Problem: “We want people living with diabetes to feel heard and inspired, and others to understand that it’s emotional as well as physical.”
Solution: ‘This is Diabetes’ - a campaign across TV, radio and content, which captures the experience of this relentless condition.
Results: Overwhelmingly positive reaction. What made me proudest was people quoting my script in their comments on social: “Millions of us live with it, millions more misunderstand it.”
Problem: “We’re pitching for Motorpoint and have to get all these product points into a hard-working TV ad”
Solution: ‘Buy Happy’ - a campaign featuring Brian and Sarah, two neighbours who’ve just bought the same car with very different experiences.
Results: Won the pitch and made the work using comedian Rob Madin as Brian. Went live across TV, radio, OOH and social in Jan 2020, and drove their highest footfall for 2 years. The ad also fuelled an opinion piece in The Drum - see below.
Problem: “People think we just do hostels for hikers, no one knows we’re a charity on a mission to give young people the outdoors experiences they need.”
Solution: The Adventure Effect, a 3-day social experiment presented as a mini doc. We showed the importance of adventure by taking it away from Alistair Humphreys, a pro outdoors type, and giving it to children who’d been missing out due to family and social issues.
If you don’t have 6 mins, there’s a 30sec trailer just below :)
Results: Despite limited media, over 100K people watched our 6 minute film. Double the industry standard for long content. It also won at the Brand Film Festival. Providing adventure is now YHA’s central mission, and the film underpins all their events and education work. Oh, and bookings went up 52% immediately afterwards.
Creative credits: Phil McDonald AD
Problem: "We want to make a real impact in NYC. Maybe it could tie into the election?”
Solution: We took on the epic sites of Times Square to create ads using live poll data and related to the Economist's US content. When no one liked Trump or Hilary, who was going to win?
Results: We all know what happened in the election, but The Economist got some US subscriptions too.
Problem: “We’ve made a new yogurt in 2 layers, part fruity, part natural. Like lager top, but yogurt. Can you explain it to people?”
Solution: All we know is it’s delicious - a fun, slightly suggestive mix of press and radio that played off the product’s USP.
Results: When Stephen Fry tweets your creative, you know you’ve made it. Even my wife said it was funny, which is a first…
Creative credits: David Finch (AD), Mark Teece (CW)
Problem: “How can we get people to buy our organic milk, when it’s way more expensive than what they normally buy?”
Solution: Go all out organic, reminding people that it’s real food from a real place. Bring the actual Yeo Valley to life across all channels, and make it feel like a cause.
Results: By driving sales, this kept all the big retailers happy. Even Tesco!
Problem: “We’re launching some American Pie flavours, but can’t crack the idea and need something that’ll work for events. You’ve got 24 hours.”
Solution: The Pie-Ettes, a doughnut soul group that gave the flavours something extra.
Results: Turned the work round and won the pitch. Helped the PR agency create ‘Doughtown Records’, a speakeasy with live entertainment and delicious sampling. Drove highest sales of 2019 with 16.5% uplift - also their most successful Americana-themed campaign EVER (they do one a year). Yum!
Creative credit: Phil McDonald, AD/design
Problem: “They've got this great new credit checking tool, but it's visually really dull. How can you give this some genuine emotion?”
Solution: Don't just demo a product. Let’s catch people at the exact moment it makes the big difference to their lives.
Results: 4.2m views, of which 40% watched the whole way through. 64% increase in customers that year. 5th most viewed video on YouTube UK on the same day Robbie Williams posted footage of his wife in labour. Oh, and two DMAs.
Problem: "Capital One have developed a new version of QuickCheck, with 100% yes/no answers. How can we take the emotion and humanity of our previous work even further?"
Solution: "Certainty". A multi-platform campaign focussed around people's love of being assured in life. Real, human stories that brought the product benefit to life in a charming way, and which absolutely smashed the results.
Results: 19 million full video views (55% completion rate) 11M prospects identified, 1M site visits and a 65% reduction in declined applications. And a DMA Gold.
Creative credits: Lou Wright and Emma Rene.
Problem: "This agency has never had a financial client, can you help us win this pitch for Equiniti’s new investment platform?"
Solution: "It’s time to Thrive". This integrated campaign made people rethink their attitude to investments, by reframing it all, turning it into something positive and less intimidating.
Results: Won the pitch. Job done. Sadly they got cold feet on the Thrive brand, but they loved the insights and attitude, so we used them in lots of other work.
Problem: “No one under 20 knows anything about the RNLI, and our older support base are dying."
Solution: Provoke teenage video bloggers into mobilising a new generation, causing intrigue and mountains of UGC along the way.
Results: A genuine industry first, mountains of awards and the ultimate tribute: hordes of rip-offs.
Problem: “Launch a new coffee online, making sure that the flavour's lighter, brighter notes really come alive."
Solution: An 8hr live singathon that instantly brightened people’s days with bespoke comedy songs.
