News
The Gate hires Strategy Partner
The Gate London has appointed Frances Gibbs as Strategy Partner on the back of strong growth. Gibbs a familiar face at The Gate, returns after an impressive 11-year journey that saw her contribute her strategic prowess to renowned agencies such as Leo Burnett, Edelman, and most recently, B2B specialist Gravity Global.
Formerly European Strategy Lead at Leo Burnett, working for P&G Fabric Care, as well as for major retailers Homebase and Kingfisher. It was at Leo Burnett that Gibbs first crossed paths with Kit Altin, The Gate’s CSO, forming a professional bond that continued through their collaboration on the NSPCC account.
In her most recent role at Gravity Global, Gibbs served as EMEA Head of Brand Strategy. During this tenure, she made indelible marks by contributing substantially to the success of clients such as Bostik, Moneycorp, and M&G Investments. Her strategic acumen and innovative approach played a pivotal role in shaping and amplifying the brands under her purview.
Gibbs brings a strong academic foundation to her role, holding a BSc in Neuroscience and an MSc in Cognitive Science from the University of Edinburgh. Her diverse skill set and experience in influencing behaviour make her a valuable asset to The Gate's strategy department.
Kit Altin, CSO of The Gate, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Fran back to The Gate family. With an outstanding track record of shaping impactful strategies, Fran's experience and dynamic energy are precisely what we need to empower our clients and guide the agency in 'Walking Through Walls’. Fran's unique perspective will undoubtedly contribute to the richness of our creative endeavours for our clients and set a new standard for excellence.”
Frances Gibbs said, “I’ve been watching in awe and deep admiration the journey The Gate has been on over the past five years. It’s an incredible transformation in work and in culture. There’s such energy, belief, and love for the work. It’s irresistible. So, when Kit called me offering me the chance to come back to The Gate – I’d made my decision before she finished her sentence.”
Read more here
Replens featured On Strategy Showcase podcast
Our CSO, Kit Altin spoke to On Strategy Showcase Podcast about our APG award winning campaign for Replens ‘Sex Never Gets Old.’
Find out t the story behind the evolution of a clinical brand listening to the episode.
Top 10 Christmas ad for Very
Ourr Christmas campaign for Very ‘Let’s Make It Sparkle’ is in Kantar's top 10 of most effective Christmas campaigns so far.
These current top performers show us that creative, entertaining, and brand-centric storytelling that connects with the cultural pulse is what it takes to succeed - not only at Christmas but at any time of year.
Kit Altin, CSO on the stage at SXSW 2024
Our CSO, Kit Altin, is heading down to Texas to take the stage at SXSW 2024.
She will be speaking about Creative brieifing with her session: "Creativity Unleashed: The Secrets of Creative Briefing" in the Advertising & Brand Experience track.
IPA On….podcast with CSO Kit Altin and CCO Vicky Janaway
How can adverts help break taboos & normalise conversations surrounding perceived shameful or embarrassing topics?
Our CSO, Kit Altin and CCO, Vicky Janaway were guest at the IPA On... podcast, where they delved into the power of advertising in dismantling taboos and promoting open dialogues about sensitive or awkward subjects covering our multi-award-winning campaigns "Sex Never Gets Old" for Replens and "Bum's The Word" for Anusol, both of which most recently scooped an APG Gold.
Tune in to gain insights into how we tackle taboos
Senior Strategist, Bruno Carramaschi on Creative Salon
Creative Salon asked our Senior Strategist, Bruno Carramaschi, how brands are leaning in to controversy to reshape culture to bust taboos for their question of the week.
Read it via Creative Salon
The Gate launches “Let’s Make It Sparkle” brand platform
Very has unveiled an exciting new brand platform – ‘Let’s Make It Sparkle’ – via a joyful, humorous Christmas campaign that positions the digital retailer and its customers as vibrant, pink flamingos and encourages us to transform everyday experiences into something wonderful.
