AMP Financial Services
I confess, I’ve made ads for AMP. But it was before their despicable behaviour was exposed by the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Financial Services Industry.
I was at Samuelson Talbot & Partners at the time and part of a team that relaunched the brand in Australia and launched it in the UK.
For the TV campaigns celebrities were asked what they looked forward to. Funny, not one of them said they looked forward to promoting a brand that steals from customers by charging fees for services never delivered.
Personally, I look forward to working with organisations putting people first.
Graphite Deodorant
Teenage males can be full of bravado but, as this TV ad for Graphite deodorant shows, they can also be pretty sweet.
We built the campaign around the tagline, Get closer, which allowed us to explore not just physical closeness but emotional connection as well.
Hertz Club Gold
When Hertz wanted to encourage people to join their #1 Club Gold, we highlighted a compelling reason to join: members could pick up their rental car and drive away in under a minute.
The script for this TV ad initially made the client nervous. “We can’t talk to our customers like that.” But it’s amazing what you can get away with when you say it with a smile – and when it supports the proposition.
Medibank Health Insurance
Choosing health insurance is notoriously complicated. While at M&C Saatchi, we helped Medibank simplify their messaging to customers. In this campaign we spoke directly to parents, reassuring and terrifying them in equal measure.
Radiant Washing Powder
When Cussons wanted to launch a cold-water version of their Radiant washing powder, the clothes delivered the message.
RSPCA
While I was at M&C Saatchi, the RSPCA asked us to help raise funds in the lead up to one of their most challenging times of year.
Back then, around 17,000 pets were being abandoned after Christmas every year. Without an increase in donations it would have been impossible to care for and rehome all those unwanted presents.
This confronting image of a dog lead as a noose was symbolic of the grim reality facing animals that ended up at their shelters and couldn’t be adopted out.
Yard Bird Bar & Kitchen
Yard Bird Bar & Kitchen is an American-themed venue within the historic Hotel Shamrock. From the menu to the décor and entertainment, the client went all out creating an authentic American experience for Australians.
We created the brand from the name up, spending weeks searching the US Library of Congress for images and interviews that evoked the soul of America. These posters and radio ads were part of the launch campaign.
Nestle Peters Maxibon
Maxibon is a very large ice cream. Our idea challenged teenagers to wrap their laughing gear around it and in the process broke the golden rule of food advertising: make sure it has appetite appeal. Luckily, the size had them salivating.
VicRoads Shortcuts
To cut wait times for customers in branches, VicRoads wanted to encourage them to access a range of services and information online. We created the ‘Shortcuts’ creative platform to let them know there was a quicker way to do things, like pay bills and make bookings.
Kraft Vegemite
Cramming too much information into an ad rarely ends well. On this occasion though, we found a way to get two messages into one headline: Vegemite is great for people in a rush, and Vegemite gives you energy to burn.