Helping brands and businesses through creativity
A true Inside-Out Consultancy project. Through extensive stakeholder engagement including 50 one-on-one interviews, I helped define a new story for real estate firm LSH. I used that to develop a marketing strategy and created a suite of brand ads. For the internal launch, I wrote and edited a tabloid newspaper, delivered to all 1,100 employees. I also wrote the company's Sustainability manifesto.
Developing a story and sharper sales materials for property consultant G&T. Stakeholder engagement, information gathering, simplification and copywriting. The thinking applies to the company as a whole and also to specific business lines.
Storytelling and copywriting for the impactful urban property developer Socius and its sister company Populate. Having written for several Socius developments, I have more recently been helping to craft the Populate story: ensuring developments deliver on their promises with people-focused experiences.
Strategic input and writing for the AI data center specialist developer GARBE.DC. As the need for these data centers increases, there's no company better placed to service that need across Europe. Working with the senior team, I've helped to articulate that and have also ghost-written articles for industry publications.
During my time at the bank, I planned and implemented activity to address the strategic and revenue growth priorities of HSBC Wealth & Personal Banking. Working with local and global colleagues and agencies, we helped teams in India and UAE to execute the global purpose of 'Opening up a World of Opportunity' in meaningful and culturally relevant ways. HSBC India had its best-ever sales quarter and HSBC UAE exceeded business targets by 148%.
Another great Inside-Out job, this time for wealth management firm AlTi. I launched a company-wide intranet to all 19 offices globally, creating an internal campaign: 'Coming To A Screen Near You'. Since then, I've helped to embed the new brand narrative, 'Make Wealth Worth More', through channels including the website. More recently, I was involved in content planning, article writing, and running the firm's flagship research project on family offices.
While a consultant at the agency Aesop/Fable, I led a team that created a new narrative for satellite technology provider Avanti. We took them from 'Metal in the Sky' to 'Liberating Potential Across The Globe'. A new story, visual identity, approach to advertising and comms, and tone of voice, as well as an all-company engagement exercise for 300 at their relaunch event. All in five weeks.
Working with the good people at virtual agency Genero, I've written strategic territories and creative ideas for a couple of Kellogg's NPD projects. These tend to be fast turnaround, which suits all parties and helps to move them quickly towards execution.
While at BMP DDB [the Best Agency on the Planet (TM)], I was lucky enough to work on the flagship account that was Volkswagen. We made iconic work for models like Polo and Golf, which stood out a mile from other car advertising and helped VW to maintain a price premium in the UK market.
I particularly enjoyed this one.
The Marmite brand was in decline before BMP came up with the strategic platform of 'You Either Love It Or Hate It.' It led to some of the most iconic advertising in history and, strategically, it did a brilliant job at reactivating lapsed users.
I worked on the business for about three years, during which time the brand enjoyed double-digit growth year-on-year and the ads we made won multiple awards, including a British TV Advertising Gold for 'Kiss'.
While at VCCP, I ran the Compare The Market business. By this stage in the meerkat campaign's life, we knew that if we could drive redemptions of the toys, we would also be driving revenue, profit and customer loyalty. We launched a new character: Baby Oleg. After all, what's cuter than a meerkat? A BABY meerkat. Sure enough, redemptions went through the roof and the brand continued to rule the aggregator market.
When I worked at Agency Inc, I ran the newly acquired Nuffield Health business. We overhauled their identity and tone of voice, transforming the brand from cold and clinical to warm and approachable. Vital at a time when the business was evolving and expanding, e.g. buying up Cannon's gyms. Our strategic thinking was executed through the spectrum of customer comms and literature, much of which I wrote/edited.
At the agency MWO, I looked after the swiftcover.com business. As the UK's first 100% online insurance provider, Swiftcover were entitled to adopt a challenger positioning. Our launch campaign was suitably hard-hitting, pitting the brand against slow, unhelpful call centres. Results far exceeded targets and swiftcover.com successfully sold to AXA for £150m-£200m.
While consulting with Aesop/Fable, I won the mandate with Queen Mary, University of London. Having conducted an extensive stakeholder engagement process, the team and I developed a new narrative for the university. We took them from '92% from state schools and 75% BAME' to 'A diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable.' I'm delighted to see the QMUL website still uses this language.