About Us
A little more about
Andy Davies...
My past life...
In 17 years as an advertising planner I worked at some of the best and most inspiring agencies in the UK and the US. I’ve been Head of Planning at Saatchi and Saatchi London and also enjoyed a great spell as Head of Planning at Hal Riney in San Francisco, one of the leading creative agencies in the US. Latterly I was Planning Partner at HHCL red cell.
What I’m most proud of...
Though I’ve worked on more brands than I care to think about, I’d pick two highlights. The first was developing the massively successful re-positioning for the British Army recruitment campaign around the idea of bringing out the best in you (‘Be the best’). The second is a polar opposite of that – re-positioning Pot Noodle as the ‘Slag of all Snacks’ and bringing out the worst in you! Both campaigns won several awards, including IPA Effectiveness Awards, Marketing Society Awards, Marketing Week Effectiveness Awards and APG Creative Planning Awards
What gets me up in the morning...
I love resolving the tension between hard business and marketing challenges and the need for creatively inspiring strategies. Really smart consumer thinking should lie at the heart of the business and brand. I enjoy serving that up in a creative and pithy way so that it’s embraced by the business and can take a brand into exciting new areas.
Something else you might like to know...
I was a child actor in a totally obscure BBC1 adaptation of a novel that no one knows or cares about anymore... but it has left me with an appetite for performing stimulus material
A little more about Roger McKerr...
My past life...
I began my career as an account planner in 1990 at Bates and later Leo Burnett. But it was my move to HHCL in 1995, as their youngest planner, that shaped my approach to developing exciting and progressive strategies. I became Planning Partner there in 1998, helping the agency become Campaign’s Agency of the Decade for the 1990’s. In 2000 I co-founded Heresy, a sister company to HHCL, that specialised in brand launches.
What I’m most proud of...
Three high points stand out for me. Firstly, winning the IPA Effectiveness Award for Innovation for re-positioning the AA as the 4th Emergency Service – a radical and enormously effective campaign. Secondly, re-positioning the Guinness brand in Ireland with the ‘Live Life to the Power of Guinness’ campaign – it was a bit like re-positioning the Pope in Italy. Thirdly, leading the brand and communication strategy for the launch of Ocado, one of the UK’s fastest growing and most successful online brands – we succeeded when a lot of folk thought we’d fail.
What gets me up in the morning...
I just love it when you get those ‘eureka’ moments in strategy development. And, in my experience, getting into a stimulating dialogue with consumers brings a lot more of those moments. Also, after 15 years in the agency world, working full time on fascinating qualitative research and planning projects just makes me feel liberated and inspired.
Something else you might like to know...
I think my Quaker roots have made me a good listener!
