Getting To Know… Supersolid

Supersolid is an independent creative-owned agency that specialises in Super x Solid outcomes for brands.

They take their name from a special quantum state of matter that’s both solid and fluid at the same time. Inspired by this impossible combination, they’ve removed the typical ‘agency layers’ to deliver a new form of creativity that’s at once structured and seamless, logical and unexpected, proven and future-proof.

They believe in outcomes over outputs, collaboration without layers, and unrivalled return on creative investment. They’ve delivered return on ideas for clients including Western Union, NRL, Impossible Foods, Stem Cell Donors Australia, and Lendlease.

Jonathon sat down with LBB to discuss his shared love of physics with co-founder Alex Newman, how this inspires their deliverables, and the three fundamental forces that link their work.

LBB> Tell us a bit about Supersolid – when did you form and why?

Jonathon> Supersolid was founded in 2022. It’s kind of crazy to look back on it now: no clients, no investment, no network support.

Just a freshly trademarked belief that we could reshape the way agencies partner with marketers, remove the layers, and deliver better Return On Ideas (ROIdeas).

LBB> What’s the story behind your name?

Jonathon> We’re both pretty interested in physics (Alex shoots astrophotography, and I’ve published a rom-com that centres on String Theory and the fatalism of love). We were drawn to the idea of a supersolid – a special quantum state of matter that’s both liquid and solid at the same time – as a wonderfully succinct summation of what a modern agency needs to be.

We take a lot of inspiration from this liquid-solid contradiction to deliver creative solutions that are at once structured and seamless, logical and unexpected, proven and future-proof.

Most clients tell us that they just like the sound of it, which works for us too.

LBB> Tell us about up to three campaigns that epitomise what you do as a company.

Jonathon> We like to say that we only really do one thing: We create value.

Our work spans the worlds of storytelling, identity and disruption, and aims to bring together what we refer to internally as the three fundamental forces: commercial value, cultural impact, and creative craft.

Storytelling – There’s No One Like Me (Stem Cell Donors Australia)

We helped recruit urgently needed stem cell donors to save the lives of ethnically diverse Australian blood cancer patients. The campaign tapped into the provocative insight that blood cancer is racist, and featured a cast of real Australians with ‘no one like them’ on the stem cell donor registry. It delivered a 162% increase in stem cell donor registrations and was awarded the agency’s first D&AD Pencil for Film Craft.

Identity – myID (Australian Taxation Office)

We partnered with Verian Group and won a competitive pitch to envision a new brand name and visual identity for Australia’s official digital identity app. The design process involved conducting in-depth engagement with stakeholders all across the country (everyone from accountants to sovereign citizens), and the relaunched myID now protects almost 12 million Australians from identity theft and fraud. Think of us when you next do your taxes.

Disruption – CrushingCANada (Coastal Stone Whisky)

We turned Coastal Stone Whisky into the ‘Official Spirit of Crushing Canada’s Spirit’ for Paris 2024. This was an absolute piss-take of a campaign, and involved forging a new kind of Olympic medal from the crushed cans of our client’s biggest competitor (Canadian Club), and awarding them to every Australian athlete that crushed a Canadian at the Games. We spent $0 on athlete sponsorship and earned 13 million impressions.

LBB> Give us a fun fact about your company.

Jonathon> Every agency has a ‘secret sauce’, but Supersolid is in the process of actually manufacturing and bottling ours. It will be available by the end of the year, so follow @supersolid.agency to be the first to know when it drops.

LBB> What are your strongest opinions about your industry?

Jonathon> The future is independent.

Ideas will always have value, but we’re going to have to radically rethink how we value them.

AI isn’t nearly as interesting (or as scary) as LinkedIn seems to think it is.

Procurement is so broken most clients would be better off selecting their creative partners completely at random.

The next $100M+ advertising agency will have fewer than 25 people working for it.

The biggest risk a CMO can take is to avoid risk.

LBB> What are you proudest of as a company?

Jonathon> I’m very proud of the D&AD Pencil we received for our work with Stem Cell Donors Australia. I realise it’s incredibly cliché for a creative director to covet industry accolades, but to me it was proof that our team can mix it with the very best in the world.

The thing I’m proudest of, though, is far less flashy: every client we’ve ever worked with has come back for a subsequent project or engagement. We must be doing something right.

LBB> What are some upcoming projects our readers should keep an eye on?

Jonathon> I have to be careful what I say here, but over the next few months we’re bringing a financial literacy program to life right across the South Pacific, we’re helping to launch the next big thing in Haymarket, and we’re changing the way photographers think about their lenses for one of the world’s biggest camera brands.

LBB> Where can we check out Supersolid online?

Jonathon> We recently spent way too much time launching a new website. See if you can break our logo at supersolid.agency.