daisy – integrated agency 2006
2006-2020
Founding Partner, Creative Director, Managing Director
Daisy Direct and Digital Marketing was my own creative agency set up with creative partner Gareth Lloyd and client services partner Rob Mortimer and with clients mainly in the financial sector. Financial clients included AIG Direct, AIG Life, Vanquis Bank, Ageas, Canada Life, NewDay, Markel International, Hymans Robertson, AXA, Aegon, The Pensions Advisory Service, GE Life, LV=. All clients were won in competitive pitch against much larger agencies or came to us by recommendation. Ageas were a client for 12 years.
The concept of Daisy was to disrupt the traditional agency model. We built bespoke, agile project teams to deliver the creative vision by bringing in partner consultants (a chain). Think of it as a virtual agency built around lean creative and strategy. The network was on demand and enabled Daisy to scale up or down as each project needed and bring in partner specialist as needed, and plugging in a client’s in house resource or existing suppliers. It worked because we knew lots of other senior people from data, planning and production who’d also set up their own consultancies and didn’t want to be part of a big unwieldy agency anymore. It meant clients got the pick genuine experts deployed on their projects, resourced appropriately and costs reduced.
My role was delivering integrated creative strategy and creative direction. I also managed all aspects of running the business, leading on new business and managing the on-staff team, contractors and partner companies.
Other non-financial clients were always part of Daisy’s work and in particular not for profit organisations. We worked with Family Action, SOS Children’s Villages, Vision Aid Overseas and consulted with The Big Issue Foundation. Sightsavers were a client for a number of years and you can see some of the work we did in my portfolio. In other sectors we worked with The Utility Warehouse developing the main websites, CSMA Club (Boundless), Prime Location, Airmiles and a number of ventures developing an effective MVP method of working.
AXA connected Insurance
For cutting edge products you need cutting edge solutions. I created a 360 virtual house so that key contacts invited to AXA’s stand at BIBA could ‘virtually’ walk around and explore connected insurance in situ.
I had the house built by a team of architectural illustrators, and made it work on google cardboard which was sent out as an invite. Pop ups on targets stimulated by dwell times explain products and short videos play to explain connected home and car offerings. In the house ‘easter eggs’ led to prizes. The campaign included the stand with an inspirational video to draw people to it, social media, email and old school direct mail, with the google cardboard headset.
LV Pension Drawdown
The challenge was to motivate advisers to recommend LV to pension customers. Many didn’t know about drawdown features so we needed to create a story that had impact, and felt relevant. The narrative was that more people were crossing over to LV drawdown and to explain why. The record play with a message from the fund manager, while the digital element – an online quiz -tested the IFAs knowledge of the product they were currently recommending and comparing it to LV.
A lot of digital product
Much of Daisy’s work was with website design, content and build. We’d work with partner companies on development and would deliver customer journey, wireframes, UX, UI and all content ourselves. With the Pensions Advisory Service (now the Money Advisory Service) this was a major undertaking with migrating and editing thousands of articles. With Utility Warehouse we updated all websites laying the foundations for further development. The one featured below was called ‘Where’s Wayne’ and enabled the sales force to connect with the sales director as he travelled the country on his motorbike – there was a live tracker on his bike! For AXA we worked closely with the in-house development teams and supported with our own developers providing design, all UX and content for multiple websites.
AXA European Motor cover website
AXA Quote and buy home insurance website
The Pensions Advisory Service main Brand website
Utility Warehouse. One of many websites and Apps.
Website template development for NewDay brands Marbles and Aqua
AXA Smart Install customer booking website
Ageas motor Insurance website and branding
AXA customer portal to explore cover and exclusions
CSMA Club (Boundless)
CSMA (Civil Service Motoring Association) was one of Daisy’s first clients won in competitive pitch. They were a client for 5 years. The pack features is the members welcome pack. It opens out as a full size OS style map of the UK, on one side all the club locations (partners like Thorpe Park or hotels and holiday homes) on the other, detail of what members could access and how. It made for a highly engaging, impactful welcome to the club.
In 2020 I refocused…