LONDON — The trio behind last year’s viral World Record Egg mental health campaign have launched a new agency, backed by Tin Man and Blurred.

Happy Yolk has been set up by Chris Godfrey, Alissa Khan-Whelan and CJ Brown with the idea that “ideas that bind can change the world.” The agency said it would focus on ideas that “connect brands to people, culture and causes.”

The World Record Egg was a single image of an egg, nicknamed Eugene, that was posted on Instagram last January and became the world’s most ‘liked’ image online after a direct challenge from its then-anonymous creators to beat the previous record held by influencer Kylie Jenner. The egg then went on to champion mental health via a Super Bowl reveal, in partnership with streaming service Hulu and Mental Health America.

The idea of the egg came from Godfrey – named by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential people on the internet – who was previously a creative at The&Partnership and had also worked at Karmarama and MHP; Khan-Whelan, a producer at The Communications Store, and Brown, a designer and art director for the likes of Nike.

Happy Yolk is backed by independent agencies Blurred and Tin Man, with Blurred founder and CEO Nik Govier and Tin Man founder and CEO Mandy Sharp sitting on the board and providing strategic and business advice. It’s not the first time the two have worked together: Govier was one of Tin Man’s backers when she was at Unity.

Govier said she had first approached the team as creative cohort partners for Blurred, but saw the potential for a standalone agency: “They created the World Record Egg in their own time – and just for kicks – to phenomenal effect. They have a rare kind of energy that is just contagious.”

Sharp said Tin Man had been looking for creative and strategic partners: “When I met the team I knew immediately we could do amazing things together. Talent oozes from every pore and I’m excited about what the future holds for them.”

Brown told PRovoke Media: “We’re ultimately looking to create ideas that resonate, and that people understand, which are successful because they are rooted in culture and focused on real business outcomes. We think we’ve got a refreshing approach, which is less about defining brands and more about building connections.”

In the run-up to launch, the trio have already completed work with TalkTalk, Happy Egg Co and teamed up with Sony Music and DJ Khalid on the release of his latest album.

Godfrey said: “We were able to get a picture of an egg from a sofa in South London to the Super Bowl within four weeks. So we can’t wait to see what we can create with like-minded people and brands that want to stand out.”

Khan-Whelan added: “In the year since the Super Bowl, the world has changed beyond measure. Brands and business need even smarter thinking that cuts through and connects. We believe that ideas that bind can change the world, and we’re looking forward to proving this.”