Zephyr has only light breezes in mind

The Air NZ ad took off in more ways than one

It was an advertising idea that took off: fictitious rock band The Zephyrs flies to LA and cracks the big time.

The 2003 Air New Zealand TV ad's jingle was so popular creators Colenso BBDO turned it into a single - Something New - which hit number three in the charts.

Now the brains behind the ad have decided they like the concept so much they've named their new advertising agency after it.

Zephyr WPD is a new boutique Ponsonby agency set up by the former Colenso senior creative team behind the Air NZ band ad: Warwick Delmonte and Quentin Pfiszter.

Simon Wedde, also formerly with Colenso as group account director, is the agency's third partner.

Will Zephyr put the wind up the established agencies? Probably not yet.

The partners are yet to employ any staff and talk proudly of furnishing their office with items bought off Trade Me.

Wedde says while the new agency will remain small and "nimble", he believes it will successfully tap into a niche in the market: Businesses that spend about $1 million a year on advertising but don't feel they get the attention they deserve from large agencies.

"There is no doubt there is a limited pool of experienced creative and planning talent in New Zealand at the moment," says Wedde, who was a business consultant in a previous life.

"This means that at a time when client resources are under an ever-increasing strain, and there is a need for agencies to be a genuine extension of the marketing team, it's not clear many agencies are able or indeed willing to do this."

Zephyr says it already has two "large organisations" on its books, although they have asked not to be identified.

While they may have named their agency after a particular Air NZ campaign, Zephyr's partners have also collectively worked on high-profile campaigns for other big brands including Frucor, MasterFoods, TV3, Heinz Wattie's, McDonald's, Southern Cross and Bank of New Zealand.