It’s not quite Wall Street, but over the last year Zoners have been competing against each other on NZX virtual trading to see who can grow a biggest virtual share portfolio. The virtual shares are based on actual NZX-listed shares. Each of the six teams started with 50,000 virtual dollars (v$). Several teams lost interest and were taken out of the running for not submitting their financial reports in time, while the winning team, Foley Contractors, was able to grow their virtual wealth by over by over v$25,000. My team, VeldCorp came in a close second after a strong rally in the final quarter while the Codd Squad were able to pick up the bronze medal, despite barely making enough to buy a virtual cup of coffee, because nobody else finished the race. Click on the graph to embiggen.

David McLeod

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At TimeZoneOne we often talk about flying kiwis. Kiwis can’t actually fly, in fact, as birds go the kiwi probably isn’t the most impressive, they’re kind of odd really – they sound like this…

…they’re nocturnal, they have little stubby wings, stubby legs, a round body, a long awkward beak and they lay eggs that are 20% of their own body mass, which is like giving birth to a 4-year-old. But maybe it’s that kind of can-do attitude that has seen it become a national symbol.

The story goes that once upon a time the kiwi was an impressive, colorful bird, with large impressive wings who soared above the forests. One day the god of the forest gathered the birds together and told them that the bugs on the forest floor were killing the tree roots and that if someone didn’t go live down there and sort it out the forest would die and they would have no home – however, whoever went to live on the forest floor would need to adapt to that environment and they’d have to leave behind their beautiful feathers and they would never fly again. As you can imagine, there weren’t a lot of wings being raised or feathered heads nodding, but the kiwi volunteered and was transformed into the odd little creature he is today. The other birds got to keep their pretty feathers, but they all owe a debt to the humble kiwi who scurries around in the dark cleaning up the forest floor. Kiwi’s are modest creatures, we don’t need to show off with bright plumage, we just like to get the job done and focus on the bigger picture.

Here’s a wee game I whipped up that doesn’t illustrate any of the points of that story, but it does have flying kiwis (the bird) dodging flying kiwis (the fruit) for people who are into that sort of thing. I didn’t bother to set up a high score thing, but feel free to leave your score in the comments so that everyone can know how awesome you are, try to be honest or, if you’re going to lie, be epic and say you got over a trillion points.

(if your reading this through an RSS feed click here to join the fun)

David ‘kiwi as*’ McLeod

*As  (particle – intensifier)

1. too, indeed, really, so, very, quite - an intensive particle following immediately after the word it relates to. It may be used after all types of bases, but particularly with negatives, adjectives and verbs as described below.
Sweet as = That is quite satisfactory!
Na, sweet as, I’m full as = No, indeed, I have eaten too much!
2. very, extremely, so, most - when preceded by an adjective preceded by hard out it expresses the superlative.   This place is hard out beautiful as. = This place is extremely beautiful.
3. best , accomplished - when following wicked or mean.
MJ was wicked as at basketball = Michael Jordon was the best basketball player.
MJ was a mean as singer = Michael Jackson was a very accomplished singer

Origin:
bef. 1000; ME as, als, alse, also, OE alswā, ealswā all so, quite so, quite as, as; c. MD alse (D als), OHG alsō (MHG álsō, álse, als, G also so, als as, as if, because) circa 1960; Nu Zild BRO  sweet as, bro.

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Augmented Reality (AR) is the newest form of digital communication…and it is astonishing.
AR is the overlay of graphics onto a video stream or other real-time display.  It moves the digital experience from the online environment into the real world. AR will change the world of marketing in the same way that social media has and will open up a world of possibilities in terms of how brands can market to savvy, younger consumers.

TIMEZONEONE AND AUGMENTED REALITY
TimeZoneOne worked with the U.S. Army to create an interactive experience that engaged viewers and promoted recruitment. We initiated an event based and online augmented reality campaign to support U.S. Army NASCAR sponsored events. We created a unique interactive event and online brand experience supporting the sponsorship in which a NASCAR is steered across a desert racing Army vehicles.

Powered by the augmented reality technology D’Fusion, users can now race the Army sponsored NASCAR and also educate themselves on Army vehicles online. The augmented reality application is complemented by content on FaceBook and YouTube allowing for a prolonged PR effect and strong viral potential.

AR is in its infancy but we believe that AR will become a very important way for brands to engage with customers and fans.

goarmy.com/raceforstrength

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With more than seven years worth of successful brand building and marketing success in America, TimeZoneOne has decided we’ve got so good at it (nothing like giving yourself a good old pat on the back every now and then), we’re going to start adding some of our own brands to the client roster.

One of these brands to launch in the next 12 months will be a range of New Zealand inspired and designed apparel. It’s too early to reveal all yet. But needless to say once our North American friends learn to embrace the ever evolving world of Merino yarns and uniquely New Zealand tran-seasonal designs that make up the bulk of most kiwi women wardrobes we’re certain they’ll wonder how they ever lived without them before.

In line with the New Zealand’s edge of the world positioning on the world map, our fashion tends to have an edgy, funky look that give our garments a very distinctive, highly creative style.

Check out this link to be introduced to some of New Zealand’s most interesting fashion designers.

http://www.fashionz.co.nz/

Raewyn Topp – Professional shopper and clothes crazy kiwi

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The start of my NHRA career?…(this is my staunch look…certainly ain’t no Blue Steel)

Hamish McDonald

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At TimeZoneOne, we are very proud of the handsome logo we designed for the American Medical Association. Is it becoming world famous?

