Timezoneone Blog

This year the timeszoneone creative team has decided to part-take in hot Mexican food and tequilas for our Christmas send off. I can’t believe Christmas is almost here, we need time to practice our spanish. I came across a fun site that translates our names into Mexican wrestling pseudonyms. I would like to note at this point that it is all completely random and I had no part in the outcome….however accurate or disturbing it turned out.

let the show begin in Mexican - dejar que el espectaculo comenzara

Kim Hickford - brazo famoso (famous arm)

Lor Gold - padre supremo (father supreme)

David Mcleod - el gringo ridiculoso (the ridiculous gringo)

Simon Buutveld - el lobo fantastico (the fantastic wolf)

Rob MacDonald - hermano flaco (brother disservice)

Rose Carson - el monkey guapo (the monkey lady’s man) as rose is soon to be wed she will become Rose Wells - rapido rapido muerto (fast fast dead)

Richard Tattershaw - turbo estupido (I disturb the stupid)

Elizabeth Davidson - cabeza picante (sharp head)

Jackie Clark - la fantasía numero uno (the number one fantasy)

Tim Chapman - tio flaco (the skinny uncle)  

Mark Cornellison - el maestro sin pantalones (the teacher without trousers)

Hamish Macdonald - el taquito del chupacabra (the chupacabra taquito - mexican dish made of mythical goat eating monster)

Raewyn Topp - canadiense cibernetico (the canadian cyborg)

Liz Bissland - el ray azul (the blue ray)

Andy Carruthers - el dragon ultimo (the ultimate dragon)

Brett King - el burrito rosa (the pink young donkey)

Richard McDonald - el pollo de miel (the honey chicken)

Lisa Lye - amigo en los pantalones (friend in the trousers)

Brett Folkes - hurican toxico (the toxic hurricane)

Matt Herivel - el chango loco (the crazy monkey)

Murray Grossmith - el pollo mucoso (the chicken mucous)

Melanie Waddell - guerrero picante (sharp soldier)

Nigel Foley - caballero mojado (the wet knight)

Have a great weekend everyone! And please have a thought for Rose. Her hens night is tomorrow and us girls will be proving our love and respect for her by taking her to a classy establishment and thoroughly embarrassing her. Rose we do this because we care.

signing off Maria MacDonald - demonio en fuego (the fire demon)

Something a bit lighthearted for Friday. Here are a couple of pictures of the inspiration for my wedding dress:

It was worn by Carly O’Brien of Gloucester when she married in 2006. Weighing in at 425 pounds, it had 30 layers of material and 30,000 Swarovski crystals. Who wouldn’t want a dress that was heavier than they were?

Some interesting and little known facts about weddings:

The tradition of wearing wedding rings on the third finger has two sources: one started back in ancient times when it was believed that the third finger had a nerve that ran straight to the heart; the second is metaphorical, while every other finger can be extended to its full length and straightness alone, the ring finger can only be fully extended in the company of an adjacent finger.

Groomsmen were basically henchmen. Originally made part of the wedding party by the groom in order to keep too many uninvited people from joining in the celebration and the wedding party getting big, rowdy and uncontrollable. Today, they are simply symbolic.

In Christian ceremonies the bride stands on the grooms left. This was started when it may have been necessary for the groom to reach for his sword with his right hand in order to keep someone from riding up and stealing his bride during the wedding.

A number of cultures adopt the western custom of a bride wearing a white dress. This tradition came to symbolize purity in the Victorian era (despite popular misconception, the white dress did not indicate virginity, which was symbolized by the face veil). Within the ‘white wedding’ tradition, a white dress and veil would not have been considered appropriate for a second or third wedding of a widow or a divorcee.

 And finally, a funny twist to the traditional wedding dance:

Signing out for the last time as ‘Miss’ Rose

Its that time of year again when local artists and designers get to show us the best way to wear and model everything from t-bags, insulation pipe, and feathers to fiber optics and plastic bags. The annual wearable art extravaganza originally began in Nelson, New Zealand and has grown from strength to strength. It is hard to describe the award ceremony, a montage of theater, dance, color, movement and art, a theatrical spectacular.

Kim

No matter how good your creative is if there is no emotional connection between product and consumer/client then chances are they aren’t going to buy it.

