Vale Greg Harper: the writer and creative director who did more than most to save Australian lives
Many in the industry, particularly in Melbourne, will be saddened to hear of the passing of legendary writer and creative director Greg Harper, who has died after struggling with various health problems over the last decade.
The former partner and executive creative director of Grey Advertising, Melbourne in the late 80s and 90s will no doubt be best remembered for creating (with art director Stewart Byfield) the long-running Victorian TAC ‘If you drink, then drive, you’re a bloody idiot’ campaign, which launched in 1989.
In 1998 one of the spots in the series won Best of Show at The One Show, the first time an Aussie ad had taken out the top gong at America’s, if not the word’s, most prestigious show. During his career Harper also won three FACTS/ATV Australian Commercial of the Year accolades.
Byfield, now ECD at Noisy Beast, Melbourne, emailed CB with this comment: “Over the 10 years or so that Greg and I worked together at McCann Sydney, Hayes Cowcher Dailey, Dalziel-Harper & Grey that eventually became Grey I found Greg to be an amazing creative person will a zeal for strategy that challenged the norm. He taught me the value of breaking with convention can lead to revolution, as was the case with the TAC campaign contributing to the saving of thousands of lives.
“But Greg was much more than TAC, he was fun to work with making my and many other careers richer from the experience. A great advertising mind dedicated to the craft. Those that worked with Greg will all agree his talents will be sadly missed.”
Nigel Dawson followed Harper as creative guardian of the TAC business at Grey Melbourne and wrote most of the amazing TAC campaigns from the late 90s until departing Grey when the business went to Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne in 2014.
Dawson emailed CB this morning: “Alas I only worked with Greg at the very end of his time in advertising. He had a fiery reputation but the man I knew was full of charm, extraordinary stories and generosity of spirit. Greg was a prince of anti-advertising who eschewed artifice and contrivance in favour of exploring human truths and placing them in inescapable pieces of communication.
“His work changed the way social issues are tackled, not just in Australia, but across the world. In 1989 Greg, together with Stuart Byfield, took up the baton of the fledgling TAC and changed the way Victorians drove with a series of 30 plus campaigns, unlike anything seen before and each more powerful than the last, that drew global plaudits and saved many, many lives.
“I owe Greg a huge debt of thanks because after seven years he handed me that baton. Over the subsequent 17 years and 100 campaigns I would constantly refer back to what Greg had said and written to ensure that we never deviated from the principles that worked to change behaviour. He may have been living in his beloved Mossman but his ghostly hand guided every one of those campaigns.
“Most of those who read this will not have heard of Greg Harper. He was a landmark figure in Australian advertising. If they had been lucky enough to have met him and listened to him they would be better and sharper at what they do. I know that I am.
Harper’s former creative partner at Grey Rob Dow, now based in Vietnam, emailed CB this comment: “Greg and the TAC work since my first commercial in 1993 ‘Kombi Van,’ has influenced me more than anything in social responsibility and looking to shift attitudes and behaviour.
“It was also reflective in the campaigns we did for the Australian Defence Force and Army in particular. A changing way of recruiting young people by detailing the benefits after they left the service. In other words getting the ADF to accept that most recruits would not become career soldiers.
“Greg had a lasting influence over many, many people. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to work alongside him.”
Director Mat Humphrey credits Harper with giving him his first break: “So very sad. Greg and Rob gave me my first break. So brilliant to work for. Just left the director to do what they do best. (He would often not even come to the shoot) but in the edit suite that was his domain. Well his and Roberta’s. Together we won countless international awards. All thanks to Greg’s brilliant mind. He broke all the rules back then but now agencies look back at what he created as the ‘Rule Book’. We will miss you buddy.”
Harper retired from the business in the late 90s, heading to Mossman in far north Queensland, where he worked on a series of photographic landscaping books, several film scripts, and a novel.
Harper leaves behind his wonderful wife Kaz ~ they were married for over 50 years ~ and two daughters, both of whom live in Melbourne.
In Campaign Brief’s ‘Millennium Book’, published in 2000, we asked Australia’s top 100 creatives to select the one piece of work they were most proud of.
Here’s Harper’s recollection of how the TAC campaign came about, and below that, the script for the very first ‘Girlfriend’ spot in the long-running series (that later including the brilliant ‘Kombi commercial), that saved so many Victorian lives over the next 25 years.
21 Comments
Vale indeed. A campaign that was mimicked successfully in many other countries as well. He saved countless lives.
Such a brilliant mind and a pleasure to work for. Broke all the rules and set the standard that other still follow. Gave me my first big break for which i am truely thankful. We will miss you buddy. Very sad day.
So proud of you dad. You will be sorely missed.