Results: Amongst other impressive stats, we reached 16% of the UK’s Twitter users and won 2 DMAs. And a Turkey of the Week.
As well as overseeing creative, I was a community manager on the day, working live with the media agency.
Creative credits: Alex Buchanan-Dunlop and Neil Williamson.
Problem: “We’ve lost our way as a brand, and people have forgotten about us. Can you sort our image and drive sales?”
Solution: We lifted the lid on Yeo Valley - a 2-pronged attack that reminded people it was a both real place AND their lovely products were in the local supermarket. Smart data on roadsigns and Waze drove the message further too.
Results: We gave the brand a new sense of purpose, made their natural yogurt market leader again, and used the halo effect to push other products. Boom.
Problem: “The client's insisting that their audience is mums, but we know it's much younger on social. Let's prove it during the Olympics."
Solution: The winter Oreolympics: animation with biscuits.
Results: Oreo UK’s most successful social activity before content went global, with over 1m impressions.
As well as writing the scripts, I oversaw the animation and even made all the daft noises.
Creative credits: Luke McClure, animator. Albert Seleznyov, AD.
Problem: “Win this pitch, or lose your place on the Mondelez digital roster. And you can't do the Cadbury's briefs because of BBDO's global deal with Mars.”
Solution: Answer the Belvita brief with multi-platform aplomb - present it with style.
Results: Absolutely smashed the win, despite the French (there’s a story there...)
On this project I was both creative and CD. My role included strategy, overseeing of work and final pitch-winning presentation.
Creative credit: Albert Seleznyov, Head of Design
PLEASE NOTE: For a few reasons, I can’t shout about this as much as I’d like to.
Problem: “There’s a global pandemic! How can Motorpoint capitalise on last year’s humourous campaign to show off their new ways to buy?”
Solution: ‘Your Way’ - a campaign featuring more daft neighbours and a mollycoddled dog, to show off the new ways to buy.
Results: Filmed during a brief break in lockdown, our 360 campaign pushed the new offerings across TV, radio, social vignettes, display… you name it. And we beat the rest of the car retail industry to get it live first.
Problem: “Agencies need to be more collaborative and agile than ever. How can we bring that to life?”
Solution: Your Ideas Department. In a world where clients can do more in-house than ever, they still need ideas. Let’s be a plug-in that collaborates with them, from sparking imaginations internally to full-blown project delivery.
Results: A new way of partnering with clients has already created lots of interest. Watch this space.
Problem: “The Organic Trade Board needs a rebrand. Something that moves away from all the badly-explained hessian stuff.”
Solution: ‘Go organic for a happy planet’ - a more positive, brighter way to hero nature and show people what organic means, without explaining all the farming technicalities.
Results: Bought by the client. Going live later this year.
Creative credit: Chris Collins, designer
Problem: “The latest model Golf looks just like the old one, but there’s some amazing new tech inside.”
Solution: Bring the magic inside to life by turning it into a stunning landscape.
Results: Thousands of enquiries and a DMA silver.
Problem: “We’re launching the new Mini, but all we know about are the colours.”
Solution: The Mini Harmonic Ambience Facilitator, a unique approach to colour demonstration.
Results: Loads, including the Marketing Week Grand Prix, a gold DMA and a letter telling us how the recipient was showing it to his guests. (Of which I’m sure there were many.) And people are selling it on eBay!
Problem: “We all care about our mums, but there are mums everywhere who need our help.”
Solution: A live art event, powered by digital declarations of Mother’s Day love.
Results: Thousands of dedications. Not to mention funds raised, data collected and PR generated.
Creative credits: Alex Buchanon-Dunlop and Neil Williamson.
Problem: “Kenco are launching a CSR initiative in a really dangerous country, but the TV ad is too busy being a pop video, and doesn't feature anyone that's actually being helped.”
Solution: Epic cross-platform storytelling, bringing the participants' stories to life in many ways. For maximum reach, we focussed on snackable content across social. But viewers could also visit the absorbing campaign hub, take part with Kenco Rewards Club, or receive monthly email updates.
Results: Relentless testing and honing means this is now held up as a 'Best in Class' social demo by Mondelez.
Creative credits: John O'Sullivan, Steve Clinton, Ben Sawyer, Rob Morris & Rick Blackburn
Problem: “We’re launching a new small car, but we’re not sure how to target people.”
Solution: Ambient wing-mirror media on narrow streets.
Results: Enquiries aplenty.
Problem: “Utilities comms are pretty ugly. How can we make ours match the lovely new ATL while still doing some real heavy lifting?”
Solution: Our Winter Wonderland theme used the look and feel of the recent TV to grab people with compelling deals across SSE’s product range.
Results: The most successful campaign Proximity had yet done for the utility giants, and one very happy client.
Problem: “YHA are pushing themselves as a charity, and want to tell people about the disadvantaged children they help”
Solution: The Children Who Went Nowhere - a fundraising pack which focused on the more emotional side of YHA’s work.
Results: The pack brought in £8K on the day it landed, and went on to raise thousands more.
