Petdirect

From performance brand to national presence.

Building the brand platform, national campaign, first retail store, and in-house creative function for New Zealand’s leading online pet retailer, from the inside out.

This work was delivered by Jake Siddall while working in-house at Petdirect, leading brand and marketing execution.

Investment

Lean inhouse production model

Scope

Brand platform, national campaign, first retail store, social channels

Team

Senior-led, embedded in-house

From performance brand to national presence.

Building the brand platform, national campaign, first retail store, and in-house creative function for New Zealand’s leading online pet retailer, from the inside out.

This work was delivered by Jake Siddall while working in-house at Petdirect, leading brand and marketing execution.

Investment

Lean inhouse production model

Scope

Brand platform, national campaign, first retail store, social channels

Team

Senior-led, embedded in-house

An interior shot of the first Petdirect store in Takapuna, Auckland/

The role

As Hybrid Creative Director and Brand Marketing Manager, the brief was to shift Petdirect from performance-led marketing to a cohesive national brand.

This meant embedding senior creative leadership in-house, restructuring agency relationships, building a scalable creative system, and taking the brand beyond digital into physical retail for the first time.

The objective wasn’t just better ads. It was long-term brand equity.

The challenge

Scaling brand without scaling overhead

Petdirect needed a national brand presence that matched its market position. Traditional agency structures made this expensive and slow.

The solution was a lean in-house model: senior creative leadership embedded within the business, external partners directed with clarity, and production managed strategically rather than outsourced wholesale.

The result was national-level output without national-agency bloat.

Brand Platform

We get pet. Building the foundation

Working closely with agency partners, the brand platform was developed from strategic positioning through to executional language.

As the internal champion, the role required translating commercial objectives into creative clarity, ensuring the work resonated emotionally while still driving performance.

The “We get pet.” platform went on to win Silver at the Best Design Awards in the Large Brand Identity category.

Working closely with agency partners, the brand platform was developed from strategic positioning through to executional language.

As the internal champion, the role required translating commercial objectives into creative clarity, ensuring the work resonated emotionally while still driving performance.

The “We get pet.” platform went on to win Silver at the Best Design Awards in the Large Brand Identity category.

Petdirect

“We get pet.” reframed Petdirect from price-led online store to trusted companion in pet care.

Petdirect

“We get pet.” reframed Petdirect from price-led online store to trusted companion in pet care.

Creative wasn’t built as isolated ads. Each execution had a role, awareness to consideration to conversion, designed to work as a connected sequence rather than standalone moments.

National Brand Campaign

A full-funnel launch, delivered lean

A national brand campaign was developed and produced through a senior three-person core team, supported by specialist collaborators where required.

Scripts were written in-house. Shoots and edits were directed directly. Music and voice talent was sourced and licensed strategically. Editing and animation were managed tightly to maximise quality while controlling production costs.

The campaign ran across five channels, building awareness, consideration, and conversion as an integrated system rather than isolated executions.

The outcome demonstrated that creative effectiveness does not require inflated structures, only clarity and control.

A national brand campaign was developed and produced through a senior three-person core team, supported by specialist collaborators where required.

The campaign ran across five channels, building awareness, consideration, and conversion as an integrated system rather than isolated executions.

The outcome demonstrated that creative effectiveness does not require inflated structures, only clarity and control.

0.0m+

Impressions delivered

0.0m+

Impressions delivered

0.0m+

Impressions delivered

Creative executions

Media channels

Increase in new visitor traffic

How it worked

Full Creative Ownership

All scripts written, shoots directed, music licensed, voiceover managed, and post-production overseen internally to maintain creative integrity.

Full-Funnel Thinking

Creative assets were built to work cohesively across awareness, consideration, and conversion, ensuring each touchpoint reinforced the next.

Strategic Media Alignment

Media and creative worked as one system, with performance monitored in real time to optimise impact across the funnel.

relative media efficiency compared to category competitors, measured through share-of-search and spend benchmarks.

cheaper production than a traditional agency

person senior creative team

Retail Experience

Taking the brand into the physical world

Petdirect’s first bricks-and-mortar store became the physical proof of the brand platform.

Every touchpoint, store layout, signage, tone of voice, and in-store communication,was aligned with what customers had seen online.

The store went on to win Best Big Box Store at the Red Design Awards, recognised for brand consistency and customer experience.

Petdirect’s first bricks-and-mortar store became the physical proof of the brand platform.

Every touchpoint, store layout, signage, tone of voice, and in-store communication,was aligned with what customers had seen online.

The store went on to win Best Big Box Store at the Red Design Awards, recognised for brand consistency and customer experience.

Retail wasn’t an add-on. It validated the brand in a tangible environment, turning digital equity into a physical experience customers could step into.

An external shot of the first ever petdirect store at sunset

Retail wasn’t an add-on. It validated the brand in a tangible environment, turning digital equity into a physical experience customers could step into.

Tone of voice, illustration system, signage hierarchy, and in-store messaging were aligned with digital campaigns, ensuring no disconnect between online promise and in-store experience.

An interenal shot of the petdirect store showing a table whenre customers can talk to staff

Tone of voice, illustration system, signage hierarchy, and in-store messaging were aligned with digital campaigns, ensuring no disconnect between online promise and in-store experience.

A structured content calendar aligned brand storytelling, education, and campaign support, ensuring owned channels reinforced paid activity.

A grid of social phones showcaseing all the social media done for Petdirect

A structured content calendar aligned brand storytelling, education, and campaign support, ensuring owned channels reinforced paid activity.

Social & Content

Owned channel strategy and content production

Petdirect’s social presence was managed end-to-end, from content planning and shoot development through to editing and publishing.

Content ranged from brand storytelling to educational series created with veterinarians, strengthening authority within the pet care category.

Content was produced personally; where scale was required, the internal team was directed to ensure every piece aligned with the broader brand system.

Petdirect’s social presence was managed end-to-end, from content planning and shoot development through to editing and publishing.

Content ranged from brand storytelling to educational series created with veterinarians, strengthening authority within the pet care category.

Content was produced personally; where scale was required, the internal team was directed to ensure every piece aligned with the broader brand system.

Could this work for your business?

Petdirect wasn’t a one-off campaign. It was a structural shift, from performance-led marketing to a cohesive national brand system.

The results came from embedding senior creative leadership inside the business, auditing and realigning external agency partners, and ensuring media, creative, and production operated as one integrated system rather than disconnected suppliers.

This wasn’t about adding more resource. It was about improving the structure.

If you’re ready to:

• Build internal creative capability
• Reduce reliance on external layers
• Launch nationally without inflating overhead
• Or turn performance marketing into brand equity

Let’s talk.

Kyttn

Next projects.

All projects

En Beauty

2025

En Beauty

2025

World Health Organization

2025

World Health Organization

2025

Let’s talk.

Tell me what you’re trying to build, fix, or scale.

Quick response.

I read every enquiry personally and respond quickly.

Founder & Lead

at Kyttn

Jake Siddall

Ask Jake directly

Let’s talk.

Tell me what you’re trying to build, fix, or scale.

Quick response.

I read every enquiry personally and respond quickly.

Founder & Lead

at Kyttn

Jake Siddall

Ask Jake directly

Let’s talk.

Tell me what you’re trying to build, fix, or scale.

Quick response.

I read every enquiry personally and respond quickly.

Founder & Lead

at Kyttn

Jake Siddall

Ask Jake directly