The new creative platform and Christmas campaign, developed by The Gate, bring to life Very’s revitalised brand strategy; ‘there’s good, and there’s Very good’. The retailer’s Christmas TV ad, which airs for the first time today (Wednesday, 1 November 2023), opens with a dull cityscape, where grey pigeons and pink flamingos are dutifully Christmas shopping. However, this everyday activity is about to be transformed into something magical.
For the first time, viewers are introduced to Very’s new brand characters; fun, flamboyant flamingos called Kerry, Terry and Cherry. Pink thunderclouds roll in against a backdrop of a remastered version of Girls Aloud’s ‘Merry Christmas, Everybody’, and the pigeons are left awestruck by a team of pink delivery flamingos who are gracefully carrying Very parcels. As the parcels are delivered, Kerry, Terry and Cherry’s homes erupt into enormous clouds of magical pink glitter.
Audience research shows Very customers share a particular approach to life. Despite external pressures and uncertainties, they want to make life as good as it can be – using ingenuity, individuality and creativity to make life bigger and brighter for themselves and their families. They are unapologetically loud and proud about living life to the full.
'Let’s Make It Sparkle’ taps into Very customers’ mindset, their vibrancy, zest for life, fun and a touch of glamour. Grounded in audience insight, the new brand platform is built to deliver success over the short and long term. Following their debut in the Christmas ad, the fabulous flamingos will continue to infuse the brand with rich personality and excitement to drive brand love and recognition.
Very partnered with System1 Group to test the creative in line with the marketing and brand consultancy’s key principles of fame, feeling and fluency. System1 Group’s research revealed that the new brand proposition delivered above industry benchmarks, resonated powerfully and created an emotional connection with Very’s family-focused target audience, delivering strong brand recognition.
Very appointed The Gate as its lead creative partner in June 2023, with the agency’s rich customer knowledge, exceptional strategic thinking and distinctive creative idea standing out during the competitive pitch process. The new brand proposition has subsequently been developed to bring Very’s multi-category digital retail and flexible payments offers together under one platform, which will now fuel the entire marketing ecosystem.
Very’s Christmas campaign will run nationwide across TV, cinema, VOD, OOH, digital and social media. The animation and characters were designed and produced by Nexus Studios, directed by Paloma Baeza. Media planning and buying was handled by Dentsu.
Jessica Myers, chief marketing officer at Very, said: “We know Very customers are as imaginative and enthusiastic about everyday moments as they are about Christmas, and we want to celebrate and enable that sense of joy and fun all year round as part of our commitment to our purpose; helping families get more out of life. ‘Let’s Make It Sparkle’ brings that spirit to life brilliantly, and we’re so excited for the opportunities this new creative platform will open up in 2024 and beyond.”
Lucas Peon, chief creative officer at The Gate, said: "It's been brilliant to see the platform and script we pitched with brought to life over the past few months, and to finally introduce our feathery friends to the world. We’re excited to see the magic unfold’’.
Read more about the campaign here
This Morning featuring the stars of our Guide Dogs campaign
The cast of our Guide Dogs campaign 'We Find the Way' had the opportunity to talk about this impactful ad on This Morning, shedding light on the wide range of services the charity has to offer.
The AA shortlisted at The Drum Awards
Our campaign for The AA ‘It’s OK, I’m with The AA’ has been shortlisted in the Creativity category for TV, Video, and Film at The Drum Awards 2023.
Jamie Elliott shortlisted as CEO of the Year
We are thrilled to announce our CEO, Jamie Elliott has been has been shortlisted as "CEO of the Year" at The Drum Awards 2023.
‘Tuning Up’ at The Gate of Inspiration
In our latest Gate of Inspiration we had the privilege of welcoming David Meikle for his session, 'Tuning Up.'
He showed us how we can enhance performance and reduce stress in marketing and advertising, shedding light on the interplay between responsibility and control.
