Stocked in Sainsbury’s, and featuring in both their in-store magazine and BBC Good Food, this challenger brand was looking to redifine antipasti and ‘salads’ with some truly flavoursome alternatives. We helped them do it with a series of long copy ads which focused on the preparation of the food – in other words, Bodega’s commitment to ‘going further’.
Agency: Veracity Marketing
The publication: DIY Week – the magazine for people in the hardware and homeware market. The challenge: fill a four-page wrap with all things Gorilla (and sister brand, O’Keeffe’s). Here’s how I did it – leading with the handy fact that 2016 was the Chinese Year of the Monkey.
Agency: Veracity Marketing
Wall’s sausage rolls. The nation’s favourite, and a staple food in many family homes. So, what better way to help flog them than with a campaign of mum-focused ads running in all the main ‘women’s weekly’ magazines. Together with brand new packaging and a big push to trade, this was Wall’s largest ever national press and digital marketing campaign.
Agency: Veracity Marketing
Photography: Nick Eagle
Cook With The Kids. No, not a recipe book for would-be cannibals. More Persil’s initiative to get families into the kitchen for some creative, food-based fun. The end result – as ever when children are involved – is, of course, mess. Which is rather handy when you’ve got washing up liquid to sell. Anyway, this was the resulting press campaign which ran in all the women’s glossies. Beats reading about another Z-lister celebrity feud, eh?
Agency: Veracity Marketing
Design/Art Direction: Sam Richardson
Already the best-selling glue in America, Gorilla Glue was looking to get its big, hairy foot in the door of the UK market. My task was to take selected parts of the existing US TV ad and give the scripts a British twist. In other words, rewrite them to resonate with White Van Man. There was also a tabloid press ad and all kinds of trade material. (More details here.)
Agency: Veracity Marketing
Trade:
I was part of the team on the launch of The Manchester Evening News’ recruitment campaign, The Jobs Mine. With a newspaper supplement cover to create each week, we also got busy with various ambient ideas and a takeover of Piccadilly train station. A month after launch, online audience listings went through the roof, with nearly 170,000 visits from the region.
Agency: Pravda Advertising
Art Direction: Charlotte Smalley
To celebrate the World Cup in 2010, Greggs launched the ultimate patriotic pastry – the England Doughnut. Parodying the famous Nike ad with Wayne Rooney, the poster we put together required a model who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Or his arms, or his face. Step forward one heroic copywriter named Matthew…
Agency: Gratterpalm (CreativeRace)
Art Direction: James Egan
Occasionally, I got the chance to write longer pieces for Asda. In a desert of POS barkers and shelf wobblers, these were like a cool, refreshing oasis to the soul. Well, not really, but you get my point.
Here’s a few examples. Three ‘long copy’ advertorial-style ads for three very different subjects.
Agency: Gratterpalm (CreativeRace)
I debated whether to include these; the smell of cheese hangs ripely in the air. But they’re a good example of being up against tight retail constraints and a strict tone of voice. These national press ads ran towards Christmas and all headlines had to follow a simple pattern: be short, simple and shout ‘value’ through a rather large megaphone.
Agency: Gratterpalm (CreativeRace)
Design/Art Direction: Mark Bollon
