Ex-Union Group deputy creative director, Andy Tucker, and senior client partner, Kirsty North, have launched Fantasticate creative agency, driven by the belief that “brands deserve better.”
The pair have combined experience spanning M&C Saatchi, DDB, McCann, RAPP and MCBD, with award winning work for brands including Heinz, Walkers, M&S, Hilton, Tesco, Glenmorangie and Lloyds Banking Group.
Emerging amid industry disruption from AI and increasing moves to in-house, the agency’s founding offering is straightforward: too many ambitious brands are either overpaying for slow, overhead-heavy agency models that leave them way down the pecking order, or making do with fragmented freelance arrangements with no strategic coherence.
Fantasticate aims to close that gap.
Doubling down on what the best human talent can offer organisations in the era of AI – incisive strategic thinking and creativity that connects emotionally – Fantasticate takes its name from the verb meaning ‘to render something fantastic.’
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Having bonded over shared musical interests and a righteous anger at where the industry is going wrong, Andy and Kirsty decided to go it alone to do just that: define what will move the dial for clients’ businesses, and fantasticate it through brilliant creative ideas.
“We set out to do this thing with a belief that we have the chops to make things better for clients. Better work, a better way of working and, ultimately, helping create better brands,” said Tucker.
“Our deal is pretty simple, at a time when everything feels like it’s getting more complicated. We’re really good at what we do, and can do it in a way that cuts out all the layers, faff, overheads, time-sucking processes and endless PowerPoint slides. Better creative work, through collaborating with the people actually doing the work.”
Appropriately enough for committed music fans, Fantasticate operates what the founders call a ‘band model’, with a senior creative and strategic duo at the core, supported by a curated pool of specialist talent assembled per project. The structure eliminates fixed overheads without sacrificing quality, allowing the agency to undercut traditional agency rates by at least 15%. Or, as North puts it, deliver 15% more work for the same investment.
The agency already has two founding clients, including Thistly Cross Cider, and has brought in world class talent on projects costing less than the market rate.
The model is also designed to complement, rather than replace, clients’ in-house teams. It’s a response to the growing number of brands that have built strong internal marketing capabilities, but lack an outside perspective with heavyweight creative thinking to supercharge growth or change direction.
“We’re totally driven by where we can make the biggest impact for businesses. Proper creative thinking – from business strategy to creative execution – which can give clients real competitive advantage, especially in these days of fad-following and herd mentality. So we’ve boiled down what we do to its leanest, most focused and talented form. The thinking is freer. The people are more accountable. And the work is better,” added North.
Fantasticate’s offer spans brand strategy and positioning, advertising campaigns, visual and verbal identity and social content. The new campaign for Thistly Cross Cider will launch in June across OOH and social channels.
