Google NZ country director Caroline Rainsford, DDB NZ CCO Damon Stapleton, and Cheil Worldwide global CCO Malcolm Poynton are among the distinguished global comms leaders who will speak at the APAC Advertising Week in Sydney later this month.

M+AD swooped too early on a few scraps of comment we found on the Comms Council website yesterday, heralding the first news of Botab 2018. Mostly we got it right – but there were still some errors – and organisers Fish have now issued the real-deal release, including an up-to-date list of sponsors, the correct band-entry prices, and the date. Here’s that Fish release, in full: Flying Fish and the Comms Council present the 11th annual Battle of the Ad Bands – Battle of the Renegades. 

PARIS: New research from a team of French marketing academics and neuroscientists has found that male sex hormone testosterone increases men’s preference for status goods – compared to goods of similar perceived quality but seen as lower in status.

Auckland’s Moonlight Creative Showcase – organised by Clemenger Group’s Auckland-based shopper comms agency Raydar and The Designers Institute to highlight the unusual way the NZ creative community works – is under way at Allpress Studio in Freemans Bay.

After a complete absence from the top 10 last year, New Zealand ad creativity has returned to D&AD, securing 8th spot on its prestigious global agencies chart, released in London overnight. A highlight was the achievement of DDB NZ’s Geordie Wilson, who was ranked #17 copywriter in the world.

New Zealand Steel has appointed DDB as creative agency for both NZ Steel and its various brands including Colorsteel, Steltech and AXXIS. The appointment will see DDB leading all advertising communications across the business.

The Comms Council has issued the entry call for the 2018 Battle of the Ad Bands – the 11th annual edition of this classic music event in Auckland. So far, only a broad outline is provided – but more info will be forthcoming shortly.

SYDNEY, July 3. – Search engine optimisation (SEO) is more than links and keywords. Google uses the entire consumer experience to figure out whether your site delivered the quality content the consumer needed.