IIBN - International Irish Business Network

Wednesday 14th April 2010 - 18:30

5 New Street Square, London, EC4A 3TW

Mike Hemingway, who launched this highly awarded campaign and lead it for five years, explains how all the different communication and marketing elements came together to create one of the most successful campaigns of the decade.  He often uses this subtitle for this talk:  "How Great Clients can inspire Great Work." About Mike In 1978, Mike joined a start-up Agency owned by Michael Bungey.  There he won, and worked on Safeway, Wilkinson Sword, Polycell and Scottish and Newcastle Breweries.  In 1981, Mike was lured to Collett Dickerson Pearce to work on Cinzano, Wrangler, Barclays Bank, British Telecom and Scottish and Newcastle Breweries, again. During that time, he was part of a team that created some of the most famous advertising of the period.  In 1985, the other great bastion of British advertising, Boase Massimi Pollitt, asked Mike to join them.  There he worked on Courage, owner of such famous brands as Fosters, Hofmeister, John Smiths, and Miller Lite; all award winning campaigns.  He also worked on Pimms and Martell Brandy. In 1989, Grey London asked him to join their management team as Vice Chairman and Client Service Director.  After restructuring the Agency’s Client Service departments, Mike took over the Bass Breweries and Lee Jeans business, as well as Grey’s Procter and Gamble Health and BeautyCare business. He launched Cover Girl in the UK and other parts of Europe.  He also helped launch the Laura Biagotti, Hugo Boss and Otto Kern fragrance lines.  However, the biggest success of all was the launch of Pantene – a concept developed by Grey, which swiftly led the brand to worldwide market leadership. In 1995, Mike led the pitch for part of the worldwide Mars confectionary business, which was successful.  Mike ran the $300 million account from London for five years. In addition, in between 1995 and 2000, Mike helped develop and lead an Advertising Training Seminar, sponsored by the Mars Family.  This week long Seminar was titled: “How to Create Award Winning, Effective Advertising.”  It took place in nearly 20 countries. In June 2000, Mike was invited to join Ogilvy & Mather in New York, to work on Kodak, as Worldwide Director, based in New York.  He led the team that created the successful “Share Moments. Share Life.” campaign. In 2004, Mike took over the worldwide Unilever Dove business, leading the team that created the famous Campaign for Real Beauty. This now iconic campaign led to immediate sales increases, whilst pioneering new concepts in “equity innovation” and “new” mass media. In July 2009, Mike founded  two companies:  Thirdhnger and Brandhunger. Both these businesses focus on helping companies and well known personalities incorporate social responsibility into their mass communications and creativity. Thirdhunger connects primarily with the creative communities. Brandhunger helps train marketing companies.

Fionuala Pender
fionuala@iibn.com