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Special PR celebrates fifth birthday
Special PR celebrated its fifth birthday on June 18.
Independent agency Special PR celebrated its fifth birthday last week with a party in Ponsonby, Auckland.
The event welcomed 150 clients, industry partners and media who have helped play a role in the agency’s success.
Launched in 2021 by Kelly Grindle as part of advertising agency Special, it now employs more than 20 earned specialists across the Tasman.
Special PR has also been a recipient of a number of awards, including being the most awarded PR agency at the Pressie Awards for the last five years, named Campaign Asia PR Agency of the Year for three consecutive years and two PR Lions at Cannes Festival of Creativity.
In 2024, they were selected as one of the top seven PR agencies in the world by Campaign’s Global Agency of the Year Awards.
A cast of clients
Special counts Tourism New Zealand, DB Breweries, Moet Hennessy, KFC, Kiwibank, Jaguar Land Rover and Red Bull amongst its client list.
In the last 12 months alone, it has welcomed a raft of new PR clients, including Whittaker’s, Kathmandu, Air New Zealand, The New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) and the Michelin Guide.
Special PR is known for its campaigns such as The Beautiful Game for Tourism New Zealand, creating a full-sized football pitch built beneath Aoraki Mount Cook; The KFC Gravy Train, which turned a 155-tonne locomotive into a restaurant; and the Export Cold-Call Back Service, where Vanilla Ice fronted an interactive fan service to stop your beers accidentally freezing.
Growing team
The agency’s leadership team has expanded to include Natasha Benet as group PR director, Duncan Killick as head of earned creative, Jessica McColl as head of brand experience, a head of social to be announced shortly and Jessica Allison joining as the first general manager.
In 2023, Special extended its operations into Australia, establishing a growing team in Sydney led by managing director Alex Bryant.
Grindle says reaching five years is a meaningful milestone for any independent agency, and it’s a testament to the team it’s built and the trust their clients have placed in Special PR.
“I want to thank every client and industry partner who have backed us along the way. Your trust in our work is what’s allowed us to grow and take the creative risks we have. PR has evolved a lot over the last five years, encompassing a balance of experiential, content creation, media relations and digital influence. But our focus from day one has remained the same – create work that genuinely competes on a global stage. I’m proud of how consistently the team has delivered on that, and as we look forward to the next five years, we’re continuing to grow our offering to reflect the changing needs of our clients and what it means to create effective work that cuts through.”
Special Group co-founder and CEO Tony Bradbourne adds: “In five years, Special PR has created an extraordinary body of work, delivered genuine economic value for clients, and, I’d argue, changed what great PR looks like in New Zealand. They treat Special as a standard, not just a name. That ambition shows in everything they do and I couldn’t be prouder of the Special PR team.”
