JWT APPOINTS TOP BRIT ANDREW FRASER TO SYDNEY EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR ROLE
Highly awarded British creative, Andrew Fraser has been appointed executive creative director of JWT Sydney, filling the vacuum left by the departures of joint ECDs Andy DiLallo and Jay Benjamin in July. Fraser has been a Board member at BMP/DDB, a creative partner at DDB and was formerly ECD at both FCB and Rapier London.
Making the announcement, Noel Magnus, CEO JWT Australia & New Zealand, said Andrew brings with him an enormous amount of experience having created outstandingly successful campaigns. “He’s worked on great brands at a number of equally great agencies.”
Magnus made the appointment after a thorough three month global search that involved interviews with candidates from Australia and across three other continents: “He really is a world class talent – and a very nice guy as well,” added Magnus. “His creative talent, results focus and leadership skills are a perfect fit for our Sydney office which had a very successful Cannes Festival.”
Fraser’s website www.andrew-fraser.com showcases some of his great work – including VW, John Smith’s Bitter and Marmite. Fraser’s lengthy list of awards includes: One Show Best of Show; 3 D&AD Silvers; British Television Awards Ad of the year; Clio Hall of Fame; 4 Gold Cannes Lions; 2 Bronze Cannes Lions; Campaign Press Gold; 2 One Show Golds; 1 BTA Gold; Creative Circle Platinum Grand Prix, Art Directors Club of Europe; Eurobest Grand Prix; 3 Creative Circle Golds; 3 Eurobest Golds; 1 Clio Gold; 5 BTA silvers; 1 Clio Silver; 4 BTA Bronze; 2 One Show Bronzes.
Highly awarded ex top Saatchi & Saatchi creative duo, Peter Buckley and Tim Brown have been holding the fort at JWT Sydney since the departure of joint ECDs Andy DiLallo and Jay Benjamin to Leo Burnett Sydney, and will continue to do so until Fraser’s arrival in a few months time.
45 Comments
Not to be confused with the other Andrew Fraser, the former top Melbourne criminal lawyer who did a nightmare 5 years in the nick for being involved in a cocaine smuggling operation. He defended Alan Bond, amongst many other very high profile cases including the notorious Melbourne underworld. So when the coppers got him, they made sure he did it tough.
After being released recently, he published an excellent book all about his little ‘adventure’.
It’s called ‘Court in the Middle’, and you just can’t put it down.
It’s also compulsive reading.
I agree – ‘Court in the Middle’ is bloody brilliant. Best thing I’ve read in years.
Congrats JWT – a brilliant move hiring Andrew
No doubt with his track record the great work and awards will keep coming.
I think his work is absolutely awesome.
He wrote one of my favourite ads … Polo Heaven.
Just sublime.
Might even knock on his door for a job. I think watching his approach to clients would be invaluable.
Best of luck.
That bucks the trend.
Actually appointing a CD who is senior in years, hasn’t built a pretend career on pretend ads and has done the hard yards on big clients.
Easier than most retirement plans I guess
Watch out everyone… very senior creative people are making a comeback.
and it seems to be happening around the world from what I’ve heard.
I’m gonna grow a moustache real quick. (steroids)
This is a big creative space to watch.
Let’s go kids, we’ve been ripping ’em off for ages..
7:57 & 7:59
You’re wearing your undies outside your trousers.
Maybe ease off a bit eh, you don’t want your new ECD to think you’re a simpleton.
It’s a very good time to be at JWT…
Ive never heard of him…
Lucky pricks. What have jwt done to deserve someone as brilliant as him?
His ads are great. Surprisingly ordinary prices is my favourite campaign of all time.
Good luck, those boys left some very large shoes to fill.
At last a grown-up appointment for a grown-up agency. JWT used to be known as the university of advertising, not the creche of advertising – young guns, no matter how talented, were never going to last too long in that culture. Planning, product placement, branded content, global networks, JWT started them all. Yes, they’ve started to waiver a bit of late, but just sit back and watch what happens when a grown-up with the time, cunning and patience is given control of the elephant in the room. And just for the record, I don’t work at JWT, I’m not a Pom and I have no beef with the guys that have preceded Mr.Fraser; they did everything and more that they could, [P.S. I’ve read ‘Court In The Midddle’ and loved it]
10.09pm
If you haven’t heard of him – perhaps it says more about you than him
Just look at his work – it speaks for itself
I had the pleasure of working with Andrew at BMP and he’s one of the best – a very talented and very nice bloke. Congratulations JWT and good luck Andrew.
