Contagion's relationship with Air New Zealand cheeky little brother Grabaseat was enhanced last week after winning a competitive pitch against several other agencies thought to have included Special Group and Young & Shand.
“We’ve worked closely with Grabaseat almost since we opened our doors and have enjoyed a fantastic working relationship," says managing director Dean Taylor. "We share similar values, views and sense of humor."
Grabaseat manager Duane Perrott says it's done a lot of work with Contagion on a strategic and creative level and "when put to the test, they came out on top".
"They’re smart, open people and I’m really looking forward to working together on an exciting new project.”
Contagion recently added a number of new staff and there are now 25 in the Freeman's Bay office, with Dean Taylor saying another five new employees are set to join in the near future.
"This win might push that number even higher," he says.
In the past, Contagion has worked on the Ron Rowwdy campaign, created the Sweet As campaign and last year did a project for Grabaseat's standby fares, which consisted of street posters, mobile billboards and a campervan reskin and aimed to get Kiwis to "plan to do something unplanned".
“Our Any Excuse August campaign was so successful we decided to extend the offer of standby fares available on any domestic flight, any day, any time," says Perrott.
The campaign poked fun at local New Zealand town stereotypes and highlighted the wide range of options standby fares offer. However, Air New Zealand announced it would be cancelling stand-by fares in March this year due to the wider availability of cheap, bookable fares.
