AKQA Bloom is not, its founders insist, just another creative agency. Yes, it might produce ad campaigns and communications work, but it’s just as likely to dream up a new product, stage manage a brand collaboration, or pave the way for radical behaviour change. And their goal is to do all of that in a world that’s become increasingly suspicious, not just of brands doing good, but the creatives that help them to do so.

“We can’t shy away from the fact that we are the industry which helped shape bad habits, and miscommunicate things – we’ve blamed things on consumers that are up to the companies,” concedes Jean ‘Zampa’ Zamprogno who, together with Fernando ‘Zaro’ Pellizzaro, is the founder and executive creative director of AKQA Bloom. “We have a long way ahead to recover trust – and people trusting in the communications industry. It’s a two-fold conversation. It’s about building this trust back for brands, but also our industry.”

Even within the industry, many are sceptical. How much change can a brand, whose main goal is to make more money, really effect in the wider world? But Zamprogno and Pellizzaro are infectiously uncynical about it all.

“Our focus is towards ideas that have a positive impact on society, people and the environment,” says Pellizzaro of AKQA Bloom’s ambitions. “We want to focus 100% of our time and creativity and experience on those kinds of ideas, because we see that brands, and ourselves, have a big responsibility with our work. We impact millions of people, and it goes beyond just selling products and services, we can do so much more than that.”