Wellington Creative Agency Launches Vertical Strategy Division to Help Brands Conquer Ladders
In a bold move set to revolutionise how brands interact with objects that are taller than they are, Wellington's third-most-talked-about creative agency, Slant Publicity, has announced the launch of its new Vertical Strategy Division.
According to a very detailed internal memo leaked accidentally via a client pitch deck slide titled 'Let’s Just Wing This,' the division’s mission is to help brands “scale up, physically,” by identifying and addressing untapped vertical real estate. This includes flagpoles, scaffolding, and the backs of particularly tall cyclists. The initial pilot programme involved installing QR codes on cherry picker arms during a Miramar fruit festival. Results were inconclusive, largely due to wind.
Slant’s Head of Elevation Thinking, Barry Keflavik (whose LinkedIn profile describes him as ‘utterly obsessed with altitude’), says the move was a long time coming. “For too long, marketing has happened horizontally. Landscapes. Billboards. Pavement chalk. But the sky isn’t just for pigeons and telecommunications anymore.” Keflavik added that in Q2 they've already conceptualised the ‘Vertical Influencer’ category, which includes ladder technicians, competitive tree planters, and a very tall guy from Petone simply named Bryce.
Not everyone is on board. One anonymous client, who confirmed they're still waiting on Slant to finish a four-month-old brand tone guide, described the move as “ambitious in a concerning way.” However, Slant remains committed. Their cross-functional team of Altitude Managers and Perspective Specialists is currently in Ohakune, workshopping how to turn ski lift poles into interactive brand touchpoints. The report is due sometime early 2026, possibly by drone.
According to a very detailed internal memo leaked accidentally via a client pitch deck slide titled 'Let’s Just Wing This,' the division’s mission is to help brands “scale up, physically,” by identifying and addressing untapped vertical real estate. This includes flagpoles, scaffolding, and the backs of particularly tall cyclists. The initial pilot programme involved installing QR codes on cherry picker arms during a Miramar fruit festival. Results were inconclusive, largely due to wind.
Slant’s Head of Elevation Thinking, Barry Keflavik (whose LinkedIn profile describes him as ‘utterly obsessed with altitude’), says the move was a long time coming. “For too long, marketing has happened horizontally. Landscapes. Billboards. Pavement chalk. But the sky isn’t just for pigeons and telecommunications anymore.” Keflavik added that in Q2 they've already conceptualised the ‘Vertical Influencer’ category, which includes ladder technicians, competitive tree planters, and a very tall guy from Petone simply named Bryce.
Not everyone is on board. One anonymous client, who confirmed they're still waiting on Slant to finish a four-month-old brand tone guide, described the move as “ambitious in a concerning way.” However, Slant remains committed. Their cross-functional team of Altitude Managers and Perspective Specialists is currently in Ohakune, workshopping how to turn ski lift poles into interactive brand touchpoints. The report is due sometime early 2026, possibly by drone.