Events are a pillar of video games campaigns, offering influencers and fans a chance to play prior to release. Which is why we set out to deliver an experience that would astonish and drive scale around the world.

For the worldwide launch of the Xbox Halo Wars 2, we brought the intensity of the battle to 20 gaming influencers in a real-world combat experience - and shared it all on social platforms.

Unaware of the test ahead, the influencers were led into a Halo-themed military command centre where a conventional gaming demo quickly turned into a live onslaught of action and chaos.

Treated as new recruits, with unit commanders requesting orders, they quickly realised they were tasked with saving their own lives and their units, with just their quick strategic thinking.

Some panicked at the situation; others embraced it. All broadcast live on social media, from 6 cameras hidden inside the command centre. Each influencers were given an edit of their ‘combat experience’ to share on their channel.

4.2M views across owned and earned media, with a total reach of 575M.

20 influencers participated across 6 markets, generating Twitch live streams.

21 videos published across influencer channels.

One in seven of all downloads of the Halo Wars 2 beta version came directly from Instant Hero content on owned channels.

80 media and influencers attended the preview event from 17 markets.

OUR SPIRIT UNITES US

I developed the El Jimador global creative strategy #Mexology; the spirit of Mexico embodied by values like beauty out of chaos, embracing diversity, and living life vibrantly.

The launch and first U.S. campaign for el Jimador was called “Our Spirit Unites Us”, where we brought together three north-american artists who embodied the values: a musician, a guerrilla projection collective and a mixed media artist/sculptor.

The campaign celebrates both individual creativity and collaboration, with the highpoint being a spectacular event in the iconic Michigan theatre in Detroit, where we brought together the town’s spirited community for one unforgettable night.

I’m pretty chuffed to have been a creative consultant for Pink Floyd’s last album.

The brief was very top level and none of the music or lyrics was shared. But we did know it would be a tribute to the late band member Rick Wright

Getting the digital artist Ahmed Eldin involved, with his surreal approach, made for a perfect visual representation and in line with the Pink Floyd album tradition.

As well as the cover artwork, it became the key visual in the launch campaign stretching across London, New York, LA, Sydney, Paris, Berlin and Milan.

DRINK POSITIVE

Developed and launched the new Lipton Ice Tea global campaign platform:

“Drink Positive”.

To embody the positive spirit, we got X-Men and Australia actor Hugh Jackman onboard, with his upbeat attitude to life. 

And we used his dancing skills in the worldwide campaign for the brand - in our film ‘Tokyo Dancing Hotel' Jackman's character mood is transformed after taking a sip of Lipton Ice Tea, making him dance through various rooms within a hotel.

The global campaign included apart from TVC and print, an interactive behind-the-scenes website where users could interact with Jackman

MON JASMIN NOIR

I launched the new Bulgari fragrance Mon Jasmin Noir with the help of Kirsten Dunst across film, website and content. We chose Dunst was because she combined luxury, sensuality, and femininity with a modern twist.

We recreated the inspiration for Mon Jasmin Noir, Florence's Boboli Gardens, in Los Angeles, dressed the actress in stacks of colourful gems and a swath of sheer, raw silk to help Dunst channel a woman in a Botticelli painting, to fit the essence of the femme behind Mon Jasmin Noir.  And we added a live lion for good measure. 

GAME ON

Malta Guiness is one of the biggest non-alchoholic drinks brands in Africa, and Nigeria in particular. And Malta Guinness means one thing: vitality - an essence captured this "City of God" inspired TV ad, promoting the sponsorship of new reality series Game On, orchestrated by the agency.

The reality series was an interactive, winner-takes-all, race to the end, where we pitted teams from the worlds of fashion and football against each other – letting the public decide which would best fuel the rise of Nigeria.

DYSON - PURIFICATION IN FRANCE

Dyson purifiers are exceptional at removing pollutants and particles indoor.

But indoor air pollution has a very low awareness; whilst 83% of Parisians think that outdoor pollution could have a negative impact on their family’s health, only 18% were aware that indoor pollution could be up to 5 times worse than outdoor air.

