Auckland, 1 September 2026. Thompson Spencer Group has been appointed by New Zealand software company FlexiTime to lead media, search and content across its PayHero and Droppah brands in local and global markets.
FlexiTime builds workforce management software for businesses that employ people doing real work in the real world. Their products, PayHero (payroll), Karmly (contractor management and labour hire) and Droppah (rostering and scheduling), help businesses pay, roster and manage their teams.
Thompson Spencer’s appointment follows a competitive pitch and covers an integrated remit spanning performance media, SEO and AI search visibility, content production, data and measurement, with brand strategy and campaign development to follow.
Work is already underway, with delivery by Thompson Spencer’s performance arm, Reason, as FlexiTime looks to scale established New Zealand payroll platform PayHero while accelerating Droppah and Karmly in the New Zealand, Australian and global markets.
Brent Spicer, President at FlexiTime, says Thompson Spencer stood out for challenging the business rather than simply responding to the brief: “We’ve built products that Kiwi businesses genuinely rely on, and we have a clear ambition for where we take them next, at home and globally.
“Thompson Spencer didn’t just tell us what they would do differently. They showed us what wasn’t working and what it was costing us. That kind of honesty is rare in a pitch, and it’s the reason we appointed them.”
Melanie Spencer, Group CEO of Thompson Spencer, says: “FlexiTime is exactly the kind of ambitious business we love working with. They’ve got brilliant products, big growth plans on both sides of the Tasman and, importantly, they’re up for challenging how things have always been done.
“We went into the pitch saying, ‘Don’t spend another dollar until we know every dollar is working as hard as it possibly can.’ That means getting the data and measurement humming, then bringing performance, search, content and creative together around the same growth goal. That’s the magic of working with Thompson Spencer – we’ve got incredible specialists sitting side by side, and when you unleash all of that firepower on one business problem, things move fast.”
The appointment comes at a time of significant change in the payroll and workforce software category. New Zealand’s leave legislation is being standardised across payroll systems ahead of a national go-live in 2028, while the way software buyers discover and assess providers is shifting as AI assistants become another route to information and recommendations.
Tim Pointer, Thompson Spencer Co-Founder, says: “The old playbook of chucking more money into Google and expecting growth is done. And this category is about to get really interesting.
“AI is fundamentally changing how people find and choose software. Increasingly, your first interaction with a potential customer isn’t happening on your website or in a search ad, it’s happening inside an AI answer. If your brand isn’t being surfaced, cited and recommended there, you’re not even making the shortlist.
“That completely changes the job. We need to understand what’s driving performance, kill what isn’t, and make FlexiTime impossible to ignore wherever people are researching and making decisions. That’s a challenge we’re absolutely fizzing to get into.”
The appointment adds to a period of growth for Thompson Spencer, which was recently appointed Creative Partner for Honda New Zealand and has appointed Oliver King as Managing Partner: Strategy. The group employs more than 60 people across offices in Auckland, Wellington, Sydney and Melbourne, and has delivered campaigns in more than 75 markets.
