Adelaide ad industry farewells Gerald McGrath, creative partner at O’Brien McGrath Advertising
The Adelaide advertising industry will today bid farewell to Gerald McGrath, creative partner at O’Brien McGrath, who passed away last week. His funeral will be held today at Berry Funerals, 200 Magill Road, Norwood at 3.30pm.
Adelaide boy Rob Belgiovane, now creative partner at BWM, credits McGrath with getting him his first gig in advertising. Belgiovane, who has flown to Adelaide to attend the funeral, told CB: “Gerald was a great bloke, he was a real larrikin, the last of the Adelaide Mad Men.”
McGrath’s marketing and advertising career spans some thirty five years, two Hoover Marketing awards and numerous national and international advertising awards. He has held senior creative and management positions with a number of leading advertising agencies including McCann Erickson and Ogilvy & Mather.
During his time he has written on such diverse accounts as Coca Cola, Qantas, Cadbury Schweppes, Nabisco, Dunlop, Pizza Hut, BHP,Shell and The Australian Labor Party.
Having divided much of his time between Melbourne and Adelaide, McGrath established O’Brien McGrath Advertising in Adelaide in 1986 and his name became synonomous with the development and launch of such diverse products and services as National Nine News, S.A.Dept of Premier & Cabinet, Peter Lehmann Wines, San Remo Pasta, Solver Paints, Standard Chartered Bank, Pizza Hut, Delfin Lend Lease and Wattyl Australia.
8 Comments
See ya Gerald. Thanks for the laughs, the tears and the support.
Love you mate….hopefully won’t be seeing u soon.
A truly great ad man that pushed you to greater things.
Thanks mate!
Australian advertising legend bringing us “problem solvered” and “fruit box”… among many, many others. Over his career, Gerald made an indelible mark on Australian culture and experience, and invaluable contributions to what being an Australian actually means. With this many “runs on the board” it’s a tough act to follow. A personal hero of mine, who will live on in my thoughts forever. Thanks mate.
As I said in an email to his beloved Barbara, I cannot believe that Gerald “Larger than Life™” McGrath is gone. One of the greats, and one helluva lot of fun to be around. Cheers, Gerald…you are missed!
One year on. rip. Xxx
I’ve only just heard of Geralds passing. Very sad. Worked with him at McCanns in Melbourne and Adelaide in 1975. He nicknamed me Popeye, which fortunately didn’t stick, one of his few lines that didn’t. RIP mate.
NE. Ew
Jesus – just saw this, over a year too late. Was just telling the story about Gerald giving me my big break (John Martins ad) the other night. Asked him for a brief and he said “just so something great.”
Last spoke three years ago – no hint anything was up then, or he didn’t tell me. Very sad that he’s gone.