To get the indoor pollution message across, we had to repeat, in different format and from different senders:

First was a partnership with Michel Cymes, the 2nd best known TV-personality in France, a credible source to raise the topic of indoor pollution, through series of films, content and a digital platform

Second was a purification test using H1N1 virus test with the Institute Pasteur, to demonstrate that the purifiers remove 99.95% of particles and pollutants as small as 0.01 microns, through a series of films and articles.

The third was a general awareness campaign - “Changez d’Air” in DOOH, OOH, Print Social, radio and Content. It leveraged on the outdoor pollution narrative in Paris, with 75 days exceeding WHO recommended limit and the Mayor in Paris banning traffic diminish pollution.

For the main campaign we tested multiple headlines and executions, the best performing was “Pollution doesn’t stop at your front door” followed by “Changez d’air”,which means to literally change the air as well as to change things for the better.

ROS in Paris more than doubled, radio provided + 50 visits on dyson.fr.

Sales tripled through dyson.fr and in Paris sales peaked at + 83% in controlled stores.

The campaign itself was liked + 63%, had twice the engagement of conventional Dyson advertising, and enjoyed 23% spontaneous recognition.

ATTRACTION

The French Minstry of Health (INPES) wanted to launch a anti-smoking effort to tackle the disproportionate amount of teenage smokers. To connect with the audience we chose a story that would resonate; “rebel against the norm” and a popular format; anime film. (France is the world’s 2nd largest market for anime)

The interactive film follows the story of three Tokyo kids on a journey where they learn how 'the man' is corrupting them -  and they fight back with the help of the visitors. 

We worked with renowned anime director Koji Morimoto, Anrick Bregman from Unit9 and Studio 4C on the project, which uses webcam motion tracking and integration with Facebook to deliver an interactive experience.

http://www.attraction-lemanga.fr/site/index.php

Samsung teamed up with Bang & Olufsen for the speakers in their new phones to deliver an outstanding audio experience. 

Which is why we created an interactive experience to match - that lets visitors compose music - and view it in a 3D space..

It’s a minimal, interactive music tool that allows people to compose and create personalised music in a 3D soundscape. Fly through it and then save it to the gallery or export it. All controlled by code with an infinite number of possible combinations, the site gives a unique experience every time. 

When I joined Ogilvy in 2004 walked right into the conception of Campaign for Real Beauty, the first-ever campaign featuring and celebrating real women, with photography by the legendary David Bailey.

In 2017 I worked with Dove for the 60th celebration to launch the “Real Beauty Pledge”, a promise to always feature real women, never models, portrayed as they are in real life and help girls build body confidence and self-esteem

I wrote the “Real Beauty Pledge” ads and worked with Mario Testino and his team. We selected and photographed portraits showcasing the beauty of women from around the world. All inspired by, and shot, according to the Dove Real Beauty Pledge, featuring 32 real women and girls, aged 11 – 71, from over 15 countries.

The campaign ran in print and OOH, as well as online and social, as well as Dove Real Beauty Showcase exhibition, celebrating 60 years of Dove, on display in New York City.

Famous for its positioning and sponsorships. Heineken wanted to take their “Open your World” position into a purpose led platform and format, for ads and sponsorship.

The insight from research was that we are not as open as we think we are. But when we find common ground, like over a beer, we are more likely to open up and listen to the other side.

Our hypothesis was that despite our differences we can always find something that connects us.

The insight was validated by a Goldsmith’s University study, confirming that finding common ground leads people to be more open.

We turned this position into a film, “World’s Apart”, where people from extreme, polar opposites were brought together to try to find something in common. And we found that there is more that unites us than divides us.

A partnership with ‘Human Library’, working for social change globally, gave additional credibility to the new position.

The film provoked global conversations in the tens of millions, and thanks to a great influencer led strategy in earned media it also turned into real-world experiences in pubs, bars and summer festivals across the country.

