“My purpose is to help clients find the capabilities and the courage to solve impossible problems. To be the secret weapon of ambitious companies.”

I was the founding partner, chairman and chief creative officer of startup creative agency Ireland/Davenport. Described by the Financial Mail as “a startup on steroids the likes of which South African advertising has never seen” Ireland/Davenport was WPP’s fastest growing startup. Despite being an independent agency with one office, it became WPP’s most profitable agency in South Africa. (After successfully being acquired by WPP, I exited Ireland Davenport in 2017.)

Awards
Ranked in top ten advertising creative in the world by the Gunn Report. South Africa’s first Award for Digital Creative at the One Show Digital New York in 1999. Peoples choice Webby award for Best Social Media Campaign Grew Ireland/Davenport 30% year on year for last ten years. Film Judge at Cannes festival Film judge at Clio Awards New York Work featured at TED Oxford sessions Voted Most Admired Agency Leader Financial Mail Voted SA agency of the year and Regional agency of the year FinancialMail and FinanceWeek Highest accolades at international and Local advertising award shows. Multiple Cannes Lions, Clios, New York One Show, D and AD awards London, Loerie Awards, Grand Prix, South African Ads of the year, Best loved ads in South Africa (Verified by Milward Brown) amongst others. Top ten international poster campaign Campaign Magazine UK Top Ten international TV campaign Campaign magazine UK Launched Walking Dead for Fox Tv (Won global pitch for trade launch as well as creative content online driven campaign) Work recognised as best practise by Fox TV international. As well as other content driven online campaigns for Fox and National Geographic channels.
National Geographic Channel | Mandela Lives
A Global piece commissioned before the event so Nat Geo could have material ready when the great statesman and human being Nelson Mandela passed on 5 December 2013.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Fox TV| Crime network launch |Viral Activation
To promote the launch of Fox's new Crime Network, n interactive crime scene was prepared in a cinema where the investigators on screen revealed gruesome crime scene evidence in the darkened cinema where the captive audience sat.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Social Media Campaign| Salvation Army
The most successful psa in South African advertising history. Multiple award winner including People's choice Award for Best Social Media campaign at the 2016 Webby Awards.
Advertising, Web Development, Writing
The Most successful PSA in South African advertising History
Campaign| BMW| Efficient Dynamics
To communicate BMW's leadership in efficient design we turned to Guillaume Nery World Champion Free Diver and the most efficient athlete in the world.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Brand Campaign| Online Content| BMW
To further entrench BMW's status as an innovation leader this piece featured artist and engineer Theo Jansen in this mutiple award winning piece.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
BMW | Innovation | Night Vision Xmas tactical
A tactical execution for Christmas.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Bmw| X5 Launch| OOH spectacular
An innovitive site wrap on an upmarket apartment development opposite the stock Exchange building.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
BMW | Updated Navigation systems
Update navigation systems make it that much easier to get where you're going.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
BMW | Retail | Cryptic offer
Offers so sensational they hat to be presented in code. (or in the subhead)
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Virgin Atlantic| OOH spectacular | Viral
Multiple Award winning OOH spectacular that made great Viral content.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
South African Blood Services| Back from the dead
A direct mail piece was sent to qualifying large corporates to encourage them to host donation drives on their campuses as part of their staff wellness days. To highlight the ability of donated blood to literally bring back people from the dead we sent what looked like a dead plant to HR leaders. Along with a simple instruction to add a few drops of water to the dry and desiccated plant. Magically the plant returns to life as its leaves unfold revealing the message clutched inside the plant.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Virgin Atlantic| Press Poster| In-Flight entertainment
Playing on the uncomfortable truth that without good in-flight entertainment, the person in the seat next to you becomes your in-flight movie. Multiple award winner.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Brand Campaign | Virgin Atlantic
The Launch of the Upper Class Suite, Multiple award winner.
Branding, Creative Direction, Writing
Brand Campaign| Avis Luxury rentals
Avis Luxury rentals. Always there when you need to impress someone.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Suzuki | Cinema activation
Using matched digital projectors we were able to create the illusion of the Suzuki Grand Vitara leaving the cinema screen and driving up the cinema wall to enhance its "go anywhere" capability.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
War Museum| The Cup of Life
Attendance at the War Museum was dropping, this interactive mailer was designed, prototyped and built by the agency. Using the opportunity to enrich the existing history curriculum at secondary schools covering the Second World War, we sent these mailers to teachers who then used them in their lesson plans. Multiple award Winner
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Investec Bank| Property Division | Press
To highlight the ability of property as an asset class to survive financial crises with value intact, we showcased some of the epochal crises buildings have lived through and emerged unscathed.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
General Motors | Isuzu | Made from Real
Isuzu is characteristically unembellished and proud of its workhorse credentials. The working man's truck, for the man who appreciates a hard days work and the tools that help him get it done.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Total Oil | Pit crew | Service campaign
Service based strategy using humour to emphasise the expert levels of service that await you at Total Service Stations.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
South African Tourism | Global Brand film
What starts as a conventional tourism film leaves the viewer reconsidering what they've seen with the reveal at the end. A country known for its almost cliched scenic beauty invites another look.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Sweets from Heaven | Footlong Bubblegum
180cm of bubblegum leads to unusually high levels of bubble mastery.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Free Zimbabwe | Mugabe friend request
What would you do if Robert Mugabe asked you to be his friend? This question arrived as an innocent Facebook friend request, acceptance or refusal lead people to engage with different calls to action to subscribe to the Free Zimbabwe petition.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Save Our Beaches | Campaign
Residents of beachfront town Vleesbaai were galvanised into doing something about an oil refinery threatening the pristine ecosystem of Vleesbaaai's beaches. By listing their properties for sale at half their current market value, residents were forced to consider the very real cost to them never mind the environment.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
Soweto Rugby Club
Inspired by a chance meeting I had with the club's chairman (a rugby team mate from Varsity) The agency prepared a work to find a sponsor for the Soweto Rugby Club. We got airtime sponsored by the countries prime sports channels and aired the following commercial. Within weeks the club had a large corporate sponsor and the conversation had only just started. The laureus awards in Monaco were looking for sports clubs that drove a social/community agenda and The Laureus ambassador for South Africa saw the campaign and nominated the Soweto Rugby Club who won even further support from the Laureus Awards for the work they do in the community.
Branding, Advertising, Creative Direction
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