I narrowly missed London’s advertising industry heyday, but arrived in Soho shortly after to work in some of the top agencies of the time. With that came some of the biggest clients, with the biggest budgets, which perhaps unsurprisingly were a toxic mix of cigarette brands, fizzy drinks companies, plush car marques and cosmetic products full of CFCs.
I probably sold a lot of them.
A lot of them to people that didn’t know the damage they were all doing.
But neither did I. Probably more concerned at the time with how big my turn-ups were on my Levi’s Twisted or how I could blag my way into the Groucho Club.
It was only years later when I had my children that I began to really question and think about how potent these cleverly composed and targeted ideas, words and images could be. Advertising is such a powerful force, and on more than one occasion I’d definitely been on the dark side.
It had become time to channel my inner Luke and do something good for the universe.
I wanted to start something we could all be proud of that wasn’t ultimately going to negatively affect my children’s future. I wanted to work with clients that shared our values and the love we have for our surroundings. I wanted to sell products and ideas that are progressive and considerate. I wanted to help companies begin their journeys into being better.
I wanted an advertising agency that creates ideas that catch fire, spread and ignite a change for good.
Luckily (or perhaps fatefully) I managed to meet a great strategic planner, Toby Barty, who had his sights firmly affixed on the same goal and was at a similar junction in life. Our agency was born!
And do you know what? With our bunch of hugely talented, like-minded individuals and our ever growing ‘good’ client list, I think our little agency is really heating up.