Education
BA (HONS) Graphic Design and Advertising
1998 – 2001 Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College
Classification 2:1
Employment
Partners Andrews Aldridge 2002 – 2006
Rapier 2006 – present
Clients
Lexus, Lloyds TSB, Barnardo’s, Bupa, The Art Fund, bmi, Gillette, COI, Video Arts, The Grove, Wales tourist board, Vodafone, Sky, ntl:telewest, Mercedes Benz Vans, Virgin Media, Smart, Gartmore, The Co-operative, Pru Health, South Eastern Trains, AA Loans, AA Insurance, AA Breakdown, Breast Cancer Campaign, RAC, Yellow Pages, MessageLabs, Digital UK, Yell, Cancer Research UK
Awards
DMA Graeme Robertson Award (Nomination)
Leonardo Shelf Award (runner-up)
(2003) Precision Marketing – Best Business to Business – Finalist – LTSB Schools Banking
(2005) Campaign Direct – Best use of Direct Mail to businesses (high volume) – Silver – Video Arts Resignation letter
(2005) Campaign Direct – Best Financial, Corporate & Utilities – Silver – Video Arts Resignation letter
(2005) Campaign Direct – Travel & Leisure – Finalist – bmi cutlery
(2005) Campaign Direct – Best use of outdoor – Commendation – The Art Fund, Street Art
(2005) Campaign’s 10 Best DM Campaigns – 8th – Video Arts Resignation letter
(2005) DMA – Business to business (miscellaneous) – Bronze – Video Arts Resignation Letter
(2005) DMA – Business Direct Mail (High Volume) – Bronze – Lexus RX 400h Fleet Managers campaign
(2006) Campaign’s Faces to Watch
(2006) DMA – Business Direct Mail – Bronze – Lexus RX 400h Fleet Managers campaign
(2006) DMA – Customer acquisition – Gold – Wales Tourist Board campaign
(2008) Precision Marketing – Best Responsive Press Initiative – Winner – Virgin Media Truth, lies and broadband
(2009) Campaign’s 10 Best Regional Press Ads – 8th – Yellow Pages Chesterfield press ad
‘Street Art’ Ambient Stunt
The Art Fund needed to target art lovers, tell them what they do, and encourage them to become members. And all for virtually no money.
So, after months of begging and wading through red tape, we finally convinced Westminster council to let us re-create The Rokeby Venus (a piece formerly saved by the charity) on the pavement right outside The National Gallery where the real one hangs.
The stunt was covered by the ITV evening news and The Times – giving the charity thousands of pounds worth of free exposure and winning us a commendation at the Campaign Direct Awards.
‘Help Yourself’ Integrated Campaign
PruHealth have a USP – they reward customers who look after
themselves with lower premiums. But rather than tell people how
they can reduce their premiums, we decided to show them.
The adshells (which were the first ever dispensing adshells) were backed up by an online Health-o-metre.
‘Talkaholics’ Integrated Campaign
Virgin Media were offering a great telephone package, but had no idea how to position it.
We know they love a celeb, so after coming up with the Talkaholics campaign thought we needed a spokesperson. And who’s more famous for gassing than Ruby Wax?
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‘Positive Driving’ Microsite
Smart needed a microsite to sell the virtues of their little cars. But they only had enough budget for five shots. And they all had to be of their cars. So, after directing a Scottish photo shoot from our desks in London, we set about making up the rest of the site.
Needless to say we’re pretty proud of the end result (and of the guys in the studio who managed to create most of the backgrounds and animations from scratch).
‘Insoles’ Direct Mail
Lloyds TSB wanted to tell their customers all about the benefits of their new service, PhoneBank Express.
After reading through a huge list of benefits, one really stood out. So all that was left to do was find an interesting way to tell people that they no longer needed to trek to their local branch to do their banking.
‘Meeting Rooms’ Press Campaign
The Grove is a really luxurious hotel just outside London.
As well as dirty-weekenders, the client also wanted to appeal
to businesses, so they asked us to create a press campaign highlighting their conference facilities.
After hearing all about their soundproof rooms with state-of-the-art technology, and wireless this and that, we thought businessfolk would be just as happy conducting business in other parts of the hotel too. So we combined both.
‘It’s surprisingly cheap off-peak’ Integrated Campaign
Southeastern Trains briefed us to create an integrated campaign including two TV ads.
Then they said they only had budget for a really simple animation, and we wouldn’t
be able to shoot anything.
However, we decided to present a route that did involve a shoot, and after pulling many
favours we ended up with a great director (the guy who did the viral film for Pot Noodle),
our own train, and our own train driver.
As we were on such a roll, we then decided to ask the client to finance our ambient idea.
They agreed, so – with the permission of a few nice landowners – we placed six 12-metre
high prices along the routes shown in the TV ads.
‘Wear it Pink’ Integrated Campaign
The client briefed us to create a fully integrated campaign for Wear it Pink 2009. Unfortunately, after we’d done lots of work, they decided they would only run work in channels that had been successful in previous years (DM and email).
So, even though they didn’t run, here are some of my favourite pieces
‘Sprinter’ Press Campaign
Advertise our very good (but expensive) vans to van drivers in a way
that will appeal to them. That was roughly our brief. We were told
they were no-nonsense straight-talking types that would respond best
to a Ronseal-type message.
We had to use existing imagery, so we decided the only creative option
was to write headlines covering the practical benefits of the vans, but
with a hint of straight-talking humour.
‘Resignation Letter’ Direct Mail
Video Arts needed a low-cost direct mail pack to launch a new DVD called
‘Talent Management: How to retain your best people’.
Rather than send HR managers a letter and a flimsy brochure, we thought we
should demonstrate how they would feel if their ‘best people’ were to leave.
So we sent them a fake resignation letter.
As well as a few complaints (at least they looked authentic), the pack generated
lots of sales and won us the top prize in two categories at that year’s Campaign
Direct awards.
‘Local’ Integrated Campaign
The client told us that thanks to Google and the like, the Yellow Pages is as good
as dead. And the pile of unclaimed big yellow books currently sat outside the
entrance to my flat is testament to this.
So to give it one final push, we were asked to create a campaign that showed the
Yellow Pages were still part of the fabric of local life, and not just a huge national
company (while still demonstrating how useful it is).
By the end of the campaign, we’d produced 65 posters and press wraps, and 75
radio scripts. Here are a few of my favourites.
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