Founded by art comms vet Calum Sutton, Sutton Communications works with the preeminent arts and culture icons of the world – from galleries and museums to leaders in architecture, design, luxury and even sports. Over the past year, the team has been building out a more holistic client approach, focusing on strategic brand building, integrating digital and content creation into their offerings, brokering partnerships between clients and advising on crisis communications. The agency recently appointed a new Group Managing Director, and established their second office in Singapore (in addition to existing HQs in London, New York and Hong Kong). The team shares that expansion plans are already underway for offices in two cultural capitals: Paris and Miami.
Leadership team:
Calum Sutton, Founder
Notable long-term clients:
Art Basel, Carnegie Museum of Art, Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Dallas Contemporary, Hauser & Wirth, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Holt/Smithson Foundation, Jack Shainman Gallery, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Sean Kelly Gallery, SFA Advisory, Spruth Magers Gallery, The Bass, Miami Untitled, Art UBS
New client wins:
Cranbrook Art Museum, Hyundai VH Award, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of Asian Art, Perrotin Gallery, SFER IK Museion, Shulamit Nazarian Gallery, Swiss Institute, Tezos
Highlight any particularly successful client campaigns and their outcomes.
“We orchestrated a multi-year campaign in support of the Hirshhorn Museum’s revitalization of its Sculpture Garden by the artist and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto that included proactively communicating major milestones around the many public consultation meetings that were required for the project to win approval, which it did in December 2021. We placed dozens of stories, including major features in The New York Times and Financial Times, among others, that allowed the Hirshhorn to accurately tell its story and communicate why Sugimoto is the right architect for the job. Once complete, the Hirshhorn Museum’s revitalized Sculpture Garden will serve as a front door to the 30+ million visitors a year to the National Mall in Washington, D.C.”
Founder Maria Varvarikos has always been discerning about her client partners, but over the last couple of years, Canada-based ZOÏ Agency’s roster has grown to include more luxury names and brands with strong social responsibility. The team – which works out of Montreal, New York and Toronto – recently started working with fashion behemoths GUCCI and Christian Louboutin, as well as B Corp Certified brands (GOODEE, Kotn, Nespresso) and social enterprises (Fogo Island Inn, Fogo Island Workshops). Also of note is their renewed partnership of 13 years with Tiffany & Co.; following the LVMH purchase of the brand, new ownership reviewed all partnerships and decided to only renew with two agencies – ZOÏ being one of them. To attract and retain their roster, the agency has begun offering new services including strategic consulting, crisis PR, content creation and social media management. Varvariko sits on the board of the DESTA Black Youth Network in Montreal, and the agency partners with the organization in various ways, including recruitment through DESTA and Black student and alumni associations at partner universities.
Leadership team:
Maria Varvarikos, Founder
Notable long-term clients:
H&M, COS, Tiffany & Co., Johnson and Johnson, Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards, FENDI
New client wins:
GUCCI, Christian Louboutin, Fogo Island Inn, Club Med, Stila Cosmetics, Estiatorio Milos, Nespresso, Gray Collection Hotels
Highlight any particularly successful client campaigns and their outcomes.
“As a new brand in an increasingly competitive space, we wanted to quickly establish GOODEE's credibility. Our strategy was to place the brand's founders, Byron and Dexter Peart, at the forefront and highlight the strong reputation they had built over their 20 years in the fashion industry. We organized meetings with editors and speaking opportunities that allowed media and consumers to get to know the founders, building greater trust, credibility and brand affinity. We also ensured that we were active in communicating GOODEE's impact, and communicated key milestones, such as when they secured B-Corp certification. Lastly, we helped to coordinate and promote strategic partnerships with reputable organizations, such as The Whitney Museum, The Phi Centre, and Nordstrom. We successfully secured multiple in-depth brand features with top-tier publications such as ELLE Decor, Fast Company, Vogue.com, and The New York Times, that told the brand's story and highlighted its impact. As a result, this has created tremendous momentum, which continues to result in ongoing organic placements and mentions. The earned media coverage we have generated through our PR efforts continues to drive strong traffic and conversion, as well as interest and inquiries from prospective partners.”
