I recently led the pitch that won de-construct the business to create a new digital strategy for Ballantine’s whiskey. Building on their recent ‘Leave an Impression’ positioning, our task was to launch the next phase of the campaign, breaking in 2009. Unfortunately I can’t say much more at this point except that if they are as brave as we’re hoping, you’ll know all about it….

Tennis has evolved. It’s faster. Stronger. Wider. Longer. It’s more demanding now than ever before – physically, mentally, and strategically. The personalities are bigger. Records are established, and then quickly superceded.

‘Shape the Game’ is adidas’ answer to the evolution of Tennis. But the real strength of the idea is that it isn’t just a statement – it’s an invitation. You can shape the game. You can become the next Djokovic, the next Ivanovic.

We were briefed to create a basic product-focussed website, but what we presented instead was a cross-media platform for 2009 and beyond.

Unfortunately budget limitations meant that asset creation was all but impossible and that my involvement could not extend past the strategy stage. As a result all we could deliver was a basic, product-focussed website. But the future bodes well…

Everything Matters is much more than a consumer-facing website. It is the entire comms platform for Panasonic Europe through to 2010. And its the culmination of almost a year’s work which began with the strategy, in conjunction with Vizeum (UK) and Strawberry Frog (NL).

As a website, ‘Everything Matters’ is a content portal. It was created to be a central repository for the various brand stories that Panasonic has to tell, but has not for various reasons. The content can be filtered by the user, and of course the site is fully dynamic and modular.

Awarded the FWA Site of the Day 02.09.2008
Awarded the Interactive Pick of the Day 05.09.2008 by Creativity Online

Both in style and approach, it is a radical departure for Panasonic. There is very little product detail on the site and the soft grey gradients on white was dispensed with for a more tactile, human art direction. Major battles that we fought very hard to win.

The content on the site was conceptualised to be varied in both form and depth – sitting somewhere between a print ad and a website. In other words, some information but with the visceral impact and simplicity of a print ad, aided where possible by interactivity.

It is scheduled to grow massively over the coming 3 years, from world-firsts through to tiny details that make their digital cameras the best in their class. All reinforcing the philosophy that ‘Everything Matters’.

I was the conceptual and creative lead on this project, with a team of 3 designers, 3 flash devs, a 3D animator and a sound designer.

Launch Everything Matters

de-construct was tasked with creating a step-change in the way Panasonic communicates across Europe, by putting digital at the heart of their comms strategy across 2008 and beyond.

Working with Strawberry Frog Amsterdam (ATL) and Vizeum UK (media strategy), our brief was to come up with a platform concept from which every single marketing channel would use as a base – TV, print, digital, PR, POS and retail. The concept had to be true to both Panasonic (in order to sell it internally) as well as the consumer (in order that it is actually relevant and therefore works).

Unfortunately this is an ongoing project and commercial sensitivity means I can not show any work just yet. But stay tuned, its going to be good.

the-affair is a brand that creates beautiful conceptual t-shirts for the intelligent consumer tired of the cute-sy threadless aesthetic. Its the love child of myself and Dangerous Dave Black.

With no physical presence on the high-street, we began with the simple insight that fitting rooms have full length mirrors for a reason. The website was thus created to mimic the actual experience of trying the shirts on.

Awarded the FWA Site of the Day 29.03.2008

To list my responsibilities would simply take too long, but ‘absolutely everything involved in starting and marketing a business’ would be pretty close.

Applying what I do everyday for other people into my own concept/business has been nothing short of exhilarating. Every day I am learning first-hand what we sell to clients on a daily basis – and this is very valuable information.By far the most interesting part is the blog marketing. Obviously as a start-up brand we have nought but our wits and instincts to get our message out there. So how do you get an unknown brand known? And how do you sell t-shirts that aren’t expensive in your home market but are pretty expensive everywhere else? If you’re interested, check our press-to-date here.

Launch the-affair

After the extremely successful Da Vinci Code campaign, de-construct was asked to provide speculative ideas for a new CRM system with digital at its heart. We created the idea of Eurostar Live as a way of sharing content across multiple channels – online, mobile and digital outdoor.

We suggested Eurostar should provide city-guide content for both London and Paris from celebrities that epitomise each city, such as Damien Hirst or Jean-Paul Gaultier. Users would be able to download these guides to their mobiles before exiting the Eurostar station. After their break, they would be able to upload their own experiences/photographs of that city into their own ‘locker’. This content would then form part of a larger content pool which could be accessed by other users. Massive digital outdoor billboards at both Eurostar stations would advertise the idea and drive incentives such as free tickets, to encourage interaction with the campaign.

de-construct was asked to pitch the strategy and website for TeamVertu – Vertu’s high-profile sports sponsorship programme, currently centred around the Ferrari Challenge. We pitched an integrated concept where ‘Attention to Detail’ became the overarching message across every facet of their communications – from registration on the website through to the event itself.

Effectively communicating to high-end luxury users is a big challenge, especially online devoid of the usual materials used to convey exclusivity. Our proposal thus revolved around a fullscreen immersive video experience of the Ferrari Challenge Finale in Monza, delivered with ‘Attention to Detail’. Many small video vignettes allow the user to engage with the content they are most interested in – the racing enthusiast can focus on the car and the pit whilst the aspirational networker can focus on the hospitality truck and the interviews. Hotspots in the video would deliver the ‘Attention to Detail’ message by allowing the user to get closer to their chosen subject.

The strategy was modular by necessity – beginning small in 2007 with only the Ferrari Challenge whilst giving flexibility to scale through 2008 as new events were added. Throughout 2008, we proposed ever-tighter integration between the website and the event – such as an online auction, RFID invites and an exclusive on-track ringtone generator that would allow users to create their own unique Ferrari ’signature’.

Unfortunately the project, and the ambitious shoot (2x crews, 4x days, 2x countries) was never realised. However, the final image above gives an indication into how we proposed to shoot the first film.