For an agency finding that connection can be a never ending quest. “Just Do It” is a phrase that has haunted agencies around the world since the 70’s as every client wants what Nike has and doesn’t understand why it isn’t an easy task to replicate that success. On the flipside sometimes it just clicks and generally it is the first idea you have which is the best, then comes the really hard part… trying to sell it in.

Advertising is all about the pitch, whether it been in the boardroom between agency and client or between the consumer and whatever form of advertising they are interacting with. The pitch can make or break a sale and most people in the business agree to make people really stand up and listen you need to tell a great story.

People love real-life stories, so telling your client a story about someone who identifies directly with their product including how their product can/will help them is bound to win points. A client/consumer needs to see the product in action, and the more exciting and emotive (yes, pour on the sugar) you can make it the better.

Obviously this isn’t the only thing which will “Just do it” for the client or the consumer, however it won’t hurt to invest time in making the product you are trying to sell real.

To round this off here is a bit of “pitch” magic from the TV series Mad Men demonstrating how a great story can really bring a product alive, in this case the Kodak slide projector...

Tim

The Kingswood story

After 14 hemisphere-hopping winters in a row Alex Herbert fell in love with the Canterbury club fields and made Lyttelton, New Zealand his home.

He started a repair workshop, the Ski & Board Surgery, in central Christchurch in 1999 and it quickly became the city’s busiest workshop.

When fat skis appeared in the late 1990s, Alex wanted them bad, but they were scarce.  Eventually, he took matters into his own hands and decided to make them himself.  Taking his knowledge from 14 years at the tuning bench, Alex set to work.  The first step was to take his favourite pair of skis and cut them into 86 pieces to see what was inside.

The first press was made from two pieces of rolled steel sandwiched together with car jacks.  Though the start was rough, the aim had always been to make the highest quality skis possible.  Alex was convinced skis could be better, stronger, more durable.  He wasn’t willing to put his name to them unless they were the best ski he could imagine.

And so he experimented until he got it right. The first ski was good, ski-able and strong.  The hard part wasn’t making a ski… it was making a great ski.  That took three more years.

Kingswood Skis hit the market in June 2005 but the search for perfection continues.  In 2007, the topsheets were improved, new shapes added and old ones tweaked.

Alex runs the company with his wife Kris. Alex hangs out in his big ski factory, rides his skateboard from one end to the other and makes all the skis.  Kris does pretty much everything else.  Kris says it’s her job to take Alex’s ideas about ski making and their combined ideas about life in general and translate that into running a business.  Alex says he’s lucky to have her.

Andy out testing

This Sunday is Father’s Day in New Zealand.  So this weeks ‘Zoner of the Week’ goes to all the Dads at TimeZoneOne for creating so much more than just extraordinary creative, Nigel Foley, Andy Carruthers, Murray Grossmith, David McLeod (me) and Hamish McDonald. Mark Cornellison gets an honorable mention, but narrowly misses out on new socks and hankerchiefs this year, his baby is not due for another month.

Here’s a little Father’s Day entercation…

Although normal English punctuation guidelines indicate that the holiday should be spelled “Fathers’ Day” (as it is a plural possessive), common usage dictates that the ostensibly singular possessive “Father’s Day” is the preferred spelling.

In New Zealand…

the average age of fathers of new babies is 33 years.

Fathers with children aged under one year manage 42 minutes less sleep than the average of 8.5 hours.

Over a lifetime, fathers have seven fewer Father’s Days, on average, than mothers have Mother’s Days. This is because men generally start parenting later in life and women have a longer life span. So make the most of it.

More than a quarter (28 percent) of babies born in New Zealand last year were to fathers who were not themselves born in New Zealand.

In the USA…

Father’s day is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June (In New Zealand, it’s the 1st Sunday of September.).

there is an estimated 64.3 million Dads.

Americans spend around $11 billion on gifts for Father’s Day. This is about $7 billion less than the amount spent on Moms for Mother’s Day.

David ‘top of the fooseball ladder’ McLeod

Last week Tim, Murray and myself, had a rapid fire visit to Boulder, Colorado. The home of Crocs , the Dushanbe Teahouse and the characters’ house from the “Mork & Mindy ” television show. This was my first visit inside the US of A and it blew all my misconceptions of the place away.

I spent a good amount of the time suffering from insomnia and lack of appetite, but my personal highlights from the Crocs bootcamp were:

“Its Toasted” - Tim “happy chappy” Chapman coined the phrase as part of the new TZ1 language for decision making.

