Fresh out of Watford College with my creative partner Jim Bolton, 1992 saw our first placement at McCann Erickson, followed by placements at Grey, Saatchi, BMP, Lintas and HHCL
VW: Upside Down
Ahh, the days when car ads were still black and white! This was my first ever piece of advertising to actually run. It was created at BMP along with a long lost radio commercial while I was on placement. Created with Jim Bolton and David Davis.
Aqua fresh: Shock Absorber
Or 'Hock Aborber' as mates from college called it. They were just jealous that a) Jim and I had a placement at Grey and b) we got an ad out. Created with Jim Bolton.
Maltesers: Ballerina
This was our first TV ad, shot after we left Grey where we were on placement in 1992. Created with Jim Bolton.
Fairy Liquid: Red Handed
Back in the early 90s, placement teams simply came up with ideas and at some point in the future, those ideas were made and someone else took the credit. This was one of them. The original script had the little lad talking like Scots TV tough guy Taggart, but this was deemed too working class for Fairy. Created for Grey with Jim Bolton.
Mercury: Ministry of Information
In the Summer of 1992, HHCL needed a team who could write in the style of Harry Enfield's 'Ministry of Information' persona, Grayson. These were our first ads for HHCL - they appeared on Tube trains while we were on placement. Created with Jim Bolton.
See the joy! Our first ever ad for HHCL makes it's public debut in 1992
VSO
Voluntary Service Oversees had a pretty fuddy-duddy image by the early 1990s and needed a poster to liven things up a bit. Created with Jim Bolton
Independent article
The placement at HHCL lasted eight months and although we were paid around £100 a week this wasn't enough to live on. The Independent wrote a piece on placement teams which, incredibly, is still online.
Mercury: Tube ticket
It's small but in 1992, people using the Tube needed to buy printed paper tickets. HHCL suggested to TFL that the reverse might be used as advertising space. They said yes and we created this for Mercury. A first.
