About our rock star rock star | kick ass | creative | awesome team

The Market South studio is home to a pretty creative bunch – our team of marketing consultants, creatives, writers, designers and web developers are all experts in their fields.

We're passionate about providing market-led solutions to our clients. Our job starts with getting up close and personal with our clients' business; we want to know all about how they operate, the products and services they offer, their target customers, their competitive market and their business objectives. Armed with this knowledge, we can then apply our full suite of marketing, communications, design and digital services to deliver on those objectives.

We have been doing our thing since 2003, helping clients grow business, increase sales and make more money. Our track record for success has seen our client base grow locally, nationally and internationally.

We're proud to be a Southland-based business. We firmly believe we live in the very best part of New Zealand – and this passion for our local region is what has driven us to develop a suite of publications and products to promote it. Under our brand The Locals we produce magazines, visitor guides, maps, t-shirts and other merchandise to show off what a great place Invercargill and the wider Southland region is to work, play and stay.

The brains behind your campaigns:

Erin McCall

General Manager

Erin qualified with a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing Management and worked in marketing for a large corporate before joining Market South in 2009. With particular strengths in strategy and planning, Erin heads up the studio providing direction and ensuring all our work get results and knocks our clients' socks off! Erin is also involved in the local business community and acts as an industry advisor for Southern Institute of Technology’s business faculty.

Carla Forbes

Creative Director

Armed with a Bachelor of Arts, Carla specialises in brand management and marketing consultancy. Her creative flair and strong communication skill set has seen her head successful campaigns and branding exercises nationwide. Carla also holds many leadership, board and trustee positions in the local business community and is the former President of Southland Chamber of Commerce. She is also three-time finalist for the Women of Influence Awards. Get ready to think big - when Carla is heading a campaign, anything is possible!

Andrei Robertson

Marketing Consultant

Bringing a Bachelor of Journalism and Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Enterprise, Andrei has several years’ experience in public sector communications and marketing roles and a passion for regional promotion. A diverse arsenal of skills including branding and marketing strategy, social media management, communications, photography and video production means Andrei has the know-how to see your brand flourish.

Briar Babington

Communications Consultant

Having completed a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in media and communication and a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism, Briar has all things sorted when it comes to the written word. Briar has a keen interest in getting to the heart of a story and sharing great content with the world and her previous work as journalist has created a solid base for the ins and outs of getting a message across. With a passion for everything art and culture, creativity is a key component of Briar’s working process. She's also the editor of our annual Southland lifestyle and culture magazine, The Life.

Vicky Smit

Graphic Designer

Not only does she have a Bachelor of Applied Media Arts and a Diploma in Painting, Vicky has a passion for all things visually beautiful. Her skills in drawing, illustration, photography and graphic design can bring any concept to life and her experience in the design industry means she can see the final product in her mind before you can say “go”. Whether it be a mural or a logo, Vicky’s creative flair is the answer to any design project.

Ranali Ratnayaka

Marketing Co-Ordinator and Accounts Administrator

With a Master of Applied Management, a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Business Administration and a Professional Qualification in Marketing, Ranali is an administration and marketing extraordinaire whose wealth of experience spans more than 10 years. She joined Market South in 2018 to manage our accounts and provide marketing support services for our clients. Ranali is also known as the glue that holds the tight ship that is our studio together!

Priti Rathod

Web Developer

Priti is our master-coder and digital guru. She holds a Graduate Diploma in Information Technology and a Bachelor of Computer Application and spent three years working in web and mobile app development for companies in New Zealand and India before joining the Market South team in 2018. A full stack web developer, Priti has a passion for creating magic from code. From websites, apps and programming to SEO and digital campaigns, she’s got the techie tricks to get your brand noticed online.

Lauren Andrews

Graphic Designer

Lauren’s affinity for gorgeous typography and colour-rich design means every brief that comes by her is worked into a unique piece of art. With a Bachelor of Visual Communication Design, she knows what’s she’s up to when it comes to bringing our clients’ brands to life. After five years working in marketing and design in the UK, Lauren moved home to bring her creative skills to Market South in 2019.

Lucy Coutts

Marketing Consultant

After graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) in Marketing Management, Lucy spent two years working for a leading national media company before joining Market South in 2019. Experience in media campaign planning, sound knowledge of strategic marketing and a knack for project management are among the superpowers Lucy brings to her role as marketing consultant. Her passion for the performing arts also sees her teaching dancing to local students.


Why an Agency?

Outsourcing a company’s marketing services to an agency provides a number of advantages over employing a staff member. These typically include:


Efficiency – you are only paying for productive hours, not for un-productive time
Cross-functional skills – access to the range of expertise provided by our full team including strategic marketing, project management, creative direction, communications, graphic design and web development
A team of brains providing creative input for generation of concepts and strategies
Continuous availability of resource – no downtimes due to staff leave or absences
Freedom from HR issues, staff turnover and training requirements
Cost savings vs. employing an in-house Marketing Manager
Flexible resource – additional resource is available when required for projects