The ad business regularly supports charities with pro-bono work. But Hamilton agency Bettle and Associates has taken that to another level by announcing part of its business will be run as as a not-for-profit model.
The advertising agency, started by award-winning strategist George Bettle and a team of four people in 2002 after the purchase of Grey Worldwide, Hamilton, has also got a new name, new branding and a new office location.
In its first ten years it has grown to a team of 22 employees and he says the name change to Bettle & Associates better reflects the nature of the company.
“Today’s achievement is down to the commitment I have received from my talented colleagues who have worked alongside me throughout the past ten years to build the company, and I am delighted to share this milestone with them,” Bettle says. “The highlight of reaching the ten year mark is not our great new office space or our new logo. It is being able to announce that our recruitment and template-based advertising team became, at the beginning of this financial year, a not-for-profit centre within Bettle and Associates. This means from now on, all net profit generated by this operation will be distributed annually to selected causes that offer the greatest positive impact on the lives of young people in the Waikato area.”
Bettle estimates the value of this charitable donation to be up to $100,000 per annum and builds considerably on the agency’s previous charitable work with local organisations Nest, Hamilton Women’s Refuge and The Enderly BreakfastClub.
“The agency has always taken the approach of wanting to give back to the local community and to worthy causes that the team feels strongly about. As we have grown, so too has our ability to support our selected causes so we are thrilled to be able to commit to this not-for-profit business model that will result in a guaranteed income stream for selected non profit organisations on an annual basis.”
Bettle says he strong growth targets aimed at maximising the size of this pool of money in future years. But this change in structure will see no change in service, focus or effort.
“If anything the team will be more driven to excel with the motivation that they are helping young people,” he says.
Bettle and Associates work with brands such as LIC, Mother Earth, Alison’s Pantry, Tainui Group Holdings, Fletcher Building, The Langham, Power Farming, Ngai Tahu Tourism, Fulton Hogan, CAL Isuzu and many other rural clients.
