Wellington Agency Celebrates 9 Years of Passive-Aggressive Slack Threads
WELLINGTON — Creative firm Jonquil & Barge has commemorated nearly two decades of internal communication excellence by launching a limited-edition coffee blend named "Read But Not Reacted."
The agency, known for its layered pitch decks and habit of reverse-briefing itself, announced the roast during an all-hands scheduled for 8:42 a.m., a time chosen specifically to 'respect the circadian rhythms of UX interns.' According to Managing Partner Diane Quayle, the coffee will be roasted weekly in the office microwave, directly next to the shared copy of Campaign Asia that everyone pretends to read.
"We noticed that some of our longest Slack threads aren't about work at all," said Quayle, holding a single index card that simply read 'shade.' "One thread on whether the intern fridge should allow dairy alternatives ran for six months and resulted in three resignations. We thought, why not honour our culture of not addressing things directly but hinting heavily in all-company channels?"
The celebration includes an in-agency display of printed screenshots from iconic passive Slack moments, including the 2021 showdown over who left the fonts in the shared drive unsorted. A ceremonial reading of the infamous ‘FYI, not urgent but noticed this’ message is set to close the festivities. Staff have been encouraged to wear ‘semi-ironic but not too ironic’ T-shirts referencing internal project code names like “Kumquat” and “Dead Seahorse”.
Client services assistant Malachi R. described the situation best: “I once said ‘cool, cool’ in a thread and someone sent me a calendar invite for a feelings check-in. This place is home.”
The agency, known for its layered pitch decks and habit of reverse-briefing itself, announced the roast during an all-hands scheduled for 8:42 a.m., a time chosen specifically to 'respect the circadian rhythms of UX interns.' According to Managing Partner Diane Quayle, the coffee will be roasted weekly in the office microwave, directly next to the shared copy of Campaign Asia that everyone pretends to read.
"We noticed that some of our longest Slack threads aren't about work at all," said Quayle, holding a single index card that simply read 'shade.' "One thread on whether the intern fridge should allow dairy alternatives ran for six months and resulted in three resignations. We thought, why not honour our culture of not addressing things directly but hinting heavily in all-company channels?"
The celebration includes an in-agency display of printed screenshots from iconic passive Slack moments, including the 2021 showdown over who left the fonts in the shared drive unsorted. A ceremonial reading of the infamous ‘FYI, not urgent but noticed this’ message is set to close the festivities. Staff have been encouraged to wear ‘semi-ironic but not too ironic’ T-shirts referencing internal project code names like “Kumquat” and “Dead Seahorse”.
Client services assistant Malachi R. described the situation best: “I once said ‘cool, cool’ in a thread and someone sent me a calendar invite for a feelings check-in. This place is home.”