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Family-owned New Zealand company STILL has acquired creative agency DDMMYY as a part of its STILL 100 programme, which will see STILL acquire, start or support 100 local companies, projects or non-profit activities in NZ over the next decade.

DDMMYY is the newest business to join STILL 100 foundational businesses Kings Plant Barn, Consult Recruitment, Shape, Hulbert House and Drive Electric.

STILL CEO and Founder Hideaki Fukutake said: “Our vision is to create new ways of seeing and being in the world.

“Grounded in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are interested in the human experience that exists centuries from now; investing in and nurturing brave projects to inform our future.

“To achieve this vision, we are actively acquiring local businesses that weave together abilities and resources to deliver these brave projects and make a long-term difference.”

Fukutake says he was interested in DDMMYY for the benefit of all STILL businesses. “DDMMYY is a strategic creative agency, with a history of launching high growthNew Zealand businesses. They have a unique eye for mixing commerce, art and culture, and will be hugely valuable as our programme evolves.”

DDMMYY was founded by Kelvin Soh in 1999 to create brands and help them find and tell their story through strategy, creativity and design with a focus on meaningful engagement and the creation of strong brand communities.

Fukutake: “DDMMYY is the agency behind many of New Zealand’s most memorable brands and packaging, with Boring Oat Milk, Stolen Rum, 42 Below, Deadly Ponies, Maggie Marilyn, Serious Popcorn, Charlies Juice and Sansceuticals all linking back to its creative director and founder, Kelvin Soh.

“Recent success at the Best Design Awards saw DDMMYY honoured with 12 awards in 12 different categories, including goldsin Small Brand Identity / Commercial; Packaging / FMCG; Colour Award Graphics and Packaging for clients Boring Milk, Klim, The Caker and Burly Gin.

“DDMMYY’s projects extend beyond New Zealand as well, with clients such as Hedera (a top 50 crypto project currently valued at $US1.3 billion), Bodewell skincare (acquired by Proctor & Gamble), The Gospel in Melbourne (Australia’s largest rye whiskey distillery) and American Apparel (USA).”

Kelvin Soh said: “The main drivers for selling DDMMYY was an alignment of values and the chance to work at an even greater scale, with more potency.

“STILL is a unique business with an ambitious vision and an expressed desire to make a positive impact on New Zealand.

“The New Zealand-based Fukutake family’s business track record and the ongoing Naoshima Art Island project speaks volumes about their values.”

Soh stays on with the new-look company, with his role expanded to creative director of the STILL group of companies including DDMMYY.

“On a long list of reasons why DDMMYY was the right creative agency for STILL is the non-profit work that Kelvin has done with artists and writers.

“Among Kelvin’s portfolio of work, which has won DDMMYY over 40 industry awards worldwide, is Le Roy, a non-profit, independent art and culture magazine showcasing emerging talent, which was distributed in international art gallery bookshops such as the Tate Modern, London and MoMA, New York.

“Kelvin provided a platform for emerging talent which otherwise might have gone unseen. My family, for generations, have helped artists be seen and these are strong values carried on through STILL.”