Ad Agency Declares 'Brand Authenticity' After Discovering Junior Copywriter Still Uses Gmail Font Calibri
AUCKLAND – In a landmark move hailed as 'the bravest thing since Pepsi Kendall Jenner,' boutique agency Salt & Pixel has officially declared its brand stance as 'radically authentic' following the revelation that their junior copywriter, Liam, has been using default Calibri in internal emails.
While most industry insiders draft agency comms in meticulously kerned Helvetica Neue or at the very least, Arial Bold Italic, Liam's consistent use of unsightly 11pt Calibri was spotted by an Account Director during a late-night search for someone to blame for a missed LinkedIn caption deadline. Instead of immediate dismissal, Salt & Pixel's leadership saw a brand opportunity.
“Authenticity can’t be taught,” explained Creative Partner and part-time kombucha investor Jenna Keats. “Liam’s unfiltered, almost aggressive use of default formatting reveals a kind of raw, unbranded humanity we just don’t see anymore.”
The agency has since launched an internal rebrand called 'The Calibri Initiative,' mandating all correspondence ditch style guides entirely. Pitch decks are now written in Comic Sans, mood boards are only allowed if they involve scanned doodles from interns’ flatmates, and all logos must be hand-drawn by the HR coordinator’s 4-year-old niece, Ava. Salt & Pixel’s new positioning? 'We were never sans-serif people to begin with.'
Other agencies are reportedly scrambling to find their own in-house authenticity triggers, with one Wellington shop rumoured to be cultivating a rogue Planner who doesn’t use Outlook Calendar at all, instead relying on a whiteboard and post-its shaped like bagels.
While most industry insiders draft agency comms in meticulously kerned Helvetica Neue or at the very least, Arial Bold Italic, Liam's consistent use of unsightly 11pt Calibri was spotted by an Account Director during a late-night search for someone to blame for a missed LinkedIn caption deadline. Instead of immediate dismissal, Salt & Pixel's leadership saw a brand opportunity.
“Authenticity can’t be taught,” explained Creative Partner and part-time kombucha investor Jenna Keats. “Liam’s unfiltered, almost aggressive use of default formatting reveals a kind of raw, unbranded humanity we just don’t see anymore.”
The agency has since launched an internal rebrand called 'The Calibri Initiative,' mandating all correspondence ditch style guides entirely. Pitch decks are now written in Comic Sans, mood boards are only allowed if they involve scanned doodles from interns’ flatmates, and all logos must be hand-drawn by the HR coordinator’s 4-year-old niece, Ava. Salt & Pixel’s new positioning? 'We were never sans-serif people to begin with.'
Other agencies are reportedly scrambling to find their own in-house authenticity triggers, with one Wellington shop rumoured to be cultivating a rogue Planner who doesn’t use Outlook Calendar at all, instead relying on a whiteboard and post-its shaped like bagels.