What do we do?
Marketing & strategy contracting
I’ve worked across almost all areas of the marketing world: from classic brand management to leading categories and portfolios; innovation and new product development; category; insights and research; marcomms to shopper campaigns to sponsorship; and managing partners of all shapes and sizes, including agencies, distributors, brand owners etc.
I’ve got significant strategy experience both from my time in beverages, and previously in management consulting, and strong analytical and commercial skills, including experience with M&A deals.
If you need a safe pair of hands for a project of any size in strategy or anywhere across the marketing mix, Purple Sneakers can help.
Or, if you have a gap in your team that needs filling temporarily, I can come off the bench to fill a vacant role on a part-time or short-term basis.
PS Purple Sneakers can also contribute questionable musical taste and occasional baking to any organisation.
Beverage industry consulting
I’ve worked for 15 years in beverages, across all disciplines of marketing, and a healthy dose of strategy, new product development, commercials, analytics, and research. If you’re after some experienced advice or knowhow, I can help you out.
PS Part of this practice is a very niche little business-within-a-business called Space Craft, which develops on-premise/ hospitality concepts and brands.
Wholesale work for agencies
I’ve worked with agencies of all shapes and sizes over the years, and can speak fluent client and agency. I’ve worked as a freelance planner / strategist for agencies, and also offer freelance copywriting services. I can also consult as a beverages subject matter expert.
I have had my ego surgically removed, and I can play nicely with any agency (well, almost any: I have low tolerance for drama, hissyfits, or sunglasses inside).
PS We’re happy to work in the background on projects, or be client-facing in meetings and presentations: you decide.
Marketing & strategy consulting
My career to date has given me a great grounding as a marketer and strategist, and I love helping others with practical, straight-talking advice on their strategy and marketing problems. I don’t claim to have a new-to-world, proprietary model that no-one else can offer: I’m just good at helping you by applying proven techniques and processes to your real world issues. People trying to sell you things will tell you that marketing is a fiendishly complex black box that only geniuses like them can master. That’s really not the case: marketing is a bit like cooking, with a set of established methods that you can learn with practice, and then have some fun tweaking and playing around with.
My goal is not to bill you as many hours as possible by blinding you with magic tricks: I want to pass on some of the things I’ve learned, so you and your team can then do them yourself. Purple Sneakers is a small business, and we’re not trying to justify infinite hours of padded-out work: you’re going to be doing the heavy lifting with a bit of direction and steer from me.
PS No job is too small – you can use Purple Sneakers for a bit of advice or help for as little as an hour at a time.
Words & Pictures: Creative / content / design work
Another little business-within-a-business is Words & Pictures, almost certainly NZ’s smallest creative agency. If you need a quick, impactful solution for a creative or design brief, we can be your go-to.
Purple Sneakers provides the Words, via creative ideation and copywriting solutions, and can bring in a range of art directors, graphic designers, content producers etc for any Pictures required to deliver the solution you need.
Purple Sneakers specialises in quick, resourceful, big ideas on small budgets, but we can scale as needed.
If you need marketing work and don’t have an agency partner, or aren’t happy with the one you have, give us a whirl.
PS We’ve got no legacy model or fixed overheads to support, so our work is truly led by the idea that is best for your business, not by any skews or biases within ours.
Words & Pictures: Copywriting / naming
My background is in writing: I never quite got on to writing the great New Zealand novel or screenplay, but I did have a few short stories published back in the day, and I have kept my hand in writing copy for packaging, websites, social etc, as well as a some freelance work for various businesses over the years, the odd pointless blog about obscure music or travel, and writing for a beer magazine. I’m a good option for a quick turnaround copywriting job, on a pay-by-the-hour basis.
A related world is product naming, which is often one of the toughest parts of new product development. I’ve named dozens of brands and sub-brands, and have developed my own model for this kind of work. Often a fresh pair of eyes is just what is required to help crack a naming task, and open up new avenues for name or brand development.
Some examples of my writing are here.
PS You can use Purple Sneakers for a quick bit of help to troubleshoot or finesse existing copy: no job is too small!