WORK
PIZZA HUT - Hong Kong
Direct / Social / PR Gold Cleo
Use of influencers can be so very very very boring. Especially in Hong Kong where the use of influencers in social is so wide-spread. So we jumped on the latest (and quite odd) social media craze and did something unusual.
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Investec
Online Film & TVC
During the ten years that I ran the global Investec business, this film was part of a broader campaign aimed at positioning Investec - one of the largest and most innovative investment & private banks in Africa and Europe - as uniquely entrepreneurial in their approach. In a world with little or no growth, a financial institution with a genuinely strong reputation in every space from M&A to infrastructure development to management of trusts & niche banking products - this was a valuable piece of communication that was used in everything from investor presentations to online where a multi-episode version ran.
Women Helping Women Hong Kong
D&AD Graphite Pencil and 2 x Cannes Lions
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This project involved the creation of a phone-based app that uses AI to detect situations involving domestic violence. The coding took months and is testament to the talent and dedication of our partners at Verticurl, because the amount of time it took to get the AI functioning was astonishing.
South African Tourism
Launch of new global positioning
As a tourist destination, South Africa faces huge competition from other African countries. We have amazing safaris, but so do Kenya and Tanzania. We have amazing beaches, but so do Mauritius and Zanzibar. The one thing we have that they do not, is the South African story. A story of a unique people, with an emotional heritage demonstrated by people like Nelson Mandela. This campaign was part of a global campaign centred on the idea that while one "visits" other countries, one instead "meets" South Africa. And that meeting is quite unlike any other "tourist" trip that other countries can offer. The line "Meet South Africa" was used across all media to demonstrate this point, and is still used today by South African Tourism, years after the campaign finished.
FALLING SKIES
PR / SOCIAL / OUTDOOR
Part of D&AD and One Show Pencil winning campaign
For me as a creative, the marrying of PR and Social with a strong idea is how we achieve really really exciting work. This is another example of PR being used to super-size a piece of communication. It's hard to do, and the idea needs to be really strong to play in this space. But when it works, it delivers incredible results.
Our client was Fox TV who had virtually no budget at all to put behind this project. It was thus essential that we come up with the right idea. The concept was structured around a fake UFO siting that we created using balloons and LED lights over a densely populated area. A little social media seeding, and a PR push did the rest...
FREE ZIMBABWE
SOCIAL MEDIA D&AD Pencil Winner
Free Zimbabwe is a coalition of activists that work to highlight problems in that country. Like many charities they have no money. But like many charities they also have a powerful message which can resonate in the digital and social world if executed effectively. It is always so rewarding to be able to do impactful work for organisations like this.
WAR MUSEUM - Radio / Podcast
One Show and D&AD Pencil Winner
While the future of communication is obviously all about using new media to do fun new things, there will always be room for a powerful spot using good old theatre of the mind to make a powerful point. It is interesting to see how radio hasn't died, but has moved into Podcast space where this was also used.
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This was fun, because personally I find the quality of audio advertising on podcasts to be an insult to everything and everyone, so perhaps the real opportunity is to improve the quality of advertising in podcasts rather than in conventional radio?
BMW - Global On-line Film & TVC
This piece was used globally by BMW in 20 markets and in 15 languages to help reposition the brand and bolster its credentials in the area of aesthetics and renewable energy. It was accompanied by lots of online and social content and is still in use in many different markets around the world.
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STANDARD BANK
Corporate Campaign - Making SA's biggest bank not SA's most hated bank for the first time!
So while it won a total of zero awards, this is probably the piece of work I am in some ways proudest of. It is unclear to me how a creative campaign can resonate so much with consumers that it increases overall Consumer Satisfaction with a huge bank's SERVICE OFFERING by over 4%. But Business Insider and the research companies used by Standard Bank seem pretty sure this happened. Emotion is a funny thing, and connecting emotively with consumers can result in extreme outcomes it seems. As you can imagine, never has a client loved an agency or a creative director so much. It appears that no amount of Cannes Lions or D&AD pencils can achieve this level of love from a client! As a result I have a great fondness for this campaign, even though it is quite "straight" in many ways.
​Fox TV
Activation / Cinema / PR
D&AD Pencil Winner
Another example of how an ATL element like an activation can work with Social and PR to create real NOISE and get a message out there in a way that these channels cannot do by themselves. This execution was hugely successful in promoting the message that Walking Dead was back, with a second season, and did so on a small budget super-sized by PR. Apparently, Rupert Murdoch himself liked this one, although I'm not sure if that's a good thing...
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Durex “Own Your Situation” - Social Media
This campaign was based on the insight that while sex is really quite fun, conversations about it are really not fun. However these conversations are vital if young people are to be educated about issues relating to contraception, consent and STDs. This campaign packaged information in small snacks and fun formats to help change this.
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