Clemmow Hornby Inge, London recently produced its first TV commercials, spots for Carphonewarehouse depicting the adventures of an anthropomorphic mobile phone.
| by: | Dec 1, 2001 |
The agency launched in July 2001 and is operated by partners Simon Clemmow, Johnny Hornby and Charles Inge. Clemmow and Hornby were with TBWA, London as chief executive and managing director respectively, while Inge was a creative director with Lowe Lintas London. The Carphonewarehouse spots are described by Inge as brand repositioning for retail, and were produced in association with Passion Pictures and HLA director Marc Charach.
"We didn't have a TV let alone a TV department when we produced this so it was almost the most complicated production I have worked on, a combination of live action and animation," says Inge. "Carphonewarehouse were one of the first cellular phone dealers but the nature of retailing phones has changed. So, in the brief we developed we say that if you have two identical phones, it's where the phone comes from that's important. In the commercials, the Carphonewarehouse phone has a better and more productive life. We have a little phone with arms and legs whose owner is upset and in tears due to its expense, and flings him out of the window. He then walks through London and past a Carphonewarehouse and starts a fantasy flashback sequence of what if he had come from there. Then he is splashed by a car. It's a little heartstring puller."
Clemmow Hornby Inge is at present an 8-person shop, with Inge at the creative helm. During his 15 years with Lowe Lintas, the 40-year-old handled top work for the agency, including Stella Artois (which he handled with his wife, Jean Garland) and Tesco, and managed to win the agency a Cannes Grand Prix two years in a row.
In his 15 years at Lowe Howard-Spink he worked on 90 per cent of all their clients.
He was responsible for creating their two longest running campaigns; Stella Artois' highly acclaimed Jean de Florette campaign, and Tesco's "Every Little Helps" campaign. Both of these brands are now number one in the marketplace. Since launching, Clemmow Hornby Inge has won five clients and claims billings of £18 million.
Clemmow Hornby Inge> http://www.chiadvertising.com
