Auckland Agency Launches Bold Campaign That Only Works in Excel Preview Mode
AUCKLAND, 10 March 2025 — In a stunning move that has left clients confused and junior account managers considering urban beekeeping, local agency Grey Thistle has launched what it’s calling 'the future of visual storytelling': a brand campaign viewable exclusively in Excel Preview Mode.
The campaign, developed for regional stationary chain Paper Moose, features intricate ASCII art of a herd of flamingos, formed entirely from ampersands, semi-colons and a single tilde. When viewed in Print Layout or any other normal mode, the artwork disintegrates into what early user testing described as 'a cross between a barcode and a plumbing diagram'.
Creative Director Myles Crimpton says the move is about 'reclaiming forgotten software real estate'. "We realised no one’s innovated in the Excel Print Preview space since 2002," he said while standing in front of a whiteboard with the word ‘SYNERGY’ written in Comic Sans.
Although initial reaction from the client has been mixed—highlighted by an internal email leak featuring the words 'what the hell' and 'is this an invoice or a campaign?'—Grey Thistle remains confident. They're now in talks with a luxury oat milk brand to develop a TikTok presence that only plays correctly when the phone is tilted 37 degrees in morning light.
A spokesperson from the agency’s creative technologist team is believed to be prototyping a similar campaign in PowerPoint’s Notes View, but they haven’t been seen since February.
The campaign, developed for regional stationary chain Paper Moose, features intricate ASCII art of a herd of flamingos, formed entirely from ampersands, semi-colons and a single tilde. When viewed in Print Layout or any other normal mode, the artwork disintegrates into what early user testing described as 'a cross between a barcode and a plumbing diagram'.
Creative Director Myles Crimpton says the move is about 'reclaiming forgotten software real estate'. "We realised no one’s innovated in the Excel Print Preview space since 2002," he said while standing in front of a whiteboard with the word ‘SYNERGY’ written in Comic Sans.
Although initial reaction from the client has been mixed—highlighted by an internal email leak featuring the words 'what the hell' and 'is this an invoice or a campaign?'—Grey Thistle remains confident. They're now in talks with a luxury oat milk brand to develop a TikTok presence that only plays correctly when the phone is tilted 37 degrees in morning light.
A spokesperson from the agency’s creative technologist team is believed to be prototyping a similar campaign in PowerPoint’s Notes View, but they haven’t been seen since February.