Ambitious Aotearoa is a full-service creative agency based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington. Our expertise began in digital and has since branched out into capabilities across the entire media landscape.
We offer services ranging from visual identity design, website design & development and creative ideation to media strategy, planning, and buying services.
Curiosity is at the heart of great creative. Curiosity about brands, curiosity about products and curiosity about people. All successful projects start from a place of understanding. When we work together we will start with a sound brief, our client service team will often write the brief back to you (called a “reverse brief”) for you to sign off. If the project calls for it, we will engage research wherever possible to better understand your audience and their brand perceptions.
Endearing is about people. When we talk about “humanistic” creative, it’s because we want to create connections that are deeper than simple brand messaging. Advertising and branding can start a conversation, but great creative keeps a conversation going. It reaches consumers on an emotionally engaging level and invites them to engage. Often when we’re discussing creative solutions with you, we’ll talk about how your audience can respond and stay involved in a longer conversation with your brand.
Honesty in our messaging, honest about our work. We like to be honest with you, if something is going to take longer or cost more than you expect, we try to be upfront about that so we can set reasonable expectations together. Advertising agencies talk about universal truths. There’s an old adage, “advertising will only make a bad product fail faster”, we like to think of it this way, tell your audience the truth about your product. Tell them the truth about why they should do or act in the way you want them to, tell them that interesting and truthful thing that sets your message apart from the rest.
Jamie is our creative lead, with experience working on brands like Coke, Audi, Nissan, AIA, Hellers, Totalspan, The Ministry of Education, Lincoln University, The Crusaders, Metlifecare, MIT, Macpac, Kathmandu, Bobux and Fonterra. Jamie's been making ads and crafting brands for almost two decades now so he knows a thing or two about how to get into the minds of consumers. A true believer in the power of the big idea, Jamie is the driving force behind our approach to "Human Creativity". A bit of a hybrid, Jamie is as comfortable wielding a pen as he is a pencil, and regularly immerses himself in design, art, copy and even the occasional piece of interactivity.
Chris's career spans more than a decade in senior client service roles for some of NZ's most prestigious agencies including FCB, ColensoBBDO, ClemengerBBDO and Special Group. He's worked on campaigns for BNZ, NZ Trade and Enterprise, Public Trust and The Department of Prime Minister to name just a few. When he's not spitting out briefs and wrangling project timelines for us, Chris can be found drawing or hanging out with his daughter.
John is the mind behind many of our visual ideas. A versatile art director who puts ideas first and foremost, John started his career in Australia at agencies like Havas and The Campaign Palace. John and Jamie first worked together over ten years ago, bouncing around Christchurch agencies for several years together before going their own ways. When he’s not scamping our latest campaign, John can be found beating a drum kit to death in a variety of kiwi bands that all seem too cool for any of us to have heard of.
Francesca is our star wordsmith, writing everything from headlines to blog articles, website copy and brand strategy. Francesca’s been with the agency for almost three years, with a background in Journalism as well as working at a digital agency in Rhode Island. She’s often engaged early on with new clients helping to craft brand essence and initial strategic thoughts. When she’s not driving a desk, Francesca likes to wildly swing a tennis racket or work on her own novel which she promises she’s going to finish.
Jen is our resident expert in everything nerdy. She took a while to find her calling in code, having previously had a career in fashion design. Jen spent a number of years working in the Netherlands before figuring out she liked internet things and moving back to New Zealand where she originally interned at Silverstripe. Holding qualifications in both web design and development helps Jen keep an eye on the details when she's building wonderous creations. When she's not crafting websites, she keeps a finger in the fashion world designing and manufacturing her own jewellery.
Nate helps us keep the work on track, assigning tasks and handling all sorts of odd jobs in the studio. If you don’t get your timesheets done, Nate’s the one to send you a strongly worded DM about it. Nate takes on a wide range of tasks from organising basic image and changes in client files to providing client service support when needed. He’s got a background in event management and when he’s not working on whatever task has been thrown at him in the last minute, Nate makes use of his Music Management degree in the local Wellington scene.
Art is our resident design nerd and a lover of all things user related. Art's focus is on UI/UX design but dabbles in everything for brands from print collateral to brochure material, signage and advertising design. Art has a keen interest in motion design and illustration which helps when animating our web banners.
Katie is our media mastermind, optimising digital campaigns and planning media budgets for all of our Ambitious clients.
A graduate of Massey's College of Creative Arts, Katelyn is a lover of all things design and brand related. Whether it's crafting a fresh visual identity for our clients or working with the team to concept new creative ideas, Katelyn brings a fresh visual approach to everything she works on. A born creative, outside of work Katelyn is a multi-instrumentalist with broad array of imaginative outlets.
