Agency Announces Dedicated Brainstorm Room for Pitch-Themed Stress Cries
In a bold move set to revolutionise employee wellbeing, Auckland agency Pepper & Sledge has unveiled its newest internal innovation: The WeepDeck™, a soundproof, mood-lit room engineered specifically for what staff are calling "the late-stage pitch spiral."
Outfitted with industrial-strength bean bags, a Bluetooth speaker permanently paired to a single ocean-wave playlist, and a wall-mounted quote that reads "It's not feedback, it's growth," the WeepDeck™ is already booked solid through October. Senior creatives report a 12% improvement in post-brainstorm coherence, while junior strategists say the room has helped them repress the worst of their focus group memories.
"We realised our team needed a space to really dive into the existential dread that comes with presenting a third, worse version of the same idea," said Fiona Tapiri, the agency's newly appointed VP of Emotional Logistics. "After all, nothing builds resilience like softly sobbing under a neon sign that says ‘Crush It’ while your ECD paces outside quoting Steve Jobs."
The WeepDeck™ follows the agency’s 2022 wellness pilot, in which planners were offered ergonomic seats shaped like client feedback loops. That programme was retired after three planners refused to return to chairs that asked, "but what’s the story?" every 15 minutes.
Pepper & Sledge plans to franchise the WeepDeck™ to agencies across the country, with early inquiries from Wellington, some parts of Ponsonby, and one hopeful freelancer in Hamilton who requested a portable unit "for home use."
Outfitted with industrial-strength bean bags, a Bluetooth speaker permanently paired to a single ocean-wave playlist, and a wall-mounted quote that reads "It's not feedback, it's growth," the WeepDeck™ is already booked solid through October. Senior creatives report a 12% improvement in post-brainstorm coherence, while junior strategists say the room has helped them repress the worst of their focus group memories.
"We realised our team needed a space to really dive into the existential dread that comes with presenting a third, worse version of the same idea," said Fiona Tapiri, the agency's newly appointed VP of Emotional Logistics. "After all, nothing builds resilience like softly sobbing under a neon sign that says ‘Crush It’ while your ECD paces outside quoting Steve Jobs."
The WeepDeck™ follows the agency’s 2022 wellness pilot, in which planners were offered ergonomic seats shaped like client feedback loops. That programme was retired after three planners refused to return to chairs that asked, "but what’s the story?" every 15 minutes.
Pepper & Sledge plans to franchise the WeepDeck™ to agencies across the country, with early inquiries from Wellington, some parts of Ponsonby, and one hopeful freelancer in Hamilton who requested a portable unit "for home use."