Kim Ragan’s career is the stuff creative dreams are made of. She has staged an aerial dogfight, blown things up in the Mojave Desert, invented a sport, created the dog version of Snapchat and crafted a unique ad for every dog in New York City.
She has worked in agency’s with fierce creative reputations – TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles, Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles, Special Group Auckland, and two stints at Colenso BBDO. During her time at Colenso, the agency was recognised as Cannes Agency of the Decade (APAC) and has won Cannes Agency of the year (APAC) for the last two years in a row. Ragan has won major awards at every major awards show herself – including Cannes Grand Prix, multiple Cannes Gold, One Show Best in Disciplines, AdFest Grand Lotus and Spikes Grand Prix – as well having work appear on CNN, Forbes & The New York Times.
If there was a MAD STARS All-Time Greatest, what five campaigns would be on your list and why?
This is a super hard question. My list could easily be 100 campaigns long. But if I had to choose five:
- Real Men of Genius (DDB Chicago & Red for Bud Light)
[Created for Bud Light, and one of the longest-running ad campaigns of all time. It was conceived originally by DDB Chicago, paying musical tribute to ‘heroes’ like the Online Encyclopedia Hero, Snapchat Lens Hero, Person That Still Uses Middle School Email Hero and others. In 2019 it was given new life by agency, Red]
Nike – Greatness (Wieden+Kennedy)
- The Man Your Man Could Smell Like (Wieden+Kennedy for Old Spice)
- Honda – Grrrrrr (Wieden+Kennedy London)
- Fearless Girl (McCann NY for State Street Global Advisors)
Each of these raised the bar for what’s possible in creativity, whether through cultural resonance, craft, insight, or originality.
Nearly ten years at Colenso. What is it about the agency that you love? What are the most valuable things you’ve learned there?
Kim Ragan: The Colenso special sauce is hard to define. This is my second stint on College Hill, and of all the agencies I’ve worked at, it’s Colenso’s unique combination of creativity, ambition, and a relentless pursuit of the impossible that makes it such an incredible place to be a creative – and to build a career.
At Colenso, I’ve blown stuff up, turned the ridiculous into reality, and figured out tech that even Google and Snapchat couldn’t crack (OK like, not ME, but our digital team). It really is a wild and magical company full of nutbags, all driven by the same goal: doing what’s best for the work.
Which leads me to the most important thing Colenso has taught me: nothing is ever impossible.
You also spent three years at Saatchi & Saatchi and TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles. What strikes you as different between New Zealand and the US?
Kim Ragan: The key difference between the two markets is creative freedom. In New Zealand, the lack of big budgets forces us to think more inventively, and the flatter structures – on both agency and client sides – mean you’re almost always dealing directly with decision-makers. The combo of these two things means that our hit rate for great work is inevitably higher.
What do you believe it takes to step up to become ECD and higher?
Kim Ragan: Tenacity. Resilience. And a good dose of naivety – because the ability to forge ahead with an idea while being somewhat oblivious to the pitfalls is a genuine creative superpower.
