Looking for the best advertising agencies in Gisborne? These Tairāwhiti studios and digital teams plan brand campaigns, write and design advertising, and run Google Ads search, display and remarketing campaigns for local businesses, tourism operators and iwi organisations. Whether you need a full brand identity or a steady stream of online leads, an advertising agency in Gisborne such as Morley Design Group or caddie digital can take the work off your plate.
Explore Gisborne
Explore Gisborne is the local guide to Gisborne’s places, events and businesses. Businesses advertise with us by taking the top spot in their category’s best-of guide, where they appear first with call, website and enquiry buttons, or with a listing in the Explore Gisborne business directory. We write, design and build it all, usually live within 1 to 3 business days.
What we offer
- The top spot in your best-of guide
- A listing in the Explore Gisborne business directory, included
- A free article written for your business
- Your offers and events on Local Deals and What's On
Highlights
- One business per category, held for a year
- Built for people searching Gisborne for a local business
- Written and set up for you
- Billed yearly, cancel any time
This is our own service, so it sits first on this guide. The agencies below are listed on their own merits.
1Morley Design Group
Morley Design Group is a boutique creative design agency established in 1998 by Cathy, Mac and Rees Morley, working from Gisborne and Wānaka. The team develops brands, visual marketing and advertising, taking projects from brand research through to print collateral, online work and environmental graphics. It suits businesses and organisations wanting one creative partner to manage a campaign from first conversation to finished material.
Services
- Advertising and copywriting
- Brand identity development
- Marketing collateral and strategy
- Website design and signage design
- Print procurement management
Highlights
- Established in 1998
- Designed regional tourism promotion and events material for Trust Tairāwhiti Tourism
- Managed promotional communication for Club Med resorts across the Asia Pacific region
- Developed the Mātai Medical Imaging Research Institute brand in collaboration with Mark Kopua
Location & Contact
Name: Morley Design Group
Address: Gisborne
Phone: 021 840 656
Website: mdg.co.nz
2caddie digital
caddie digital is a digital marketing team with its main bases in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, previously trading as Trafik and before that socialkiwi. Its advertising work centres on Google Ads, where the team designs, sets up and continuously manages search, display and remarketing campaigns, backed by targeted landing pages on the client’s own website. It is a good fit for businesses that want paid online advertising tied closely to their website and SEO.
Services
- Google Ads search and display campaigns
- Remarketing on Google Ads and Facebook
- Search engine optimisation (SEO)
- Email marketing
- Website design, development and content writing
Highlights
- Works in partnership with Google, Shopify and HubSpot
- Ongoing Google Ads management plan with performance reporting
- Offers quick website and SEO audits
- Provides Google Ads and web support to other agencies as a digital partner
- Team members live and work in Gisborne for face-to-face meetings
Location & Contact
Name: caddie digital
Address: Gisborne
Phone: 06 875 8002
Website: caddiedigital.co.nz/gisborne
3Livingston Creative
Livingston Creative is an independent graphic design and branding studio run by Timothy Livingston from B St. Studio on Ballance Street in Gisborne. The studio works through a discovery, strategy and design process to build brand identities and campaigns, drawing on a local network of artists, developers, content creators and cultural advisors. It suits iwi organisations, festivals, tourism operators and local businesses wanting a campaign grounded in a clear brand strategy.
Services
- Brand identity design
- Brand campaigns
- Publication design
- Digital design and low code websites
- Creative direction and production management
Highlights
- Clients include Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival, Rhythm and Vines and Rua Bioscience
- Experience across design agencies, startups, iwi organisations, government and tourism
- Collaborates with local cultural advisors for authentic work
Location & Contact
Name: Livingston Creative
Address: 105 Ballance Street, Gisborne 4010
Phone: 021 247 2210
Website: livingstoncreative.nz
Advertising Agencies in Gisborne at a Glance
| Business | Highlight |
|---|---|
| Morley Design Group | Established in 1998 |
| caddie digital | Works in partnership with Google, Shopify and HubSpot |
| Livingston Creative | Clients include Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival |
How to Choose the Right Advertising Agency in Gisborne
- Match the channel to your customers: decide whether you need print, signage and collateral, paid online advertising such as Google Ads, or a mix, then look for an agency that does that work in-house.
- Ask to see a portfolio: review campaigns the agency has produced for businesses in a similar sector, from tourism and food producers to trades and health providers.
- Check who does the work: some studios deliver everything themselves while others project manage specialist partners for video, photography or media buying.
- Understand reporting for paid ads: for Google Ads or social advertising, ask how often results are reviewed and what a minimum contract looks like.
- Consider cultural fit: campaigns for Tairāwhiti audiences often benefit from an agency with local relationships and access to cultural advisors.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gisborne Advertising Agencies
What does an advertising agency in Gisborne do?
An advertising agency plans and produces the material that promotes your business, which can include brand identity, copywriting, print collateral, signage design and online advertising campaigns. Some agencies focus on creative design while others specialise in managing paid digital advertising.
How much does advertising agency work cost?
Gisborne agencies rarely publish fixed pricing, because cost depends on the scope of the campaign, the channels used and the media spend. Paid online advertising usually involves two costs: the agency’s management fee and the ad spend paid to the platform. Ask for a written quote that separates the two.
How long does a Google Ads campaign take to deliver results?
Setting up a campaign properly, including a website review and connecting Google services, can take several weeks before ads go live. Many agencies recommend running a managed campaign for at least six months so it can be tested and refined.
Are there rules about what advertising can say in New Zealand?
Yes. Advertising in New Zealand is expected to follow the Advertising Standards Authority codes, and claims made in ads must not be misleading under the Fair Trading Act. The Commerce Commission explains what businesses need to avoid.
Can I find an advertising agency near me in Gisborne?
Several Gisborne advertising agencies work from studios in or close to the city centre, including Ballance Street, while others are small teams that meet clients at their premises. Because much of the work is managed online and by phone, businesses elsewhere in Tairāwhiti can work with a Gisborne agency just as easily.
Do Gisborne advertising agencies work with iwi and community organisations?
Yes. Local agencies regularly produce campaigns and brand work for iwi organisations, health providers, festivals and regional tourism bodies, often alongside cultural advisors and local artists.
Should I choose a design studio or a digital marketing agency?
If your priority is a strong brand and campaign creative across print and online, a design-led agency is a good starting point. If you mainly want more enquiries from search and social platforms, a digital agency focused on Google Ads and SEO may suit better. Many businesses use both.
How do I choose an advertising agency in Gisborne?
Start with a short, clear brief that sets out what you want to achieve, who you want to reach and your budget, and give the same brief to every agency you talk to. Ask each agency for its credentials and examples of similar work, and decide before you meet them how you will compare them, for example on strategic thinking, the people who would work on your account, and cost. The Comms Council, the industry body for advertising and communications agencies in New Zealand, also recommends keeping the shortlist small and paying fairly for any pitch ideas you plan to use.
How We Chose the Best Advertising Agencies in Gisborne
Every business in this guide was found by searching for advertising agencies in Gisborne, then checked against what the business publishes itself: its own website, or where it has none, its official social or booking page. Names, addresses and phone numbers come from those pages rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what the business says about itself. We also check that each one is still trading and is actually based in or genuinely serving Gisborne, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business we can’t confirm from its own pages is not listed.