The Zone

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We are into month three of our investment game and the design studio has been converted into a share trading room with regular crys of buy 2,000 AMP and sell 1,000 WHS.

Recent chatter from the traders

Well yesterday when you sent this email it sat at about $48,500 and was similar when I looked again in the afternoon. Then on the news it said one of our shares had increased in value by $4, so now our fund is worth $52,500. Not bad for one afternoon!
Liz had this to say: Booze is good.Luckily alcohol is addictive so should ride out the recession….yipee!

Codd account is valued at $51,746 with $35,883.50 worth of equities held. Although slightly down on our last update the fund is holding steady. Still got some $ in the tank for the next big thing…

Fisher and Paykel Health Care is our worst performer over the past 2 months of trading. We are hoping the worldwide swine flu scare will benefit F&P Health! ,

“Pork bellies are soooo passé, the future is in TV!”, We lost nearly $3000 in one day early in the month, still licking our wounds, a bit reluctant to make any more big investments.

Andy

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This Friday or all Fridays, at this end of this week, of all weeks, it seems appropriate to resurrect the Zoner of the Week.

For me Zoners have the following traits:
- A Can Do attitude
- Fun and energetic
- A desire to exceed expectations
- A willingness to learn as we go
- Open and positive
- Ego-less

These add up to extraordinary. It is a choice to act like this and we make this choice. Ordinary is not welcome.

This is our esprit de corps. Our mojo. And I am proud be part of a team that embraces these values.

With this in mind the Zoner of the Week goes to ALL our team, nationwide and coast to coast. In this pressure packed deadline demanding week I believe we all looked carefully at ourselves and asked ‘how can I make this better’?

Rich even bought coffee.

Next week will also have it’s challengers but we are now better equipped.

Welllll done, and thanks.

ENTERCATION

As we are all a bit brain-drained it might be likely that we miss that opportunity for a clever comeback

For example, if Churchill had been tired when Mrs Braddock said to him ‘Sir, you are drunk’, he may have replied ‘Doh’, and it might have been several hours before he thought of the rather keen comeback ‘Madam, you are ugly. In the morning, I shall be sober.’

In French there is a rather nice expression for coming up with a clever comeback when it is too late…’l'esprit de l’escalier’

Entercationally speaking this means ’stairway wit’.

Tatts

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At TimeZoneOne we should, do and must constantly ask the question ‘how do I make this better’?

I believe this is one of the most important questions. It is an open-arms question and will lead to an improved situation. It is particularly valuable for us because creative can be a hard thing to review and this question opens up the discussion positively.

Right now we are in the middle of tough assignment, but each day we are working on making it better.  This includes additional resources, improved systems and a fighting attitude.

Right now it is 11.28pm on Wednesday night and the TimeZoneOne team is working tirelessly at both ends of the globe to get on top of this. This is the umpteenth midnight slog in a row. Thanks to all Zoners for your extraordinary dedication to this project.

Tatts

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I have just returned (landed in Chicago late last night) from 2 weeks in NZ and some time in Sydney. As such this blog will be a little be random as my thoughts are still in another TimeZoneOne.

What is jet lag?

It is a physiological desynchronization caused by travel between different time zones.

The severity can vary according to the number of time zones crossed as well as the direction of travel-most people find it difficult to travel eastward (i.e., to adapt a shorter day as opposed to a longer one). The resulting symptoms include extreme fatigue, sleep disturbances, loss of concentration, disorientation, malaise, sluggishness, gastrointestinal upset, and loss of appetite.

In general, adjustment to a new time zone takes one day for each hour of time difference.

Well Done to the BancVue team…

During the last couple of weeks the TimeZoneOne BancVue team has been flat out getting the new campaign ready to market. This project has many moving parts and many deliverables but with hard work, creative thinking and a positive attitude we have broken the back of it. Upon my return to the office today I asked Hamish how he had been copying with the very late (1am) nights. See photo.

Lor on the road…..

This morning I caught up with Lor who also returned yesterday having had a week traveling around NZ with Patty.

How was the weather?

We had great weather. It only rained a couple of times when we were driving. It didn’t even rain in Doubtful Sound. (Where it rains 190 days a year, 230 feet annually).

Best moment?

We flew from Mt Cook on a small plane over the mountains and landed on the Franz Joseph Glacier. The landing was so soft and when the engine was off it was so quiet, nothing but clear sky and bright snow. The eerie blue ice of the glacier ice made it seem like we were standing on a huge slice of blue cheese. If only I had a giant cracker. 

How was the driving?

The driving went fine, although there is not as much hard shoulder as I would have liked. As the towns are quite small we had no traffic problems especially after I understood the ‘secret of the circle’.

One odd thing about NZ cars is that each time I went to indicate the windshield wipers went on.

Meet any good people?

I was on a jet boat going across Lake Horoko and the driver said ‘this lake is 98% fresh water’.

Another passenger asked ‘what is the other 2 percent?”

The driver replied, ‘fish shit’.

Gotta love kiwis.

5 Highlights…

1.       Mac Black beer

2.       See Mel in Queenstown, yelling at her until she couldn’t ignore me any more

3.       Getting slowly drunk on the wine tour

4.       Meeting Paul the Hump Ridge jet boat driver. Eating his BBQ.

5.       Paying $50 to see a 3D movie the Hermitage Hotel.

When biscuits become cookies….

A NZ trip always means a new office stock-up of biscuits. The aim is that our clients can get a wee taste of NZ when they visit, but they have to be quick as general office consumer is high.

Thanks to the Creative Team….

It was great to catch up with the C Team recently. Thanks to y’all for your hospitality.

Tatts

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