The TAC campaign created by Greg Harper and his art director partners Stuart Byfield and Rob Dow is a testament to great strategy and creativity and bravery. But Greg, like many creative people was a man tortured by insecurity and self doubt, sometimes covered by being a bully, but mostly turned inward leading to major health issues. It has been more than two decades since I worked for him at Grey Advertising, but I hope that later in life he found peace and self acceptance. He certainly left a life long impression on everyone who worked with him. Rest In Peace Mr Harper.
May his soul rest in peace.
Jase Williams and I sat outside his office straight out of RMIT. He was kind and inspiring. His work made a difference, was impactful and forged new ground especially on TAC. Not too many in that mould any more. Top man.
A privilege to have started my adventure in Australian advertising when he was still at the helm at Grey.
Greg was one of the greatest advertising creatives I have ever met. I was proud to have worked with him and colleagues such as Stewart Byfield on a range of ad campaigns for the Victorian Government in the late eighties and early nineties.
From the Youth Guarantee, Job and Course Explorer, Good Neighborhood campaigns for my Youth Guarantee Secretariat, to the 11444 and 1989 recruitment campaigns for the Victoria Police his creative genius and innate understanding of human psychology set new standards for public service advertising.
His campaigns that saved human lives were for me far and away his best campaigns – gut wrenching Gun Amnesty Campaign securing truckloads of firearms from Victoria’s streets and houses and – based on the same principle – the famous ‘Bloody Idiot’ TAC campaign that continued under Grey Advertising until recent years and are credited with saving literally thousands of lives on Victoria’s roads.(Greg’s collaborator on the TAC Campaign, Stewart Byfield should also be recognised as essential to the development of this campaign).
As a school boy from the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne, with a talent for art, Greg had talked his way into the Southern Cross suite of the the Beatles during their mid 1960s visit to Melbourne (wagging it from school) and was commissioned that day to sign Beatles’s signatures on posters for fans – God knows how many posters have been sold with people thinking they had real Beatles signatures but in fact had outstanding copies of signatures by the legendary Greg Harper (but under Beatles and their management’s supervision!)..
Few people know the role Greg let me play in the creative and production process on the Vic Govt campaigns and in particular one of the Gun Amnesty Ads where Greg allowed me to closely collaborate on the idea/story line, script, actor selection and working with the production team. This gun amnesty ad campaign won awards in Australia, New York and Cannes – a trophy photo hangs on my office wall to this day.
He broadened my view of the world and introduced me to the best Peking Duck in the world and not a few good wines. In his greatest compliment and encouragement he offered me a job! In a decision I greatly regret at times, I refused … as a special projects public sector manager with political connections I thought acceptance would be seen as inappropriate and rebound on my political friend and mentor, Steve Crabb and the Victorian ALP Government. I was and remain torn by this choice.
Greg showed me that carefully conceptualized, crafted and executed public service campaigns are every bit as important as good public policy in securing important outcomes for the community and contributing to a better society – in fact the two should go together. About three months ago I started out to track down Greg who I had not been in contact with for many, many years. My efforts were suspended when I fell ill but it remained on my next to do list for when I returned to health – It is too late now … and there’s another lesson in that… Vale Digger, until we meet in the next dimension.
What can I say. I edited the Gun Amnesty and all the TAC campaigns that Greg created, I was the luckiest film editor in the trade!! Greg was a true professional and a good bloke. He always let the director and I have time to cut our edits and when he came in to give feedback it was always direct, fair and with a lot of understanding and knowledge. He wouldn’t tell me how to cut his revisions, he told me what sense and message he wanted to achieve and there was no bullshit. He treated my work with respect and I think that’s how he worked with most people who knew to be talented or the potential to be! And with that came big respect to him! He knew his stuff!
He had a wicked sense of humour and was a down to earth guy. Although I didn’t see Greg in recent years, I knew through family that he had sadly been battling his illness. May you rest in peace Greg. Sending my love and condolences to Kaz and the girls.
Thank you to all of you for sharing your experiences and thoughts, I know dad would have been truly humbled to know he was still thought of and held in such high regard.
He was a misunderstood man; complex and driven. He didn’t suffer fools but to those who showed desire, drive and a willingness to learn, he had all the time in the world and the upmost respect.
I know he still spoke of many of you until the end, you made his life so much richer.
Thank you again
The Harper Family
Greg Harper gave me my start and for that I will forever be grateful.
He was wickedly smart and creatively courageous. Greg called me the night before I was to direct a TAC commercial using a risky improv technique with the great DOP Chris Reed. The was no script but Greg had clearly outlined what he wanted to communicate and how the audience should feel. Greg wanted the film to be authentic.
“Are you nervous?”
“Yes”
“That’s good. You should be.”
