ABOUT US
This site is our case for why
we should work on your brand. Here's the shorthand version.
- FULL SERVICE OFFER One relationship, one understanding, one standard
- MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES We research it, write it, plan it, photograph it, design it and deliver it
- BUSINESS LED We treat branding as a business discipline
- PASSION Our middle name
- BIG IDEAS That come from strategic understanding
- INTERNATIONAL VIEW We all need the world
- SAFE HANDS Proven processes, rigorous systems, smart workers
- OBSESSIVE About getting it right
ORIGINS
We've always been a branding agency. From day one in 1996 it was Maxim: Brandr
We didn’t morph from something else or have a Road to Damascus moment where it was revealed that branding was discipline du jour.
Marketing and graphic design were the respective backgrounds of our founders, Lezlie Mearns and Mary Davy. And it’s these disciplines that form the basis of our offer.
Along the way our capability has been continually enhanced, while the team that was there at the outset has clocked up an impressive number of brand miles.
Our original offer introduced a new brand model to the market which is still contemporary and robust. Based on a full service, in-house capability our model enables us to work with a brand from conception to implementation and its various stages of rejuvenation.
We are currently a well-established, progressive agency of about 30 that works with a broad range of public and private sector clients.
Back to topPHILOSOPHY
You’ve heard the one that says the truth of a brand lies in the hearts and minds of its customers. That’s a half truth. The other half, is that the brand needs to be expressed in everything you say and do.
This not only includes activities such as advertising, packaging and promotions, but also internal activities such as systems and processes, pricing and distribution strategies, internal communication, values and behaviours.
This means our first step of branding is to develop a strategic understanding of our clients' business, before unleashing the creatives. Without this understanding, design’s contribution will be limited to pretty pictures.
And at the risk of repetition (we prefer the term reinforcement), a full in-house service offer is critical to our approach to branding, enabling us to add our capability to each part of a brand’s development.
Back to topPEOPLE
This is our leadership team; a blend of the originals and the new generation.
Lezlie Mearns, Managing Director
Lezlie is a marketer, strategist, brander and leader. Noted as much for her passion as her ability to persuade, she is Maxim’s heart and head. As co-founder with Mary, Lezlie has developed a culture for the company that has us believing that we can be better today than we were yesterday.
Lezlie is a marketer, strategist, brander and leader. Noted as much for her passion as her ability to persuade, she is Maxim’s heart and head. As co-founder with Mary, Lezlie has developed a culture for the company that has us believing that we can be better today than we were yesterday.
Warren has half a BComm, 90% of a BA and two post-graduate qualifications. Yes, one is an MBA if you must know. Anyway talk about doing things by degrees. Account Director only reveals part of what could loosely be described as a multi-faceted individual. He writes, he edits – which means he also writes wrongs. And he strategises – which means he helps clients to answer such vexed questions as, “How will we know when we get there, if we don’t know where we’re going?”
WORKING FOR MAXIM
Everyone at Maxim contributes to the delivery of our service and the wellbeing of our clients. That's non-negotiable.
We are a demanding company to work for. We want to produce great work and won't settle for less. Things are full on at times, deadlines are a fact of life and life revolves around serving our clients.
We don't come to work to have fun. We're here to be challenged, to get better at what we do and to be competitive. And to enjoy what we do.
We employ people because they are outstanding at what they do and how they do it. We employ them because they have similar values and because they will make us a better brand agency.
This is an open invitation. If you like what you see and consider yourself an exceptional professional in your discipline please contact us.
All enquiries will be treated confidentially.
SUSTAINABILITY
It is the efforts of many that make a difference and we have a part we play.
To us sustainability is about taking a long-term view of the contribution we make to the well being of society and the environment, while ensuring the financial viability of our business.
As an organisation there are the mandatories that we need to attend to, such as recycling and making more use of PDF documents. However, the real challenge lies in designing brand communications that are consistent with sustainability principles. And rest assured there no shortage of possibilities that only serve to enahnce a brand's positioning.
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