COMIC RELIEF

We turned the PG tips brand mascot, Monkey, into a charity hero for Red Nose Day, by having him climb the Shard, the tallest building in western Europe.

A through-the-line campaign, where we had Monkey supported and trained by celebrities, films of Monkey actually climbing the shard (robot Monkey..) and a massive social media community to support and follow the climb of the London landmark,

The campaign was carried all the way through to stores, where people bought special packs of PG tips and raised over £1 million for Comic Relief

To promote the new super strong Airwaves chewing-gum Chloromenthol, we created an interactive movie/game based on cult wrestling films from the 70's. It was edited and pieced together from a dozen mexican luchador films. The hero of the game is the powerful and invincible Chlorophyllo and the interaction is just hitting the keyboard.

1 in 5 children from UK cities have never been to the countryside. Half of 7-12 year olds don’t know how milk is made. Scary numbers for the dairy industry and for Arla.

It means that a natural and previously trusted food, could be a target for incorrect stories, from additives and dietary concerns, to antibiotics and hormones. When in fact, there are few foods more natural than milk.

With Edelman we launched an education initiative in collaboration with education authorities, as well as a programme for children to visit Arla farmers and cows.

The starting point was the film Arla Little Farmers, which set out to articulate the problem, but more importantly showing the joy of children discovering where great food comes from.

The Bulgari Octo watch combines the finest Italian design with sophisticated mechanisms to create timepieces of breath-taking beauty and elegance. For the launch of the Octo I agreed to create to two films:

The more traditional Bulgari film, with a focus on the distinctive expression and daring design, emphasising how the formal purity of the octagon is pushed to extremes, giving it a powerful and innovative design.

But to convince a discerning horology audience, we also made a second film introducing the high precision ’savoir-faire’ in the watch’s movement and exceptional mechanisms, thanks to Swiss mastery in the art of watchmaking.

FREE RANGE CIDER

Addlestones is a cloudy, unfiltered cider. As natural as a cider could be. 

Words like “free range” and ‘’natural” is something we’re all prepared to pay a premium for.

Which is where the idea of ’Free Range Cider’ came from.  

We built the campaign around “Free Range”  in every way, across all media, even with print and OHH executions carved out of wood, by hand. 

Every year over 900.000 people worldwide are diagnosed with one of 140 different types of blood cancer.  

Most of us are unaware of this often incurable disease. And sufferers seldom display externally visible signs. They often feel like they are fighting an enemy they can’t see. 

It essentially means that the disease and the people who live with it are invisible. And blood cancer is not prioritised by many national governments. 

The aim of the campaign for the pharmaceutical company Janssen,  was to make the invisible, visible.

With the agency Brave, I developed a full identity programme across all touch points. The main focus for all campaign work was to gain share of the breakfast market. Which is why every execution, in every media had to work hard and be shareable:

An interactive selfie-ad in morning papers which gained hundreds of submissions to EAT social accounts, not to mention thousands on personal shares.

To remind breakfast lovers not to skip the most important meal of the day, we exploited the Skip Ad function on YouTube pre-rolls urging viewers “DON’T SKP” - and rewarding those who watched the full 30 second ad with 50p off their first bacon roll.

Brand platform and creative direction.

The Caterpillar phone is an extraordinary range of mobiles, almost unbreakable, batteries that never seem to run out of battery and unprecedented firsts like a thermal camera.

Although owners were committed and loyal, the Cat Phone had low awareness - lower than the Caterpillar children’s toys range. And it wasn’t the leader in rugged phone category, Samsung were.

I ran a number of brand sprints with the client team, to fast-track the development of the platform for a new CatPhone launch, focusing on Brand Truths, Product Truths, Customer Truths, Cultural Truths, Tone of Voice which led to a number of creative expression territories.

Before Coco Chanel moved to the Ritz where she famously spent 34 years, she lived in the space above her couture house, on 31 Rue du Cambon.

