In the June-August 2026 issue of NZ Marketing magazine, we asked agency founders to tell us the story behind why they started their agency, their favourite thing, what they’ve learned and their best advice.
One Plus One Communications
- Founder: Kelly Bennett
- Year founded: 2013
Tell us the story behind founding your agency.
Ours is a story of energy and ambition. Twelve years ago, I exited one of the world’s largest agency holding company – Omnicom – to start a PR firm I hoped would offer something new to the local agency landscape.
The idea was to establish a distinct corporate communications offering, pairing the creativity, confidence and ambition of a creative network agency, with the level of care, accountability and hunger that independence demands.
There were many setbacks along the way where we could have collectively settled, or revised down our ambitions. Client losses, major life traumas, a global pandemic and, more recently, an interminable recession.
The formula was hugely successful, however, with One Plus One growing every year since launch, and winning PRINZ Large Agency of the Year three years in a row and attracting an enviable roster of client relationships.
What’s your favourite thing about running your own agency?
That you aren’t accountable to anyone other than your own people and the client relationships you choose to nurture and invest in.
You can spot and help nurture talent, both in people and teams.
You can build something of commercial and creative value over time, and be proud of it, both personally and professionally.
And that you can grow as a person (and founder), through the learnings you choose to take from your professional life, and all it presents you with, beyond the commercial exchange and benefits.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
Not to give up. That you create your own luck.
And that the calibre and character of the people you surround yourself with, and motivate, is arguably the most important part of the process (along with remembering to enjoy the journey, clearly).
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received or given out?
Do good work. Make money. Have fun.
All of these three things are interconnected and summarise the simple, yet successful agency world view espoused by the late, great David Walden, former TBWA CEO.
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 87, June-August 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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