Founders Kieran Antill and Ross Hastings expand Ne-Lo Group with the launch of BigSpace

(Pictured L-R: Ross Hastings and Kieran Antill, shot by Sean Izzard at The Pool Collective)

Founders of specialist management consultancy, Ne-Lo Group, executive creative director Kieran Antill and organisational alignment specialist Ross Hastings, have announced the launch of brand agency BigSpace.

To support CMOs in their challenge to build brand confidence, BigSpace’s offering goes back to the very fundamentals of human confidence: being clear on the intended outcome; knowing the ability is there to achieve it; and being able to measure progress and optimise the approach.

Focusing on brand strategy, brand operating systems, production and implementation, and brand impact measurement, BigSpace aims to build confident brands that deliver ongoing growth in the face of modern business challenges. The founders believe that in an increasingly competitive and ever changing business landscape, the key to growth for a modern brand is as much about building meaning for employees and potential employees as it is for customers.

Says Antill: “Outdated, static style guides and internal ‘brand police’ are not a solution for creating a modern, connected brand. With advancements in technology we can build brand operating systems that connect digital touch-points to everything else across the organisation. Being clear on what your brand is about, operationalising it to achieve quality at scale, and optimising based on smart insights — that’s the key to brand confidence.”

BigSpace foundational clients include SelfWealth, Navigator Group, VICs Meats, and fitness tech startup Timebirds. Recent campaign projects include the repositioning of Navigator Group and the recently announced rebrand of ASX-listed online investment platform, Selfwealth.

BigSpace has a decentralised model built for borderless collaboration — the team is based across four continents. As an agency, BigSpace is passionate about building the best team for the project rather than fitting the project around the available team. Working alongside the founders, key staff members include head of research Shane Duggan, digital design director Lex Koen, marketing communications strategist Kirsten Craven and content strategist Alison Jones.

According to Hastings, the Australian market lacks brands developed to inspire both the employee and customer markets: “We know that many companies are really struggling to attract and retain the right talent just now. Meanwhile, there’s a lot of great branding work out there; subjectively sophisticated, beautiful and award winning work. But how much of a voice do the employees of these companies have? How connected do they feel to it? How inspired or motivated are they? Great brands do this well; think of Apple or Harley Davidson, where customers and employees alike wear their association to the brand like a badge of honour.

“Giving a voice to employees (and customers for that matter) can be a challenge; it requires being clear on what you’re trying to find out, designing appropriate research to get the right response, and carefully analysing the findings — otherwise you end up with a bunch of data rather than insight. We’ve committed to a team that is built to do just that, and can supplement it with the capabilities of our purpose and experience strategy offering at Ne-Lo.”

www.bigspaceagency.com