Start Me Up

AUCKLAND, Today: Special Group has found a unique way to create new business – via a free startup scheme that aims to find three new businesses that would benefit from a relationship with the AUNZ indie.

Special founder, CEO/CCO Tony Bradbourne said: “During the weird, what-if times of the Covid-19 lockdowns, the strategy & design teams at Special talked about all the plans and developments, new ideas, new products and new brands that were being put on hold or scrapped altogether due to Covid.”

Special founder & executive design director Heath Lowe said: “So, we thought about what we could do to help,”

The creative company has launched an initiative, announced with a full-page NZ Needs Startups ad in the New Zealand Herald over the weekend.

Bradbourne says their mission is to find three startups that could use Special’s leading strategic, design, comms and digital thinking to launch their brands – for free.

“Frankly, we love working with these founder-driven companies.”

“We are where we are due to a lot of talented people, talented clients, and a lot of hard work – but also because of some incredible support from the industry,” Bradbourne said.

“We also know how hard it is to launch when times are tough. We launched 13 years ago right in the middle of the GFC. And now it’s our chance to give back, to help others start their dreams.”

Heath Lowe: “We’ve helped brands like ecostore and Karma Cola become international success stories. We have the branding, packaging and storytelling experience it takes to launch and grow a successful brand, so we want to use it for good.

“And frankly, we love working with these founder-driven companies.”

“We want to use all of our talents to help the next New Zealand success stories.”

MD Michael Redwood said: “We believe one of the best ways to help the New Zealand economy right now is to start something.

“So, we are looking for entrepreneurs who have a great idea, but may not be sure how to brand it, or launch it, or scale it, or have people interact with it or globalise it.

“We want to use all of our talents to help the next New Zealand success stories.

“Special Group has been in the news quite a bit lately, winning Campaign of the Year at AdNews and Mumbrella, having the Global Effie awards rate their Good Morning World campaign for Tourism NZ as ‘the most effective campaign in the world’ and opening office #4, Special Los Angeles – in doing so creating New Zealand’s first international creative network.

“Now is the perfect time to turn this momentum towards helping others who have dreams of starting something themselves.”

• More here: specialgroup.com/nz/work/startup