As an agency, we’re firm believers in giving back to the community in one way or another. And no, this article isn’t to boast about our charitable contributions, it’s to showcase our values and why we like to make small changes in areas that we feel passionately about. Giving doesn’t necessarily mean in the form of monetary value, it’s also about executing ideas and spending time on the things that matter. After all, it’s a mutual exchange that enables self-growth, the adoption of new ideas and outlooks, and finding a sense of meaning in the world. 

Mental Health

Movember

We’re big advocates of mental health, and we know that this topic of conversation is highly relatable as everyone has mental health – whether good or not so good. One of our long-time clients Movember has paved the way by supporting men’s mental health. We were lucky enough to go on the journey with them creating bespoke content for their New Zealand market. 

In 2020, we got involved in the social media movement where Dan Carter encouraged his followers to #keeptheballgoing to raise funds for men’s mental health and suicide prevention, in which we posted a social media video to our Instagram and donated to Movember.

Gumboot Friday

In 2021, we supported Gumboot Friday, which provides free counselling and support for kids’ mental health, on two different accounts. We posted a job vacancy at Concoction on our social media and instead of paying for a listing on Seek, LinkedIn or TradeMe, we decided to donate $300 to Gumboot Friday, noting that if 20 people shared the job post to their story, we’d donate an additional $300. And you guessed it, we had over 20 shares and donated the full amount. 

We also participated in Gumboot Friday on 5 November whilst we were in lockdown in Tāmaki Makaurau, where all of our teammates shared photos of us in our gumboots to raise awareness and spread the love. 

I Am Hope

This year, we hosted an event for Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) at our favourite local spot, Pocket Bar, in Grey Lynn, Auckland. ‘Good Shout’ was a social event where those invited were encouraged to bring someone who they hadn’t connected with in a while. 

The theme for MHAW this year was: Reconnect. The purpose of this event was to reconnect and create a space for people to gather, converse and give a koha (donation) to I Am Hope, a mental health charity that is doing amazing work in Aotearoa. 

Domestic Violence

Whilst being in lockdown for four and a half months, we thought of all of the households experiencing domestic violence throughout this time. So, we decided that instead of buying our clients gifts for Christmas in 2021, we gifted (on behalf of our clients) a contribution to Shine: a not-for-profit organisation that provides a range of services to help end domestic violence in Aotearoa. 

As a token, we sent our clients little ornamental houses that lit up to symbolise shining a light on domestic violence.

Support Local

In 2020, amid the pandemic, we decided that it was a good opportunity to advocate for local businesses. We created a Christmas box for our clients that supported local businesses throughout New Zealand. The box included ethically made gifts from the following businesses: Ethique, Kiwi Wraps, Mauriora Kombucha, Rethink, Serious Popcorn, Mount Brewing Co., Wellington Chocolate Factory, The Green Collective, Caliwoods,  GoodFor, New Edition and An Organised Life. 

Promoting natural products

We’re big fans of promoting natural, sustainable products and work with some of our clients to implement sustainability messaging to align with their company goals. One thing that we’ve been massively passionate about is the benefits of wool for many reasons: it’s natural, ethical and sustainable (and for health and hygiene reasons, sheep need to be shorn once or twice a year). 

Jonny and I had the pleasure of meeting Kate Mcdonald who founded Davaar & Co, using wool grown on her family’s farm (Davaar Station) and turning it into high-quality knitwear. Tim generously gifted each of our team a Davaar & Co knit to wear on shoots and during the cooler months. Davaar & Co apparel is 100% grown and made in New Zealand, which means it’s a highly sustainable and low-emissions option that supports a local small business doing great work right here in Aotearoa. 

We also collaborated with hemp headwear and clothing brand Goodlids where they produced a run of caps for us that had our Concoction lightning bolt logo on the front. Again, supporting natural materials and supporting local!

Reducing plastic

There’s no denying it, our team loves a little pick-me-up in the afternoons, mostly in the form of chocolate biscuits. But lately, we’ve been choosing slightly healthier options. Now and again, a member of our team will go and fill up jars of snacks from GoodFor to cater to our sugar cravings and reduce our plastic consumption. We understand the threat that plastic has on our oceans and its overall impact on the environment so we strive to do our very best individually and as a collective. 

We’re always open to new ideas and ways that we can give a little: whether it’s by a small donation, creative ideation or our time; because what’s life if we don’t help out one another?