We’re pleased that our very own Nick Pritchard has agreed to be the chair in Queensland for Sponsorship Australasia, as well as sitting on the National Board.

Nick’s already started work in the role, bringing to the board a wealth of experience in the creative space, but also from his previous role as National Board Member of the Direct Marketing Association. No doubt Nick’s contagious enthusiasm for helping clients activate their sponsorship investments will invigorate the sponsorship category across Australasia.

Decoder spent a great day at the Communication Council’s Circus event yesterday. There were some great speakers from R/GA New York’s Nick Law to MDC’s Faris Yakob and Sarah O’Hagan from Gatorade. The common theme that emerged was that entertainment alone is no longer enough for advertising to succeed and traditional media needs to be replaced (or at least supplemented) with experiences we design to create our own media that grabs people’s attention.

It was inspiring, scary, challenging and ultimately invigorating. If you missed it, or if you were too enthralled to take notes, we’ve done some of our own which you can download here.

Decoder was one of the sponsors at this year’s Brisbane Media and Marketing Summit. If you couldn’t attend, then you can download our notes here.

Last month saw the completion of our first stage of design and development work for Suncorp Bank’s new interactive app, designed specifically to work on the bank’s new handheld tablets and LCD wall screens. Installed in the flagship branch on George Street in Sydney, the in-store app allows customers to access information about Suncorp’s range of products, without having to wait in line to speak to a branch advisor, as well as allowing customers to send product information to themselves for review at home.

As well as creating the customer interface and experience, our work on the app also required the secure integration of dynamic content from the banks existing legacy systems. Initial feedback in branch has been excellent and the programme rolls on…

Finding a builder you can trust is hard work, so Master Builders Queensland has created a new search function on their website, which allows new home builders and renovators to find an accredited builder in their area. Promoting the portal to both members and consumers, we’ve created an integrated trade and consumer campaign that includes search, DM and regional press advertising. The campaign uses a tongue-in-cheek high-viz theme, to demonstrate that the Master Builders portal is where quality tradies stand out!

With the goal of engaging with kids and encouraging responsible money management, Suncorp Bank developed the character Sammy Saver for use in marketing collateral for kids. Initially part of Suncorp Bank’s partnership with Australia Year of the Farmer, Sammy Saver will feature in various initiatives throughout the year used to support the Kids Savings Account. But what does Sammy look like? We were excited to be tasked with bringing Sammy to life, and had great fun working through the characterisation process with our partner illustrators. Since finalising Sammy we have developed a series of statement messages that feature savings tips and fun activities, launched a money box painting competition with supporting website and developed in branch collateral and signage. Watch this space for more from Sammy Saver, the new face of Suncorp Bank Kids Savings Account.

News Ltd has announced the opening of their remodelled news centre for Queensland, with a high profile event attended by key stakeholders including the Premier, Leader of the Opposition and heads of industry. Decoder were pleased to create and manage the event, which needed to make an impact, whilst ensuring that the focus remained on showcasing the new building. As News Ltd’s base for operations within the state, it represents $50m of investment and is now home to 1,000 employees, working on a range of News Ltd’s portfolio, including the Courier Mail, Quest Newspapers, Brisbane News, The Australian, Sky News and News Digital.

This week has seen the showcase of the first Ads in a series that we have created for Santos, launched in News Ltd’s brand new BOOM magazine. BOOM aims to explore the economic growth in Queensland, built on our natural resources, our proximity to the growth markets of the world and the relative stability of our business structure and workforce. We are very happy to be helping Santos share their opportunities with Queensland businesses and workers.

We love the power of data visualisation at decoder. Look at how the UK’s Guardian newspaper visualises trending topics on twitter, nice job guys.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/interactive/2011/dec/07/london-riots-twitter