8:46 is right. The industry’s obsession with youth is one of the reasons it’s struggling.
Just like any industry there are times and places when a little experience is needed much more than the ‘creativity or bust’ mantra of the next big thing. Young, gung-ho creatives, however talented, imposed on institutionalised global clients [like JWT’s] isn’t most people’s idea of the perfect match. It’s kind of like the toy-boy marrying the 40-something rich divorcee. Relationships like that are destined to fail. Maybe the time is right for more Andrew Fraser’s to be introduced to the more mature ladies.
8:46 Ease up on the kool-aid.
A true heavyweight with a track record of doing brilliant, real work.
Great hire, I’ll be sending him my book.
8.47
Ditto
How long until JWT and LINK testing completely break his spirit?
11.28
Having spent 9 years working on real clients and real briefs at BMP
trust me Andrew Fraser is well acquainted with link testing.
8.40am. Big shoes to fill?
James McGrath left GPY&R with big shoes to fill. He was a CD dedicated to the agency. He delivered the best ad ‘BIG ad’ of all time. He turned CUB into an advertising power house. A $50M+ account. And he did it year after year after year. And became so valuable to that piece of business that it moved with him.
Andrew Fraser is the real deal. This guy has been a CD (and on the management team) of arguably the best agency in the world ever. CHECK OUT THE GUN REPORT ANDD YOU’LL SEE THEY ARE THE MOST AWARDED AGENCY IN THE WORLD FOR THE PAST 2 DECADES (20 years).
We are truly blessed to have this guy in our company.
Ps Lynchy, the legendary lunches (with all the talent coming over) is now going to have some true legends again.
Worked with Andrew for 15 years at BMP. Not only talented, Andrew “got” the move from ad to idea before any other creative at the agency. Very high standards, but never less than courteous, pleasant and supportive of others’ contributions. Works exceptionally well with planners (or good ones anyway), being himself capable of polishing off the Times’ crossword over lunch. A huge boost for Australian creativity.
The idea that clients in London in the 90s just bought whatever was presented to them is risible. There was far more reliance on persuasion and link tests than I’ve come across in Australia. By the time we both left, BMP / DDB’s client list was 80% international. I’ve found it much easier to get good ideas through here, principally because of fewer approval tiers and fewer spurious research-based barriers.
And if anyone thinks BMP was a smooth working environment with no politics, I similarly laugh in your face. Andrew should be able to handle everything except the absence of sea fishing in Salcombe and a pint of London Pride.
Bloody hell, isn’t it nice to read a string of commentary that doesn’t include the usual boorish, uninformed, TXT standard illiterate invective that normally passes for discussion on this blog. Obviously not a story of interest to the under 30’s.
Well done Andrew. You’ve already raised the standard of Australian advertising.
Will someone please tell 1:31 to calm down. James McGrath did a great job at Patts on CUB but……….I think most people over the age of 10 understand Fosters was an advertising powerhouse and a huge spender before James arrived. ‘Year after year?’ Well, then we’d have to include all the ones that didn’t quite make it like Empire. And as for the account moving just because James became invaluable to the brewery? Does 1:31 think Grant and Ant, having the agency MD become the client marketing director and the fact both were being sued by WPP might have contributed a little bit to the move? My point isn’t to diminish James’ great work as CD at Patts, or to criticise Fosters move from Patts to Clems, it’s simply to remind people like 1:31 that advertising existed before James, 1:31, you, me and anybody else arrived at an agency and to give credit where credit is due. And I think James would be the first to agree.
Most of these posts are so obviously written by JWT. “I’m going to send my book there”. I think you’ll find no one will send anything there until the guy manages to do some great work at JWT.
8:14 I’d come back to Australia to work there for sure. But I found out a couple of suits from my old place are going there and… well… I wouldn’t want to work with them in a million years.
Why was my comment censored? It was a genuine professional question! I looked up this guy’s Volkswagon work in D&AD annuals and didn’t see his name on the credits. I looked at 1998 and 1999 – no dice. Am sure there’s some explanation why, but no need to censor it. He doesn’t state what year his work is from on his website.
