Saatchi & Saatchi NZ

What Saatchi & Saatchi NZ does

Saatchi & Saatchi NZ is a full-service, culturally-led creative advertising agency operating as the New Zealand subsidiary of Publicis Groupe, with offices in Auckland (headquarters, Level 5, 34 Sale Street) and Wellington (Level 1, 98 Customhouse Quay). The firm serves enterprise clients across automotive (Toyota, Lexus), banking (Westpac), energy (Z Energy), telecommunications (Chorus), tourism (Tourism New Zealand, Tourism Fiji), financial services (Pepperstone), consumer goods (Nestlé, Heineken, EXPORT Gold, My Food Bag), and government/non-profit (Sport New Zealand, Paralympics NZ, Global Women) sectors. Core service offerings span advertising creative, brand strategy, campaign development, media planning, and digital transformation, executed under a "Cultural Creativity" positioning with the stated belief that "Nothing Is Impossible."

The agency's underlying technology stack is non-proprietary: no platforms, APIs, SDKs, patents or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. Its competitive differentiation is built on creative talent, brand heritage, and integration with Publicis Groupe's Connected Platform, which provides access to sister agencies including Digitas (digital), MBM Media, The Breakout Room, Starcom Media, Zenith Media, MSL Public Relations, and KiwiPlates (production). Combined Publicis NZ staffing is approximately 300 across these eight entities, though Saatchi & Saatchi NZ specifically is stated at 33 employees. Leadership comprises CEO Mark Cochrane (returned 2021 after 12 years internationally), CCO Steve Cochran (joined 2020 from Colenso BBDO), General Manager Susie Darling, and Head of Growth & Operations Sarah Ansley Jones.

The business model is professional services: fees for creative, media, and digital work are negotiated per client scope, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with new business handled directly by the Head of Growth & Operations. Revenue is concentrated in long-tenured enterprise retainers and project-based campaigns rather than distributed volume, and geographic reach extends internationally through the Publicis Groupe network (114 offices, 67 countries), enabling cross-border campaign execution such as the Pepperstone global platform running in 60+ countries.

Name

Saatchi & Saatchi NZ

Legal name

Saatchi & Saatchi

Website

https://saatchi.co.nz

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Saatchi & Saatchi NZ is a Publicis Groupe-owned, full-service creative advertising agency based in Auckland and Wellington, serving enterprise clients across automotive, banking, energy, telco, tourism and government with brand strategy, campaign development and integrated media services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Video/Film Creative Agencies (Concept-to-Creative) (MPAAAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customer Journey Orchestration & Campaign Management (BPAFAFAF)

Keywords

• Advertising services
• Creative campaigns
• Brand strategy
• Media planning
• Digital marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Creative Services: Fees for creative advertising services including campaign development, brand strategy, media planning, digital transformation, and related professional services for enterprise clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Saatchi & Saatchi NZ is a full-service, culturally led creative advertising agency that develops brand campaigns, advertising creative, media planning, and digital marketing solutions for enterprise clients across automotive, banking, energy, telecommunications, tourism, and consumer goods sectors. The agency operates as part of Publicis Groupe's Connected Platform, accessing end-to-end capabilities in creativity, media, analytics, data, CRM, e-commerce, and digital transformation for its clients in New Zealand.

Product overview

Saatchi & Saatchi NZ is a culturally led creative advertising agency that operates as part of the Publicis Groupe worldwide connected platform. The agency provides integrated advertising and marketing services, encompassing creative development, media services, digital solutions, and public relations. The primary offering is their core advertising and creative services, supplemented by sister agencies within the Publicis Groupe network including Digitas (digital), Starcom Media and Zenith Media (media), and MSL Public Relations, all serving clients from offices in Auckland and Wellington.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advertising and Creative Services Core advertising and creative services including campaign development, brand strategy, media planning, and creative production for enterprise clients across automotive, finance, energy, tourism, and consumer goods sectors in New Zealand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pepperstone became fastest growing company in their category after launching global brand platform
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Publicis GroupecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company providing worldwide connected platform of communication, media and consultancy companies. Saatchi & Saatchi NZ connected to broader capability including Digitas, MBM Media, Starcom Media, Zenith Media, MSL Public Relations and The Breakout Room.
• Toitū enviromarkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental certification partnership for sustainable workplace development. Agency holds Gold certification status.
• Champions for ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of network of 53 NZ business leaders committed to accelerating inclusive and diverse leadership. Only advertising/marketing agency in the group.
• Pride PledgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGold Supporter commitment ensuring LGBTTQIA+ people in workplace have freedom to be safe, included, healthy and visible.
• TVNZminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 'Taking You To Sport' campaign - TVNZ 1News Sport intros featuring families, coaches and players run nightly.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• DDB New Zealand: Major full-service creative agency competing for the same NZ enterprise brand mandates across automotive, FMCG and government. Comparable in scope and client mix as part of a global holding company (Omnicom) operating at similar NZ scale.
• TBWA\ New Zealand: Omnicom-owned NZ creative agency competing for the same enterprise creative briefs and award-circuit recognition. Comparable on creative-led positioning, global holding-company backing, and enterprise client roster.
• Colenso BBDO: Largest New Zealand-based creative advertising agency and direct competitor for the same Toyota, Westpac and major NZ enterprise accounts. Directly comparable as Saatchi's CCO Steve Cochran was previously CCO at Colenso BBDO, and both agencies compete head-to-head for NZ creative mandates.
• Special Group: Trans-Tasman independent creative agency known for award-winning work on major NZ/AU brands. Comparable as a creative-led competitor pursuing similar enterprise mandates, differentiated by independent (non-holding-company) ownership.
• M&C Saatchi: Separate Saatchi-family global agency network operating across multiple markets. Comparable on shared brand heritage, creative-led positioning, and enterprise client mandates — historically spun out from the same Saatchi & Saatchi parent.
• FCB New Zealand: IPG-owned creative network with NZ presence, competing for similar enterprise creative mandates. Comparable on full-service creative scope and global holding-company structure.
• Ogilvy New Zealand: WPP-owned full-service agency operating across creative, PR, digital and consulting in NZ. Directly comparable on integrated offering, enterprise client base, and global holding-company affiliation.

Broad incumbents

• Publicis Worldwide: Global creative network within the same Publicis Groupe parent. Comparable as sibling offering overlapping creative services to global clients, though Publicis Worldwide operates at much broader global scale.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Independent global creative agency renowned for Nike and culturally-led work. Comparable as a creative-led competitor pursuing enterprise brand work, distinguished by independent ownership and much larger global scale.
• Leo Burnett: Global creative agency within Publicis Groupe, sibling to Saatchi & Saatchi. Comparable on full-service creative scope and global holding-company backing, with broader geographic presence but no dedicated NZ operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saatchinz
• Instagraminstagram.com/saatchinz

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saatchi & Saatchi NZ