Female duo Jo Tacon and Carren Richardson-Park launch charming new independent agency

A new independent agency, Charm, has been created by Jo Tacon, founder of production and design agency Paragon.Two, and its strategic director, Carren Richardson-Park, who brings a wealth of brand and direct experience, both agency and client side.

Described by the two as a ‘potent mix of strategy and delivery’, the agency’s principals believe being owned and directed by two women creates a real point of difference for clients.

Says Richardson-Park: “There’s a global trend towards a more feminine approach to business, which is something we totally embrace, and our clients and staff are finding wholly refreshing.”

For these two this means developing close relationships with their clients.

Says Richardson-Park: “We noticed that increasingly clients, particularly medium-sized businesses, wanted more from their agencies – more strategic help and a deeper understanding of what makes an organization tick, on top of the pragmatic skillset to turn plans into real activity that gets results.”

With a number of medium sized businesses such as Plumbing World among its clients, Charm is providing a full service offering without the large retainers often charged.  

Says Tacon: “The name change from Paragon.Two to Charm is a reflection of how the business has evolved over the past two years, when Carren and I joined forces, developing into a deeper offering while inherently maintaining all the charm of its history.

“Our goal is to be incredibly agile for our clients, so we have brought together a small team of senior people to achieve that.  It means we can apply a broad range of skills to execute virtually any project, with complete efficiency in terms of time and budget–whether that’s a marketing research project, a new website or a DM campaign.”

Charm’s offices are in central Auckland and the new name was launched to clients and friends of the agency at an event last night.