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.
KZN Digital
- Founders: Abby Hammett and James Duggan
- Year founded: 2024
Tell us the story behind founding your agency.
KZN Digital was born out of frustration with the agency model. Co-founders James Duggan and Abby Hammett spent years working in and around digital agencies and kept seeing the same problems – hidden fees baked into media spend, junior staff given impossible workloads, work quietly outsourced offshore and nobody willing to tell clients what wasn’t working. James had also spent years leading digital teams client-side in London, so he knew firsthand what businesses actually need from an agency – and how rarely they get it. KZN Digital launched in 2024 built on the Japanese philosophy of kaizen – ‘change for the better’ – and the principle of continuous improvement. Transparent pricing, senior attention on every account and a focus on making digital drive real business outcomes. The agency was built for clients who value marketing as a genuine growth lever and want honest advice, even when it’s uncomfortable.
What’s your favourite thing about running your own agency?
Being able to do things the way we always thought they should be done. No politics, no inherited bad habits, no having to explain why transparency and proper service shouldn’t be optional. We get to have honest conversations with clients about what’s actually working and what isn’t, and build long-term partnerships based on trust.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
Marketing isn’t just about short-term performance metrics. Too many agencies obsess over this month’s click volume or cost-per-lead without asking whether any of it is building lasting business value. Real growth requires both – converting current demand and creating future demand. You need the brand work, the audience building, the content that compounds over time, alongside the performance activity that drives results now. The businesses that grow consistently understand this balance. They also get the fundamentals right first – fix the data, connect the systems, align the strategy – before chasing the latest shiny thing. Customers don’t experience your marketing by channel. They see one brand, one journey. If that’s disjointed because the foundations aren’t in place, no amount of clever short-term tactics will fix it. Continuous improvement only works when there’s a solid base to improve from.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received or given out?
Stop chasing metrics that don’t actually matter to the business. It’s easy to get excited about clicks and impressions, but if those aren’t translating into real commercial outcomes, you’re just making dashboards look good. Focus on the full ecosystem, think long-term, and have the courage to be honest about what’s working and what isn’t.
Anything else we should know?
KZN stands for Kaizen. Continuous improvement isn’t just our philosophy, it’s how we operate, how we price and how we measure ourselves. We’re a Google Partner, Meta Business Partner, and HubSpot Gold Partner, based in Christchurch and working with clients across NZ, Australia and the US.
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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