TSB, the proudly 100% New Zealand owned bank, has appointed independent challenger agency YoungShand (YS) - also proudly 100% New Zealand owned - as its new creative partner following an extensive competitive pitch.
Nick Herbert, TSB General Manager of Product and Marketing, says: "TSB is a brand with a remarkable 175-year heritage, and our goal is to transform that into an equally strong future. We're a bank with strong community values that proudly puts profits back into Aotearoa - but we're not resting on 175-year-old laurels. We're committed to an evolution that will make banking simpler, faster, and more intuitive for New Zealanders. In our search for a partner to bring that to life, YS stood out because of their integrated strategic and creative firepower, combined with strong digital capabilities."
TSB’s Head of Brand and Marketing, Vesna Nixon, says "we were looking for an agency partner who would not only bring our future direction to life, but who also truly understood us and our challenges," she adds. "In YS we found a passionate, energetic team that’s creative, digitally driven, and a pleasure to collaborate with. They bring the experience of a big global agency but with the agility and cultural understanding that only a local independent can truly offer."
Duncan Shand, CEO and Founder of YS, emphasised the opportunity to work with New Zealand's original challenger bank. "We make no secret of the fact that we live to create great work for challenger brands," says Shand. "Our ambition for TSB matches their own. We look forward to leveraging our expertise to amplify their unique story and support TSB’s exciting growth plans."
"TSB is arguably the bank best positioned to deliver a truly human, customer-centric offering, something the research shows New Zealand wants now, more than ever,” says Corey Chalmers, Chief Creative Officer at YS. “The passion, the great service and the ambition of the team at TSB is very clear, and we've already begun working on several major new initiatives, which we're pumped to launch in 2026."