Wellington Agency Launches Groundbreaking Strategy That Is Just a Mood Board with Vibes Now
WELLINGTON, NZ — In a bold move that’s already being described by LinkedIn thought leaders as “post-strategic”, boutique ad agency Gravy & Thunder has officially shifted its entire planning department to run off what they’re calling "Vibe-Based Strategy Mapping™."
The pioneering approach emerged after the agency’s Strategy Director accidentally deleted a client deck, but still managed to hold the meeting using only a Spotify playlist and a Polaroid of his dog at Castlepoint. The clients reportedly described the presentation as “enigmatic, yet hauntingly on-brand.”
“Our job isn’t to look at data anymore,” says Strategy Intern Danika Flint, who has now been promoted to Vision Facilitator. “It’s about asking bigger questions, like, ‘What if this brand was a sound—is it the clink of a reusable coffee cup on a concrete bench?’ That type of thing.”
The agency has since launched a proprietary tool called The Vibe Pyramid™, a laminated triangle chart mounted above the staff toilet, which includes levels such as ‘Silently Powerful’, ‘Tenderly Chaotic’, and ‘Jet-Boil Energy’. Creative teams are now forbidden from using briefs with words, and instead receive manila envelopes containing a single feather, or once, just half a grapefruit. Multiple clients, including a tech-enabled juice startup and a local sock subscription service, have reportedly signed six-month retainers under what insiders are calling “mutual abstraction.”
The pioneering approach emerged after the agency’s Strategy Director accidentally deleted a client deck, but still managed to hold the meeting using only a Spotify playlist and a Polaroid of his dog at Castlepoint. The clients reportedly described the presentation as “enigmatic, yet hauntingly on-brand.”
“Our job isn’t to look at data anymore,” says Strategy Intern Danika Flint, who has now been promoted to Vision Facilitator. “It’s about asking bigger questions, like, ‘What if this brand was a sound—is it the clink of a reusable coffee cup on a concrete bench?’ That type of thing.”
The agency has since launched a proprietary tool called The Vibe Pyramid™, a laminated triangle chart mounted above the staff toilet, which includes levels such as ‘Silently Powerful’, ‘Tenderly Chaotic’, and ‘Jet-Boil Energy’. Creative teams are now forbidden from using briefs with words, and instead receive manila envelopes containing a single feather, or once, just half a grapefruit. Multiple clients, including a tech-enabled juice startup and a local sock subscription service, have reportedly signed six-month retainers under what insiders are calling “mutual abstraction.”