Following its recent foray into the product development space with the new, cool water brand, Water Can, Thinkerbell executive creative director, Tom Wenborn has told Mediaweek the public can look forward to its future at “more youthful events and on-shelf.”
Water Can, created in partnership with St. Jerome’s Laneway festival co-founder Jerome Borazio and his company, Mr B, is a fresh take on hip hydration. It comes in purified still or sparkling, sealed in a funky, twist-top aluminium bottle.
For Thinkerbell founder Adam Ferrier, the venture plays into a larger ambition, “to build a mindset where we don’t have to rely on a certain brand saying yes to a certain idea for it to happen.”
Said Ferrier: “We should have loads of ways of ideas coming out into the world – either via our clients and their brands, directly via Thinkerbell, or in other ways too.
“We’re a creative agency and we like creative ideas being out in the world.
“If someone has a good idea in the agency, and they are passionate about it, we’d like to think that idea has a way of finding itself in the world.”
Thinkerbell ‘Water Can’ brand launch at St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival
The Aussie-born independent is the latest in a string of agencies across the globe who have similarly expanded their offering from creative brand development to creatively developing a brand.
In 2022, the UK based Mother London launched its innovation studio Mother Goods, across a dedicated website and socials, showcasing powerfully provocative products designed to challenge the way we think and feel about a multitude of humanitarian concerns, from women’s rights to gun control.
In November 2021, the founders behind Rochester New York-based Truth Collective agency became notorious for the launch of Punkzles, punk-rock puzzle experience designed to thoughtfully bridge the gap between consumer and artist.
For Thinkerbell, “Water was interesting as the codes of the category have been upended a bit, so it’s ripe to have a bit of a play in,” said Ferrier.
“Further, we had guaranteed distribution via Laneways music festival that set up the brand. So it’s not so much categories we are interested in, but the right opportunities with the right ingredients in place for us to make a go of it.”
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However, stepping into the product space with Water Can, Ferrier said, felt like a natural “extension of the philosophy” that was already driving one of its key creativity incubation programs.
“We have an internal program called ‘Pot of Gold’ where people can get access to a pool of funds to bring projects to life that would otherwise not happen.”
Wenborn described the wide range of ideas that have come about as a result of the Pot of Gold program: “A couple of the most interesting is called Ubumuntu (To be human/humane, kinyarwanda) an exhibition commemorating 30 years since the Rwandan genocide. We established Thinkerbell Records to release an album and launch a new band, Twisted Fix.
“We’re also mid-way through creating Review after 2, a coffee table book of photography and stories from Melbourne’s late night kebab shops all captured after 2am.”
Reflecting on the team’s experience in the new product frontier, Wenborn added: “There’s only so much you can affect someone else’s brand from a communication point of view.
“When it’s your own you learn very quickly that you can apply creativity to every part of the process, from materials, packaging all the way through to distribution. It’s fun, we learned a lot.”
As for what lies ahead of Water Can, Ferrier shared, “We’re busy, but we also like experimenting with different business and ownership models so I’m sure other ideas will happen.
“At the end of the day it’s just a nice creative idea that now lives in the world.”
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Top Image: Adam Ferrier & Tom Wenborn (L to R)