Penso – a new creative communications and digital agency celebrates its launch

It began with a conversation among marketing planner Con Frantzeskos, design expert Grant Farrelly and digital luminary David Rigbye.

Over the years as they climbed the agency rungs together, they repeatedly circled around the same conceit. If solving business problems for clients is the core function of an agency, and marketing, communication and channel management are ways in which these issues are resolved, why not combine them? Or more simply, why can’t an agency be great at digital and creative?

The three rising stars worked together with clients such as Coles, ANZ and Origin Energy and continued a rapid trajectory through the industry ranks.

Frantzeskos joined Ogilvy as Asia Pacific digital strategy director in Singapore, Farrelly as a supremely talented London-based web designer working with British Telecom and Rigbye as head of digital at Redhanded Communications.

In spite of their personal success, the three began ruminating on the possibility of independently bringing their talents together. By late 2012, with Frantzeskos as CEO and founder, Farrelly as head of product and design and Rigbye as head of client services and production, Penso was born.

Says Frantzeskos: “In a non-arrogant way, we thought we can do better. We knew we could build a culture of really smart people. We knew we could do creative and digital. It’s about solving business problems using great, memorable creative and world class digital execution.”

That ambition becomes reality with the launch of Penso. A creative communications and digital innovations agency, Penso arrives with a list of diverse partners such as Noodle Box, Collingwood Football Club, CUB and Stereosonic.

As a result of a competitive global pitch, they are now the global digital agency of record for Dubai-based aviation powerhouse dnata, a part of the Emirates Group.

Frantzeskos, is adamant that as a creative and digital agency, Penso is simply obsessed with solving client partner business problems.

Says Frantzeskos: “There are two big problems with creative agencies. They want to treat advertising campaigns as OPM – other people’s money – or a platform to win awards. They don’t respect the business or have any real interest in sales or how business is going. Some are actually blindly ignorant to that.”

By default, the first problem gives rise to the second, which is a lack of focus and proficiency when it comes to digital. Penso however, is channel agnostic.

Says Frantzeskos: “We address the problem first before deciding the communications and channel to use.”

As a global agency, a roster of Penso A-graders work for the group around the world. There are now Penso points of presence in Dubai, Singapore, the US, New Zealand and Australia. As for the name, it came to Frantzeskos when on a trip to his mother’s Italian hometown Trieste he repeatedly saw the café Pasticceria Penso. Penso, of course, means ‘to think’ in Italian.

Says Frantzeskos: “It’s a global name that works in many languages. We’re a global agency with client partners and supplier partners in various parts of the world. The name underpins that we are here not just to execute but also to consider and think about the issues your business is facing and, ultimately, to solve them.”