Being The First “Adman” through US customs.

Rick Rolling (gangster style) through Boulder in the “Loredo” listening to the non stop 80’s channel.

Adventures to the Firewood Lot with the “trusty” navigator Navman.

Sharing a room with messy Murray in the semi-murderous underground bunker.

Embracing the most organic city in North America by eating goats cheese and the huge variety of mushrooms , at least once a day to smell my best.

Being interviewed by Barns and noble about our knowledge of books, and Tim stealing the show.

Celebrating my 26th birthday with the Crocs brithday bear.

Seeing the US B-team and meeting the friendly felluhs at Crocs.

-King cobra snaking off.

Can you pass the third grade? Do you know your North Dakota from your North Carolina? How well would you do naming all the states of the United States of America?

With this game, you have a few minutes to drag the names of the US states and drop them in the right places on the map. The TimeZoneOne team have clients all around the USA so I am sure we will all deliver big scores! 

Click on the link below to play the game but be warned, it is very addictive!

http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf

Nigel Scores 40

 NIGEL FOLEY

1. What are you wearing today?

Jeans and a cord jacket because I’m cool!

2. How many brothers/sister do you have and are you first born, middle, youngest or only child?

1 brother, I’m the oldest. 

3. Where were you born?

Jean Todd wing, Timaru Public Hospital

4. Tell us one thing not many people know about you?

I was dux of my school.

5. What are you like at parties?

I’m in between party animal and wallflower. What is that? A great mingler - can hold my own.

6. Tell us your favorite drink?

Margaritas!

7. Who is your ‘Go to’ person? 

Peter Davis

8. What was the last song you downloaded (or CD you bought)?

Amy Winehouse Back to Black

9. Tell us your pet hate?

Hate Passiveness…Hate whinging with no solution.

10. Vegemite or Maramite?

Vegemite

11. Best piece of advice your mother ever gave you?

Always have clean underwear and a clean handkerchief.

Plan your work and work your plan.

12. If you had a ’shin-dig’ at your house and could invite 4 famous people (dead or alive) who would they be?

Jake Gyllenhaal, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland, Anika Moa, Hugh Jackman

13. What is your favorite place in the world and why?

Italy. Food, culture, vibe, attitude, style.

14. If you won a million dollars tomorrow, what would you do with the money?

Spend some of it…move to Melbourne…share some of it.

15. Do you have a nickname? (and if so what is it?)

No….but Tatt’s calls me ‘Foley Moley’…don’t know why!

16. And lastly who would you turn straight for?

Kate Bush….who would I stay gay for…Jake Gyllenhaal floats my boat.

 LYE 

MATT HERIVEL  

1. What are you wearing today?

Black T-shirt, Jeans, ski socks (gotta keep warm!)

2. How many brothers/sister do you have and are you first born, middle, youngest or only child?

1 brother. I’m the oldest and the smallest.

3. Where were you born?

Alderney, Channel Islands.

4. Tell us one thing not many people know about you?

I can wobbly my eyes.

5. What are you like at parties?

All good until the Tequila comes out.

6. Tell us your favorite drink?

Guiness, Lager, Tequila (not together).

7. Who is your ‘Go to’ person? 

My wife, Danni.

8. What was the last song you downloaded (or CD you bought)?

It’s been a while…Tim Armstrong, I think.

9. Tell us your pet hate?

Opening car doors in the cycle lane,

I know I’m gonna eat it soon!

10. Vegemite or Maramite?

Maramite (the UK stuff!)

11. Best piece of advice your mother ever gave you?

Don’t eat yellow snow.

12. If you had a ’shin-dig’ at your house and could invite 4 famous people (dead or alive) who would they be?

Homer Simpson (drinking buddy), G-Love (for the tunes), Bill Hicks, Gordon Ramsey (For the F***in BBQ!)

13. What is your favorite place in the world and why?

Douglas Quay, Alderney. It’s beautiful….Danni and I were married there. (aaahh!)

14. If you won a million dollars tomorrow, what would you do with the money?

Take Danni surfing in Costa Rica…no, she’d love it!!

15. Do you have a nickname? (and if so what is it?)

At school it was ‘Plank’ due to the shoulders…kind of morphed into ‘Plankton’ - don’t know what that was all about….

16. And lastly who would you turn gay for?

Stay-Puff Marshmallow man. He works that sailor look!!

LYE