I've helped launch new brands, helped shape global ones, led creative departments, mentored new talent, and partnered with exceptional people on both the agency and client sides of the business.
Those experiences taught me a lot. But the biggest lesson wasn't about advertising—it was about change.
Media changes. Technology changes. Culture changes.
Fundamentals don't.
After more than 30 years of experience—and influenced by the thinking of people like Mark Ritson, Byron Sharp, Les Binet, Peter Field, Orlando Wood and Jenni Romaniuk—my approach comes down to four fundamentals:
Attention.
Consumers have big, busy lives. They're not actively looking for our messages, and many of those messages appear in low-attention environments. If we don't earn attention, nothing else matters.
Consumers have big, busy lives. They're not actively looking for our messages, and many of those messages appear in low-attention environments. If we don't earn attention, nothing else matters.
Credit.
Great creative should build the brand that paid for it. Distinctive assets and unmistakable ownership aren't details—they're the point. The work should be remembered, but the brand should get the credit.
Great creative should build the brand that paid for it. Distinctive assets and unmistakable ownership aren't details—they're the point. The work should be remembered, but the brand should get the credit.
Emotion.
People remember what they feel. Work that creates genuine human connection—between people, between a person and the world around them, or between people and the brands they support—is more likely to be remembered when a consumer is faced with a buying decision. As Orlando Wood puts it, "Entertain for commercial gain."
People remember what they feel. Work that creates genuine human connection—between people, between a person and the world around them, or between people and the brands they support—is more likely to be remembered when a consumer is faced with a buying decision. As Orlando Wood puts it, "Entertain for commercial gain."
Duration.
Brands don't happen overnight. They're built through the consistent accumulation of memories over time. The work that feels repetitive to us is often just becoming familiar to consumers.
Brands don't happen overnight. They're built through the consistent accumulation of memories over time. The work that feels repetitive to us is often just becoming familiar to consumers.
Timeless principles. Modern thinking. That's the standard I hold myself and my work to.