Greg rarely visited sets. He respected his collaborators’ ability to do their job and let them get on with it. Cutting with Roberta Horslie was fun and was followed by anxiety as she and I waited to present to Greg and Rob Dow. Greg’s notes were direct and insightful. Greg didn’t tell you how to cut something, he explained what the result should be.
Greg Harper changed advertising forever.
However, Greg’s greatest achievement is the number of lives he saved with his brilliant work.
Rest in peace, Greg.
Sincerest condolences to the Harper family.
I think I must have made about 40 or so commercials for Greg (and not forgetting Stu). He was a complex man. Both irascible and kind. Proscriptive yet open. Almost always right, but willing to admit when wrong (sometimes). But he was such a joy to work with – he was so sure of his idea that he willing to let everyone in the process contribute – he trusted our talents. He was a true Creative Director – he gave everyone the direction they needed to make the best job they could. He would describe the result he wanted and then let us find the best technique. He allowed so many great Australian directors to blossom: Peter Corbett, John Lyons, Peter Schmidt, Rey Carlson and Mat Humphrey. And he was also the first person to tell me about Amazon – we could be quite competitive readers. To be honest I have been missing him for years – once he moved to Mossman we lost all contact. But now to know that door is definitely closed it is a very sad time. Vale Mr Harper.
Vale Greg Harper. As a young art director at Dalziel, Harper and Grey/Grey in the late 80s, Greg challenged, provoked and pushed me to be a better creative. He broke rules and sought excellence. I have had on my studio desk for the last 26 years, an image of myself standing in front of six naked men showering in what looks like a putrid prison shower scene ( in reality, the Richmond football Club shower rooms) – a shoot he charged this (then) young 26 yo art director to pull together as part of a gritty press campaign for the Victorian Gun Amnesty. He gave young creatives a go, but never let them rest on their laurels. He bullied, yelled, whined and cajoled us to deliver our best. He worked hard. He played hard, and his influence has stayed with me throughout my career. It was indeed a privledge to work with Greg. Working under Greg on campaigns for Salvos, the Victorian Gun Amnesty, and other public awareness campaigns, gave me a rare chance in advertising to do work that really made a difference. I haven’t seen Greg for many years now, and I wish I’d had the chance to personally thank him for what he taught me, and how he challenged me to create honest, effective communications. My love goes to Kaz and his family. Liz Grant, Canberra
I remember it well Liz, it was a great piece of work and drove the message home (even without incorporating the dropping of the soap!!) and encouraged more than a few to hand in unlawful and unwanted firearms. Ad work at its finest. – Garth Head
Very saddened to hear of Greg’s passing. He was a fantastic mentor to me and always found time to encourage and inspire Grey’s Canberra office. He was demanding on all of us, but tougher on himself. His TAC work with Stuart Byfileld, Rob Dow and others is hall of fame stuff but not just limited to that client. Greg understood the power of empathy and I’m proud to Have known him and been his friend.
Vale Greg Harper
A brilliant mind, genius creative with a generous heart.
You sure made an impact in my life! Ahhh many great years creating some powerful campaigns and so much fun in those heady 80’s. A nuturer of young talent also.
John and I remember and admire you as a kind human being and a perfectionist with a big vision.
Glad we visited you and Kaz in your beautiful home at Mossman …
Rest in peace old friend … till we meet again
Condolences to Kaz, Georgie and Liz
Greg was one of my dad’s dearest friends, and growing up I always loved being around his family when dad was in Australia. He was always so kind, very feisty, and his wife and daughters always understanding and welcoming.
My love and blessings to Liz, Georgia and Kaz, many happy memories always xx
Adieu Greg
We laughed…we cried…it was a moment in time.
You will always hold a special place in my heart, what memories.
For once there are no words ….
Kaz, Georgia and Liz please accept our condolences Maureen and Murray
So sorry to hear the news. Greg was a wonderful person to work with and a talented creative director. A great friend and mentor.
Vale Greg Harper
Without contact for so many years it seems like it was just yesterday our small team and l worked so closely with Greg and his team to put the Mitre10 brand on the map. l recall we worked together for more than a decade when Greg, Stuart, Christine, Rob, Robin, David and more weaved their great skill into our communications, such fantastic work and passion.
More importantly was TAC and that great campaign, I recall 1034 lives in Victoria. Having lost our adored 23 old son Michael at the hands of drink driving just 20 months ago I can’t but think its time for a reborn “if you drink and drive your a bloody idiot” Greg Harper inspired campaign to further his great community legacy, that should never be forgotten!
My most sincere condolences to Kaz and Family, so much to be proud of….
Loveable and Irascible.
Inclusive and Divisive.
Charming and Belligerent.
Very sadly, they don’t make them like that anymore.
Goodbye Greg, thank you.
Rey