Topham Guerin is a new breed of advertising agency founded in New Zealand in 2016 by Sean Topham and Ben Guerin. The company is headquartered in Auckland and has offices in London and Sydney.
An unconventional creative agency with Kiwi founders that cut their teeth in the world of politics, TG has helped elect Prime Ministers in three countries, worked on the Covid communications response for the NZ and UK governments, and run digital-first campaigns for Airbnb, Fujitsu, Lloyds Banking Group and the NHS.
The culture at TG is one of a bold, ambitious, young business, with an intellectual rigour and experience beyond its years. Their process is to get as involved as possible, know as much as they can and then quickly iterate ideas to find what sticks.
In their own words:
At TG, we are more than just a creative agency. We are a team of innovators: born digital and focused on results.
Politics taught us how to unlock the potential of digital and to craft content that wins. Now, we use these same skills to help our clients around the world to achieve their goals.
We believe that anything is possible when you combine bold thinking and a winning team. So, if you want to connect with people in a whole new way, look no further than TG – where digital and creativity come together to leave a mark.
The brief was to showcase their combination of diverse talent and radical approaches to effective work.
Our proposal was to characterise their unique set of traits in an unconventional way, with their own blend of wry wit.
When it came to their identity, our brief was to reflect the curious and playful nature of their creativity but with a tone that was bold and smart enough for governments and brands alike.
TGs character starts with their monogram – a duo of ‘Serious and Playful’ characters.
The theme is brought alive with a brand world of ‘unexpected winning combinations’ – a series of unusual characters that express TGs values – so may we introduce:
Flykiwi, Ladypop, Lipsmacker, Curious Emu, Tubajoy and Squidfinger.
We worked with Valero Doval with Grand Matter who helped bring our characters to life. These guys play and move across all TG’s colourful communications and help breathe life into the agency culture.
We wanted to push the playful side of the brand by merging individual parts that represented the uniqueness of Topham Guerin. From the Curious Emu to the daring Lipsmacker, there’s something for both employees and clients to resonate with.
Thanks to all at Topham Guerin, Valero Doval and Grand Matter.
SomeOne Team.
David Law — Founder
Laura Hussey — ECD
Lucy Richardson — Lead Designer
Amanda Leslau — Account Manager