One Plus One Equals Three

Welcome to the first edition of One Plus One Equals Three, a semi-regular review of information, industry trends and newsworthy items we hope you enjoy.

• More and more commentators are suggesting that New Zealand advertisers have spent millions on ads that have never seen the light of day.
• Hootsuite’s and We are Social’s annual digital report for 2019 has unveiled that the average New Zealander spends 1 hour 43 mins a day using social media.
• The Brexit debate and division in the U.K sometimes feels like watching a slow car crash. Benedict Cumberbatch stars in a new political drama Brexit: The Uncivil War based around the EU referendum. Channel 4 describes it as a drama that “examines the anatomy of a modern data-driven election campaign.”
• NZME released its Full Year 2018 Results – and it has some insights into the premium pay-wall that’s expected to launch in Q2 2019. Newsroom talks to how the pay-wall might affect NZME’s numbers.
• Those making money by selling goods and services online – whether it be through Instagram, Facebook or the use of Uber or AirBnB – may face a Digital Services Tax for the income they earn from online advertising.
• Michael Jackson’s controversial ‘Leaving Neverland’ documentary raked in over 700,000 viewers on the first night it aired on TVNZ, suggesting free to air TV still has significant reach.

• We were moved by The Project Australia’s Waleed Aly’s moving monologue and calls for unity; and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern leading New Zealand through our darkest days with strength and grace.
• New Zealand’s largest advertisers banded together to strike against Facebook advertising, until Tourism New Zealand jumped back on board.

• Jill Abramson, the only woman to have held the position of executive editor of the New York Times is set to speak at this year’s Writer’s Festival. You can read all about her recent book, ‘Merchants of Truth,’ in our latest book review. One Plus One will be attending the event, and we invite you to join us.

“Conventional thinking says that 1+1=2. But with a great team and useful insights, something else happens, so that 1+1=3.” U.K. advertising icon, Dave Trott