Keeping brands in shape.
This content was produced by Deloitte and is being published by the New Zealand Herald as advertorial.
Last night, brand tracking company, Tracksuit, claimed first place on the Deloitte Fast 50 index with outstanding revenue growth of 627% over the past three years.
Published annually, and now in its 25th year in New Zealand, the Deloitte Fast 50 index recognises businesses that have shown significant revenue growth over a period of three years, establishing the standard for fast-growing private companies in New Zealand.
Connor Archbold didn’t start in tech. His career has taken him across the globe in a range of roles – he started out as a lawyer, ran a surf and yoga retreat in Nicaragua, and later helped launch Auckland’s first startup accelerator. Eventually, he joined a New Zealand tech company on the same day as future Tracksuit co-founder, Matt Herbert. Connor grew into the role of COO, based out of New York City and Matt became Head of APAC, based in Sydney. Working in marketing tech, the two realised there was no single source of truth for brand marketing. When the pandemic hit, the pair returned to New Zealand and an idea began to take shape – a data and tech solution to a problem marketers had faced for years.
“We thought it would be fun to try and create the standardised, common language for brand – so companies can invest in brand and build long-term sustainable businesses,” Connor says.
Performance marketing was already well-established. It had quantifiable ROI metrics that could easily be gathered and interpreted. The bigger challenge was in measuring brand. Connor and Matt observed businesses were investing in short-term performance campaigns as a vehicle to evidence campaign success. But this came at the cost of brand building, where they saw under-investment.
Brand tracking was expensive, accessible only to the world’s biggest brands and biggest marketing budgets. But Connor and Matt envisioned something different – a clear, simple, always-on dashboard that could be used by marketers routinely. Together, they founded brand tracking platform, Tracksuit.
The idea resonated immediately. They pitched their vision for better, clearer, and more accessible brand tracking to 100 marketers and agencies. By the 68th conversation, 11 had paid for the service – one that didn’t yet exist. This was validation of the concept, and the team worked quickly to build the platform in just 30 days. This pace and agility would set the tone for a company that now (after only four years) tracks 15,000 brands globally and operates in 25 countries.
Tracksuit’s growth has been fast, but laser focused. “We say no a lot, we just do brand tracking really well. We don’t do 100 other things – we’re the world’s best brand tracking platform,” Connor says proudly. Word of mouth has been a key driver of the company’s success. Around 40% of its revenue can be attributed to referrals. “We have drunk the Kool-Aid on brand,” says Connor, emphasising the philosophy at the centre of the business.
The technology powering Tracksuit is smart. It uses survey data from hundreds of thousands of questions asked every day, and layers AI over the top to summarise, consolidate and generate actionable insights. The dashboard brings brand perception and associations to life across the common marketing metrics of awareness, consideration, preference, usage, and sentiment.
In a world where technology is rewriting the rules of business, Connor believes the fundamentals of trust and brand are more important than ever. In a consumer landscape of endless options, consumers will default to brands they trust. “As AI becomes more prolific, it lowers barriers to entry. That’s when trust and brand become the ultimate moat,” he says. Connor is pragmatic about AI too. “AI won’t take your job, but someone using AI will,” explains Connor. For Tracksuit, AI is a powerful tool to simplify and make sense of thousands of data points, helping to provide the always-on service the company prides itself on.
The same focus and purpose behind the platform extends to people. The Tracksuit team has expanded to around 180 staff, and Connor believes in growing talent internally while bringing in experienced leaders when needed. “Half the team should be pulling you up, half should be climbing and hungry,” he says. Internal initiatives within the business are helping leaders to grow with Tracksuit – something that has always been important to Connor and Matt in supporting Kiwis to succeed in business. “We wanted to found the business in New Zealand, grow a team locally and make sure we were helping to build the next generation of entrepreneurs,” explains Connor.
Tracksuit shows no signs of slowing. Up next is further global expansion, extensive product evolution, and a move into providing insight and strategic advice. “Our core success is because we’ve focused, but now we’re earning the right to open up the aperture of what we can do for our customers,” explains Connor.
This fast growth story is proof that brand matters. Companies that balance brand and performance marketing grow sustainably, not just in short-term spikes. “You have to be brave. The payoff comes six to nine months later, but those who persist grow more,” Connor says. In a landscape that’s constantly changing, that long-term view might just be the ultimate competitive advantage – and Tracksuit is determined to keep brands on track for the future.
The full Deloitte Fast 50 2025 results are out now and can be viewed here.