We introduced @papaya_films to their brand agency.
Revered production company PAPAYA FILMS were looking for a partner to support their global growth, and asked us to connect them with teams that could redesign their brand and website.
They wanted to meet agencies that would understand how to speak to multiple audiences (consumers, brands, talent and streamers), and help them evolve into an internationally respected creative force.
We introduced them to teams that could meet their needs and more: agencies that are tapped into culture, have experience in this space, and would know how to create an identity that’s as at home on a film poster or festival screen as it is on a piece of collectable merch.
They met our shortlist and decided to partner with the talented team at @regularpractice .
From running one of the most sought-after digital agencies on the planet, to selling to Twitter, to recovering from burnout… Halli Thorleifsson has been on quite the journey. For the latest episode of our podcast Private View(s), we asked him about it.
He told us why he keeps saying no to clients, why we still haven’t delivered on the early promise of the internet, and how he thinks differently about creative work and client relationships after being brand-side.
Link in our bio.
Iconic British fashion house @paulsmithdesign asked us to recommend agencies that could help inject some new energy into their socials.
They already had their own photographer and in-house team, so this ask was focused on concept development, script writing and editing.
They told us their perfect partner would: have deep understanding of what works well in digital content, have existing fashion credentials in this space, and be able to integrate seamlessly with their existing workflows.
We introduced them to a shortlist of possible agency partners, and they decided to partner with @kurppahosk . They’ve helped translate key campaigns into social moments, experimented with new formats and set up a highly collaborative relationship that allowed both sides to do what they do best.
Luxury brands need to be shapeshifters. Mavericks. They need to be single-minded but also flexible; fast-moving but capable of slowness at the same time. They have to be long-term thinkers who still understand what’s happening right now. Maybe most importantly, they need to know exactly who they are.
Over on Substack we’ve shared a new opinion piece on what it means to be a luxury brand in this context, and the role creativity plays in being slower, stickier, and more single-minded in the premium space.
Link in our bio.
(images shown: Loewe work by Grace Margetson Studio)
Investment firm WILL VENTURES asked us to connect them with agencies that could take them beyond the usual VC branding.
As a business that invests in category-defining brands, they wanted to meet teams that understood the venture space, but had the strategic thinking to tell a new kind of story.
Via our agency introductions, they hired @barkas to handle creative strategy, positioning and branding.
Their new identity and website frames their expertise, establishing them as a firm that’s not just a financial partner, but a business that truly understands the intersection of sport, entertainment and consumer.
Another project made possible by AUFI.
Brands aren’t just hiring agencies for raw creative talent; it’s also about perspective.
In our latest monthly roundup of what we’re seeing across dozens of briefs, we’ve got thoughts on:
- robots
- embedded agencies
- alternative influence
- how wellness and fitness companies are building new kinds of brand worlds
Sign up in the comments - we share a new edition every month, always informed by the conversations we’re having with marketers, founders and agency owners.
You’re the founder of one of the hottest digital agencies in the world, you’ve worked with the biggest tech brands imaginable, and you’ve got clients battering down your door. What comes next?
You sell to Twitter, and leave the agency world. But wait, there’s a twist.
For the latest episode of our podcast Private View(s), we spoke with Halli Thorleifsson – founder of @uenoishere (which did indeed sell to Twitter in 2021). He’s back running Ueno again, and he’s taking a very different approach.
“We have to make technology more human… we have to think about how it influences our emotional state, our place in the world and how we operate as societies.”
Healthcare brand @mytrellishealth asked us to introduce them to a brand agency that could help establish them in the market.
They wanted a creative partner that could design an identity that contrasts the clinical clichés of the industry, while building trust in new technology.
They told us that their perfect team would be familiar with the industry, and could use this experience to toe the line between a brand that’s genuinely distinctive, while still feeling reliable and trusted.
We made introductions and they decided to work with @how___studio , who created a flexible identity system that can grow as the brand does, all centred around a carefully crafted fingerprint icon – showing how TRELLIS acts as a living blueprint for health.
Fast-growing fine jewellery brand @idyl asked us to introduce them to an agency that could lead on social content strategy and creation.
They wanted a creative partner that could build emotional, cinematic content for their main channels, and also advise on influencer partnerships.
They told us their perfect agency would be a small, super-collaborative team that understood how to balance narrative with performance.
We made introductions, and they started working with @_socialed – who have produced a whole suite of social content, including hero films that live across multiple channels, product-specific paid media formats and how-to-style campaigns led by IDYL’s key influencers.
Your agency shouldn’t feel like a vendor; they should be a co-conspirator.
Brands often tell us they’re looking for an agency that can become a seamless part of their business – an extension of their in-house team, rather than an external contributor.
There’s a lot of reasons for that: a closer, more strategic partnership; more room to address things over the long-term; and more opportunity to get them into the day-to-day of your brand, while maintaining their outsider POV.
For our latest AUFI Insights, we asked @weareamongequals , @insiders_studio and @loveandmoney.agency how they’re building closer, more embedded relationships with brands (link in our bio).