Good luck Andrew.
You’ll need it, considering that JWT’s new Global Planning Director reckons, quote: “Sydney agencies continue to be ruled by rank conservatism… fear… disturbing politics, idiot accountants and a wanky creative clique”
Don’t take my word for it – look at the Campaign Brief archive and read it for yourself…..
If you speak to him, ask him if his comments also include JWT Sydney.
i wish he was MY exec creative director.
8.17 – I can assure you Andrew was solely responsible for “Surprisingly Ordinary Prices” and jointly responsible with Leslie Ali for “Polo Heaven”.
Calm down 1.31… There are you happy now 11.05?
I was just making a point that the Americans didn’t leave the place with big shoes to fill, as was suggested by one blogger. They’d been there for a year. Whereas the example I was giving was James. He HAD left Patts with big shoes to fill (Their best creative people also followed, with the exception of Coulson and Muntz). He’d been with the agency for 10 or so years overseeing hit after hit after hit. I think it’s pretty fair to say that the stuff was on the real big stuff… ‘Big ad’ certainly left a big impression on Australian advertising. It will still be remembered and talked about in 10 years.
Andrew Fraser is the real deal. He’ll be there for years and he will take those clients to new heights. Big brands like the ones they have need a Creative Director that is going to develop work that hits the mark with the client and more importantly the audience. He’s been a proven Creative Director at one of the most awarded agencies in the world for over 10 years.
He sounds bloody good. Surprisingly ordinary prices is one my favourite campaigns, mostly because so many people have taken that brief and ballsed it up.
Good luck mate. If you can take Kelloggs and turn them into an advertiser that doesn’t make me want to pluck my eyeballs out every time one of their shitty ads comes on the telly, then you will have done Australia a great service.
10:49 I think you’ll find James was producing hit after for Patts for less than 5 years. And if you like the Black Balloons Carbon Emissions spot then you’d probably want to add Sassy to the list of good ones who remained.
who cares.
it will be great to have someone working here who doesn’t give a toss who’s grandma picked plums for carlton.
good cds focus on the work, not a persons reputation. this guy has the work to back it up.
finally, someone from england worth ranting about.
Chris Dewey had hit after hit before James. James had hit after hit before Ben and now Ben’s had hit after hit before the next guy. Seems Patts have always been the hit factory. Any response 10;49?
Yeah I do 11.17… Patts seem to get the CD’s that are the real deal!!! The ones that have been in the industry for years doing real campaign after real campaign not this crap that you see for the first time in Campaign Brief and then again in Award shows.
So again… if you don’t get it… the CDs that ‘do’ leave big shoes to fill because they do big real campaigns on massive Brands.
Another good team just left. If it’s so wonderful at JWT why are all these people bailing?
1:31 or 10:49 or 1:55 or whoever you are. Do you still stand by your comment that it was James who turned CUB into an advertising powerhouse?
Jay double u tea.
Nice ring to it. Kind of rolls off the tongue like sterling & cooper or any of those shops in mad men.
6.16pm…perhaps you should focus your attention on who joins JWT over the coming months now that they have a world class, grown up, highly awarded ECD on the way
6.16 Lots of reasons.
Brilliant CDs can often be shit managers and difficult people to work under. Sometimes people want payrises. Sometimes you just get sick of walking into the same office day after day, staring at the same wall. Sometimes the suits are awful. Sometimes you drop a big dirty fart and need to find another job cause everyone laughs at you. Sometimes the only people getting anything up are seniors. Sometimes you get sick of the food poisoning at the chinese place on the corner. Sometimes some guy writes something on a blog and you think ‘hey, hang on, no jwt is crap.’
I was lucky enough to work with Andrew – albeit briefly – at Rapier – he is a truly lovely person and his work is second to none.
A great piece of news!
these pro jwt posts have got to be self-spun, i mean paalease.
I’m sure he’ll do great stuff & have the sense to high-tail it, like the others.
11:22 here. Waited long enough for 1:31, 10:49. 1:55 – but alas no reply to my Q.
Just for the record I’m a big james McG fan. Think he did huge job at Patts and deserves every gong and $ he gets.