Former Union duo Andy Tucker and Kirsty North launch Fantasticate

Andy Tucker, former deputy creative director at Union Group, and Kirsty North, previously a senior client partner there, have set up creative agency Fantasticate on the belief that “brands deserve better.”

Between them they have worked at DDB, McCann, M&C Saatchi, MCBD and RAPP, producing award-winning campaigns for the likes of Tesco, M&S, Heinz, Walkers, Hilton, Glenmorangie and Lloyds Banking Group.

The agency launches as the industry deals with disruption from AI and a growing shift to in-house teams. Its founding argument is that many ambitious brands either pay too much for slow agency models with heavy overheads, where they rank low on the priority list, or rely on fragmented freelance arrangements that lack strategic coherence. Fantasticate wants to fill that gap.

It is betting on what experienced people can offer in the AI era, namely sharp strategic thinking and creativity that makes an emotional connection. Its name is taken from a verb that means ‘to render something fantastic.’

Tucker and North bonded over a shared love of music and frustration with where the industry is going wrong, and decided to go it alone to work out what will make a difference to clients’ businesses and deliver it through creative ideas.

“We set out to do this thing with a belief that we have the chops to make things better for clients. Better work, a better way of working and, ultimately, helping create better brands,” Tucker said.

“Our deal is pretty simple, at a time when everything feels like it’s getting more complicated. We’re really good at what we do, and can do it in a way that cuts out all the layers, faff, overheads, time-sucking processes and endless PowerPoint slides. Better creative work, through collaborating with the people actually doing the work.”

The band model

The founders describe their structure as a ‘band model’: a senior creative and strategy pairing at the centre, and a curated pool of specialists brought in for each project. Removing fixed overheads lets the agency charge at least 15% less than traditional agencies, or, in North’s words, deliver 15% more work for the same spend.

Thistly Cross Cider is one of its two founding clients, and the agency has already hired top-level talent on projects at below-market cost.

The model is meant to sit alongside clients’ in-house teams rather than replace them, aimed at brands with strong internal marketing that want an external perspective and senior creative thinking to accelerate growth or change course.

North said: “We’re totally driven by where we can make the biggest impact for businesses. Proper creative thinking – from business strategy to creative execution – which can give clients real competitive advantage, especially in these days of fad-following and herd mentality. So we’ve boiled down what we do to its leanest, most focused and talented form. The thinking is freer. The people are more accountable. And the work is better.”

Its services cover brand strategy and positioning, ad campaigns, verbal and visual identity, and social content. Its new campaign for Thistly Cross Cider will run across OOH and social channels from June.