CB Q&A: A confident indie agency with an ultra-collaborative + fun loving culture – This is True

Campaign Brief sits down with the senior leadership team at Kiwi independent creative and digital experience agency True to hear about how this agency does it differently…

Campaign Brief: True was set up with the ambition to do things differently. What did this mean for you and how do you stay true to delivering on it?

Matt Dickinson: If you’re an ad agency, the solution to every client’s business problem is going to look like an ad. At True, we’ve always believed in backing the best solution for the problem. Sometimes that is an ad campaign, sure. But often it’s understanding the customer needs better. An updated brand, a better website, or a fresh look at an under-utilised asset. Our Safety Videos for Air New Zealand weren’t ads at all, and yet they became the most consistently watched and engaged with safety videos from any airline around the world.

Matt Heays AKA Hazy: We know people don’t distinguish between brand, design, or communications campaigns. And we don’t either. We call ourselves a creative and digital agency, not an ad agency, to remind ourselves to stay true to this philosophy.

CB: You recently celebrated your 12th birthday – what are you most proud of achieving over those years?

Matt D: Not just jumping at every new business opportunity. We’ve always chosen partners that we think are right fit for us. Over the 12 years, we’ve figured out who we are (and aren’t) right for. It takes time to truly know what you stand for.

Conan Gorbey AKA Connie: We’ve been lucky to have formed incredible client partnerships over the years, made some lifelong friends, and done some interesting work. Partnerships, friends, and great work – what’s not to love? We are particularly proud of the team we have had over the years and the team we have now. We strive to make True a place people love coming to each day.

Abby Bolstad: Even though we’ve hit the 12 year mark, in some ways it still feels like year one. There’s a big energy and collective ambition in this place that I love.

CB: You’ve remained independently owned, rather than joining a network – what are the pros and cons from your perspective?

Connie: What we love about being independent is how nimble we can be. We have a set of robust processes (we all come from network agency backgrounds), but the fact that the business owners are right here in the same room means we have the ability to be genuinely flexible with our clients and tailor ways of working that suit them best – there’s no one in New York or Paris to say no.

Hazy: The ‘cons’ side of independence is we can’t offer a stint at ‘the New York office’. Having said that, we’ve found our own way around it, with extended leave available for sabbaticals and OOO adventures. So, if anyone likes the idea of True Tahiti, that can probably be a thing.

CB: What are you working on right now?

Abby: We’re plotting the global launch of a new pet food product; we’re filming a hilarious video series for battery powered garden tools; we’re encouraging Kiwis to Live More, Fear Less; we’re creating a whole new brand identity for a tech company; we’re inspiring teenagers to play more cricket. That’s just the new stuff we’re working on – we’re also busy keeping track of the projects we’ve recently finished, too, so we can measure our success. We’re big believers in testing and learning.

CB: True has always been known for its great culture. What do you attribute this to?

Matt D: A way of working, where everyone’s opinions are valued. We approach our work in an ultra-collaborative way, everyone contributing to the work is heard and seen – and everyone celebrates in the wins.

Connie: We also have our own package of True staff benefits, including a really supportive parental leave policy, long service leave, work-from-home Thursdays, early Friday finishes, and the secret weapon: Dogs. All the dogs.

CB: What does a typical day in the True offices look like?

 Hazy: Full-noise and high energy. Debateable music tastes, particularly people’s views on Jazz. I love Jazz. Others don’t. Rigorous debate and critique to better the work. Radical and evolving processes to fuel collaboration. And some of the most hilarious and equally questionable conversations I’ve ever had around a kitchen table.

CB: You guys went a little bit viral on TikTok! What’s going on there?

Abby: Absolutely! We’ve been leaning into TikTok, testing how it can be utilised within the creative process and what it can offer for our clients. We’ve now had not one but two of our staff Toks reach over 150,000 views in their first weekend of going live, so we reckon we got some game there and some solid learnings to share.