This is also where she hosted fashion shows and gatherings centered around an iconic, faceted mirror staircase. She would famously peer down at the fashion shows from the fifth step, her lucky number.

When I did research for the Chanel corporate website, the mirrors became a key ingredient in the design concept. The window into the Coco Chanel and the legacy and the stories that live on.

REPOSITIONING AN AGENCY

I joined the independent agency Billington Cartmell as a partner, with the purpose to turn it into a creative agency.

I repositioned, restructured and renamed the company to HeyHuman, based on the belief that successful brands are inherently “human" and social. “Human behaviour builds human brands.”

Consequently we rebranded the agency to emphasise the cultural change and create an expression that went far beyond a logo and a name change. 

 #Z1HIDDEN

To launch Sony Xperia Z1 - the world’s best camera in a waterproof smartphone –  in Europe, we teamed up with explorer @Ed_Stafford to launch an global game of hide & seek. 

We had followers guessing the remote locations where Ed travelled, across the globe, to win an Xperia - and reached over 1 million people in just one week.

Fans followed clues on YouTube and Instagram and we challenged them to uncover the exact underwater location of 4 hidden Z1s. To guess, players simply dropped a pin on Google Maps and we calculated the nearest distance from our destination.

Locations: Cenotes of Valladolid, Mexico. Uros Islands, Peru. Iguazu Falls, Argentina. Marble Caves, Chile. #Z1HIDDEN

YOUR SHOT AT $1 MILLION

U.S. campaign for el Jimador tequila featuring legendary USA international goalkeeper, Tim Howard, a handful of ducklings and $1 million.

Leveraging their long-standing support of the Mexican national team and grassroots football across the United States, 'Your Shot' saw five lucky winners head to Las Vegas for the ultimate penalty shootout, and the chance to win a game-changing amount of dollar. 

The work – running in out-of-home, print, online films and social – calls everyone off the bench to step up and take the shot

To launch Bouygues Telecom's (French network provider) new Facebook platform, we created an app to help Facebook users remember their most precious moments. 

The Facebook Book allowed people to create their limited edition, individual, real and printed books, based on their status updates and photos. 

Users could include up to ten friends and designate a timeframe of the content to be covered. The limited run of 1,000 books were gone within an hour of the promotion's launch.

CARS WITHOUT THE CARFUFFLE

Looking for a car to buy can be infinitely less fun than driving one, partly due to confusing, outdated search norms.

We tried to redefine how people find cars, by recognising their anxieties and highlighting a new ‘Smart Search’ – a more flexible, consumer-driven solution (no pun intended). 

We launched the campaign with TVC, OOH and digital -  with the help of a 2.5-metre tall headless chicken called 'Hennifer' - and helped thousands of confused searchers find ‘Cars Without the Carfuffle’ (pun intended).

DEMAND GREAT

Developed “Demand great” as a creative platform for the Sony Xperia Z3 - to tap into the passion of people who refuse to settle and ‘demand great’ from life and their smartphone. 

A smartphone for those who believe ‘good’ just isn’t good enough and - demand great.

The Z3 was the very first waterproof mobile phone, which was the focus for through-the-line campaign. 

In content and social we honed in on the amazing battery life. The longer your smartphone’s battery lasts, the further you can go. So, how far could 48 hours take you? 

We dramatised the incredible stamina of the Xperia Z3, by challenging Olympic triathlon gold medallists and brothers, Jonny and Alastair Brownlee, to #GoTheDistance – seeing how far they could run, swim and cycle across the UK with their Z3s on a single charge.

Trees are kind of a big deal to the birds and wildlife that call them home. Fortunately, Nouvelle Soft’s recycled tissue cuts down on trees being cut down. 

Rather than create a standard print campaign for Nouvelle Soft recycled toilet tissue, we opted for a more emotive approach: creating the world’s first ‘birdvertising’ billboards, giving nature the platform to thank everyone who chooses the brand. 

The campaign replaced billboards with birdseed – which was eaten away to reveal nature’s thank you to those who choose Nouvelle Soft.