Creative, Bryn Walters on Creative Sparks for Creative Salon
Our creative , Bryn Walters, shared his source of inspiration for crafting emotionally populist work in a candid conversation with Creative Salon as part of their "Creative Sparks" series.
Read it via Creative Salon
The Gate hires Associate Creative Director
The Gate has hired Associate Creative Director Jo Ratcliffe to work across their growing portfolio of clients. Ex J. Walter Thompson and Fold7, Ratcliffe has crafted innovative campaigns for a diverse range of brands, including HSBC, Nestle, NCVD, CoppaFeel, Rightmove, and many others.
Amongst several distinctions for a variety of campaigns, Ratcliffe’s work for NCVD ‘The Not So Beautiful Game’ made global news across more than 100 platforms and was recognised by some of the most prestigious awards festivals in the world, including a Cannes Gold Lion. It was also shortlisted for the highly coveted Glass Lion. And it was listed as Campaign UK’s Top 10 works of 2018.
In addition to her exceptional career, Ratcliffe is a shining example of leadership within the creative sphere. She is a Creative Equals 'Future Leader,' demonstrating her dedication to advancing equality and diversity in the creative field. She extends her influence further as a guest lecturer and mentor, sharing her knowledge and inspiring the next generation of creative talents.
Lucas Peon, CCO of The Gate, said: “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Jo before, and I am thrilled to welcome her to our team. Her innovative ideas and relentless pursuit of pushing creative boundaries will have a great impact on our campaigns.”
Jo Ratcliffe said: “I’m thrilled to be joining The Gate. I’ve been taking note and admiring the work for a while now, so it was an easy ‘YES’ when Lucas asked me to join the team. The recent ‘It’s OK, I’m with the AA’ genuinely tickled me in an ad-break. Another example of a beautifully simple idea, with humour and humanity at its heart. It’s obvious this is an exciting place it be, full of great people with clever brains. I’m very eager to get stuck in!”
Read more here
2 Bronze for The AA at The Shark Awards
Our campaign for The AA 'It’s OK, I’m The AA’, has won two Bronze at the Kinsale Shark Awards 2023.
The campaign was recognised in the Advertising Film and Film Craft – Best use of Humour categories.
‘Cracking Creativity’ at The Gate of Inspiration
The Thinkbox team, visited us at our Gate of Inspiration for ‘Cracking Creativity’.
The session was an absolute game-changer as we delved into the essential creative elements that leave a lasting mark on our clients' brands in customers' long-term memory.
The AA shortlisted at The Shark Awards
Our campaign for The AA 'It’s OK, I’m The AA’ has been shortlisted at the Kinsale Shark Awards 2023.
The campaign has been shortlisted in the Advertising Film and Film Craft – Best use of Humour categories.
The Gate shortlisted as Strategy Agency of the year at APG
The Gate has been shortlisted as the Stephen King Strategy Agency of the Year at the APG Awards 2023.
2 Golds for Replens and Anusol at APG Awards
We are pleased to announce that we have won 2 Golds at The APG Awards for our Replens campaign 'Sex Never Gets Old' in the Creative Strategy category, and for our Anusol campaign 'Bum's The Word' in the Long Term Thinking category which also got a Special Prize for Best Written Paper.
And... we were shortlisted for APG Strategy Agency of the Year.
Read it here
CSO, Kit Altin selected to be in the jury for Brand Leadership & Partnership Awards
We're pleased to announce our CSO, Kit Altin is going to be part of the jury for the Campaign Brand Leadership & Partnership Awards. Our AA client, Will Harrison will be along for the ride too.
The Gate shortlisted at Diversity in Advertising Award by Channel4
We are pleased to announce we have been shortlisted by Channel 4 at this year's Diversity in Advertising Award with an entry for our The AA client.
This year's brief challenged UK advertisers to address the lack of #LGBTQIA+ representation in advertising, following a research from Channel 4 and 4Sales that found brands had stepped back from portraying LGBTQIA+ communities for fear of a backlash.
Click here to see the list of finalists.
