 2007: A rockin' good read
April 5, 2007: No fear
March 29, 2007: Out to pasture
March 22, 2007: Hip-hop and The Human Touch
March 15, 2007: Crazy Frog and Billy T
March 10, 2007: The Benadryl edition
March 1, 2007: We can be Xero
February 22, 2007: Back on board
December 15, 2006: Free beer
December 8, 2006: December 8, 2006
December 1, 2006: December 1, 2006
November 24, 2006: November 24, 2006
November 16, 2006: November 16, 2006
November 9, 2006: November 9, 2006
November 3, 2006: November 3, 2006
October 26, 2006: October 26, 2006
October 19, 2006: October 19, 2006
October 12, 2006: October 12, 2006
October 6, 2006: October 6, 2006
September 28, 2006: September 28, 2006
September 21, 2006: September 21, 2006
September 14, 2006: September 14, 2006
September 7, 2006: September 7, 2006
August 31, 2006: August 31, 2006
August 24, 2006: August 24, 2006
August 17, 2006: August 17, 2006
August 11, 2006: August 11, 2006
August 3, 2006: August 3, 2006
July 27, 2006: July 27, 2006
July 21, 2006: July 21, 2006
July 13, 2006: July 13, 2006
July 6, 2006: July 6, 2006
June 29, 2006: June 29, 2006
June 22, 2006: June 22, 2006
June 15, 2006: June 15, 2006
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Audi designer Wolfgang Egger brings the A5 Sportback to life right in front of our eyes. It’s all about three lines, apparently, but those three lines have been obsessed over. Enjoy the autospeak: the rear comes complete with both accent and elbow.
Latest issue: Under the sea
Tweeted
- Fetching tweets …
Overheard
- Mark on Bigger, faster, more productive:
Fantastic! Finally some vision in establishing a key infrastructure to support New Zealand's future prosperity and commercial competitiveness. Good work Rod, Sam and Steve - your country thanks you for your patriotism! … - Margaret Holmes on NZ Institute thumbs down Key's agenda:
Unfortunately it is not just red tape - it is also the laid back kiwi attitude, compounded by educators who think achieving national standards is a bad thing. - Tim Marshall on Smile, you’re in New Zealistan:
The target of higher GDP per capita is all wrong. Aiming for it encourages more production and consumption, often at the expense of quality of life. We need to construct a Genuine Progress Index (GPI) to guide policy. Fr … - Peter McL on New note:
"You got caught up in events at EMI.." and yet shes STILL with EMI - their local branch is distributing her new album. Wonder why?
I blogged some more of Hollies comments on the details behind the fallout … - Phil Wollerman on Smile, you’re in New Zealistan:
Brilliant, insightful article, VH.
This situation has principally arisen because - simplistically - the world no longer wants what we are intrinsically advantaged in supplying.
And yeah, it doesn't look like our co … - Anon on Smile, you’re in New Zealistan:
The answer lies in a) increasing the returns to capital and b) decreasing the cost of capital. To do a) we need to reduce corporate and income taxes and replace them with land, resource, pollution and infrastructure char …
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Comments
Vincent Heeringa
March 27, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Great Weekly, but I need never see Kill Bill 2 now, thanks to you bastards.
Su Yin Khoo
March 27, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Oh but you do! Hurting my geek cred here, but I've watched Voumne 1 at least five times. Can't wait for Inglorious Basterds.
http://bit.ly/haVYS
Juha
March 27, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Inglorious Basterds... oh yes. Me wants to see too.
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