Showcasing creativity in the North East

The North East is home to many brilliant agencies made up of incredibly talented people, and this collection of work demonstrates the breadth of strategic and creative excellence that comes out of our region. Hope you enjoy reading them!

bet365: Drummond Central

Ambition

bet365 had built a reputation for reliable, product-focused sports betting, but the brand wanted to show there was more to the experience. The challenge was to showcase how bet365 delivers an enhanced, market-defining experience that other bookmakers can’t match.

Strategy

Building on the success of our Never Ordinary – Curling ad, Breaking News was designed to continue to highlight why bet365 elevates everyday sporting moments. The strategy separated brand and response creative, allowing us to create a global brand ad that evokes emotion while navigating the nuanced regulations of the sports betting world. Our goal was to deliver moments that surprise, delight and engage – not only appealing to a wider audience, but also positioning bet365 as a major player in marketing, not just a product provider.

Solution

In the campaign, every sports fan’s dream comes true as a flurry of freakish sporting moments happens in a single day. The film centres around a news network, with anchors covering extraordinary events like a footballer scoring from a spider cam, a tennis ball returned from row six and a marathon runner storming to the finish line, fridge in tow, even after a dramatic fall. Each moment captures the passion, drama and excitement of live sport.

The campaign was a production feat: 28 shoot days, over 150 characters, 900 extras and large-scale sets. Bespoke versions were created for 12+ territories, with re-cast anchors, locally relevant sports and culturally tailored edits. Every touchpoint – from In-Play experiences to social content – reinforced that bet365 turns the ordinary into something extraordinary. The campaign spanned linear TV, VOD, out of home, audio, print and digital.

Results

The impact was immediate. The campaign achieved the highest System1 score of 5.9 stars, an exceptional rating across the board for long-term market share growth potential, short-term sales potential and strength of brand recognition. bet365 became top of mind for spontaneous awareness in the sector, had the largest significant sector growth in ad awareness and overtook the leading brand for brand preference.

Fresh Smokefree North East: Story

 

The challenge

New figures from the ONS Annual Population Survey (APS) survey show the North East has seen the largest fall in smoking rates in England since 2005. However, smoking remains the single biggest cause of cancer and ill health, costing the North East nearly £1 billion a year in medical, health and social care, lost earnings and smoking-related unemployment.

This campaign is part of a commitment by all North East local authorities to aim to reduce smoking to 5% or below by 2030.

Our brief

To create a campaign that communicates with our smokers and to encourage them to give quitting a go.

Key aims include:

To increase awareness of the harms and impact of smoking. In addition to educative harms, it should highlight the benefits of quitting and encourage quit attempts by providing information and tips on the best resources available.

Creative strategy

This campaign sees the start of a new creative strategy to allow better engagement and cut through in a very difficult health area. Through researching a range of concepts, a new approach was developed using real people's stories and experiences. Our NE smokers value hearing from “people like me”….they appreciate the rawness and truth of people from their own communities.

The core proposition for the campaign was: “You lose a lot from smoking, but gain so much from quitting”

To communicate the proposition, our campaign platform is: “Put smoking behind you”.

And our case study stories each demonstrate: “From the moment you stop, a better life starts”.

A multi-channel media approach was developed with broadcast TV at its core.

Results

Through the use of real people, this campaign visually stands out through the impact, rawness and emotive authenticity. Real people reflecting on real experiences, including a combination of emotional and physical harm, creates cut through. People relate to these truths, empathise with the situations and more importantly realise that it really could happen to them.

Tracked awareness, perceptions and intentions to quit have proven very successful compared with other benchmarked quit campaigns, with almost three-quarters of the region’s smokers recalling the campaign, and over half of those taking a quit-related smoking action.

Standard Chartered: iProspect

Back Story

To engage global investors and amplify brand presence around key financial events, Standard Chartered launched a high-impact out-of-home campaign across strategic transport hubs in Europe and the Americas, including London, Frankfurt, Jersey, and Heathrow.

Our Brief

• Position Standard Chartered as a confident, innovative force in global investment.
• Maximise visibility around major financial moments like CIB Investor Day, Sibos and Now Is Your Time Brand Campaign.
• Drive brand engagement through bold creative and high-dwell placements.

Strategy

We selected high-traffic, high-value locations, from first-class lounges to airport corridors, to intercept influential audiences. Each site was chosen for its relevance to financial decision-makers and global investors.

Creative

The campaign featured clean, confident visuals and messaging tailored to each location:

• Jersey Airport: XXL wall wraps celebrated the Jersey Marathon and global investment themes.
• Frankfurt & Heathrow: Digital screens placed near lounges and exits captured attention during dwell time.
• Messaging invited social sharing via #TogetherWeAreBetter, reinforcing community and brand values.

Results

• 3.5 million LinkedIn impressions
• 11,000 clicks
• CTRs exceeded forecast benchmarks
• Media over-delivery added measurable value, validating the creative and strategic approach

Zinsser: Cravens

 

The challenge

In a category dominated by functional claims and product performance, Zinsser faced a broader strategic challenge: how to connect emotionally with professional painters and decorators, while reinforcing its position as the brand that true professionals trust.

As the market became increasingly crowded with “pro-grade” messaging, differentiation based on product alone was no longer enough. Zinsser needed to articulate what being a professional really means, beyond tools and finishes – elevating the brand from a supplier of solutions to a symbol of professional identity.

The objective was to create a new brand platform that would:

• Strengthen relevance with independent tradespeople
• Build long-term brand affinity and pride
• Establish Zinsser as the unmistakable mark of true professionalism

The solution

We developed a new brand platform, The Mark of a Pro, designed to celebrate the craft, commitment, and character behind professional decorating – not just the end result.

At the heart of the campaign sits a documentary-style YouTube film, Becoming a Pro, which tells the authentic stories of three independent painting and decorating professionals from across the UK. Rather than scripted endorsements, the film offers an unfiltered look at what it really takes to earn professional status – the standards, sacrifices, and pride that define the trade.

Zinsser’s products and technical knowledge are woven naturally throughout the narrative, acting as a quiet but powerful signal of professionalism. The message is implicit rather than overt: If you’re a Pro, you know.

The full-length film premiered on YouTube, supported by paid amplification, while cut-downs power an integrated rollout across:

• On-demand TV advertising
• Radio
• Paid and organic social on Instagram and TikTok
• OOH near Trade retailers
• Retail POS

This ecosystem ensures the platform reaches professionals wherever they consume content – from long-form storytelling to high-impact, repeatable brand cues.

The impact

By shifting the focus from products to people, The Mark of a Pro establishes Zinsser as more than a materials brand – positioning it as a badge of credibility within the trade.

The campaign delivers:

• A distinctive, emotionally resonant brand platform
• Authentic representation of professional decorators
• A scalable content system across broadcast, digital, and social

Most importantly, it reframes Zinsser as a brand that understands what it truly means to be a professional, strengthening long-term brand equity in a category where trust, reputation, and pride matter most.

We’ve seen incredible results so far. Our 4-minute YouTube film has reached 670k unique users, with an outstanding full view rate of 50% and a brilliant CTR of 2.67%. Google search for all products is also up YOY compared to 2024. This demonstrates that our brand film and digital activity alone are driving real engagement and impact for our client.

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