Tag: AKQA

Australia – AKQA has announced the appointment of Sarah McGregor as executive creative director for AKQA Australia, reinforcing the agency’s creative leadership in the region. In addition, David Clarke has been promoted to executive experience design director for APAC, elevating AKQA’s regional design capabilities across Asia-Pacific, effective immediately.

With over two decades of experience in Melbourne and London, Sarah has held senior creative roles at agencies including Dentsu Creative, Leo Burnett, cummins&partners, Karmarama, Y&R, and Grey London. Throughout her career, she has led award-winning campaigns for iconic brands such as Honda, Bonds, Nintendo, 7-Eleven, Virgin, Kmart, L’Oréal, The Iconic, Tourism Western Australia, Transplant Australia, and Marriage Equality.

Based in Melbourne, Sarah will work closely with AKQA Australia’s senior leadership team, including executive creative director Tara McKenty, chief strategy officer Iona Macgregor, executive strategy director Nicole Armstrong, general manager Sydney Justine Leong and managing director Jeremy Smart, to continue driving creative innovation and growth in the region.

Commenting on her new role, Sarah says, “AKQA has long been known for work that solves hard problems in inventive ways, courageously fusing creativity, technology, and humanity to create powerful work. I’m excited to join such a forward-thinking team and collaborate with our clients to create experiences that are not only innovative but truly meaningful.”

Meanwhile, David will lead AKQA’s experience design offering across Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, and will report to AKQA APAC CEO Brian Vella. Over the course of his career, David has worked at AKQA in London, New York and Australia. This latest move is set to strengthen the agency’s regional design leadership, ensures continuity, and positions AKQA to drive greater impact across the board.

“I owe much to my time at AKQA over the span of 20 years. London taught me the craft, New York shaped me as a leader, and now this role offers an incredible opportunity to amplify a region rich with creative potential. I’m energised by what’s ahead and honoured to be a part of such an ambitious network of talented people,” David says.

Jeremy Smart, managing director at AKQA Australia, stated, “Sarah brings a wonderful combination of creative excellence, leadership, and a deep understanding of purposeful storytelling. Her passion for innovation and inclusion reflects AKQA’s values and vision for the future. We’re thrilled to welcome her to the team and look forward to the energy and ideas she’ll bring to our clients and culture.”

He added, “It’s also great to see a strong leader like David, who has headed up our experience design team here in Australia, moving into a broader remit role, giving him the opportunity to bring his innovative and exceptional thinking to our wider APAC teams and clients.”

Australia – Tara McKenty has joined AKQA Australia as executive creative director, further strengthening the agency’s leadership team as it continues its integration with whiteGREY.

In her role, Tara will collaborate closely with AKQA Australia’s senior leadership team, including Tim Devine, executive creative director; Iona Macgregor, chief strategy officer, and Justine Leong, general manager for Sydney, to continue driving excellence and growth within the region.

She brings over 16 years of creative industry experience across the APAC region, including a decade leading Google’s creative team across APAC. Her work has been celebrated globally, earning awards at all major festivals, including a coveted Gold for Creative Innovation at Cannes Lions.

A thought leader in the local and international creative community, Tara has served on high-profile juries such as the Cannes Lions Innovation Jury. She is also the founder of D&AD RARE, a global initiative supporting underrepresented groups thriving within the creative industries.

Speaking on her appointment, Tara said, “AKQA is renowned for creating work that blends creativity, technology, and humanity in meaningful ways. I’m looking forward to working with a strong team of leaders and partnering with our clients to build innovative and impactful experiences that truly make a difference.”

Meanwhile, Leong commented, “Tara is an exceptional talent whose creative excellence and leadership have left an indelible mark on the industry. Her commitment to innovation and inclusion aligns perfectly with AKQA’s mission to create a better future. We’re delighted to have Tara join us and are excited about the impact she will bring to our clients and team.”

Sydney, Australia – Sometimes, when asked by someone of ‘what you want for Christmas’, chances are you are put into a spot, feeling overwhelmed and unsure. Hence, instead of saying what you want really, you resort to describing vague terms regarding your gift wish.

Such a quirky ‘dilemma’ is the spotlight of the latest ad from Australian department store chain Myer, centered around the concept of ‘unriddling Christmas’ to Aussies.

Titled ‘The Vague Carol’, the ad portrays a slew of people describing what they want for Christmas, yet still giving vague answers such as “I’m not really sure, surprise me” or “no pressure, whatever, I’m easy…”. In addition, the ad’s song is also a reinterpretation of the famous Christmas song, ‘Joy to the World’.

Geoff Ikin, chief customer officer at Myer, noted that the campaign is all about capturing the joy and fun of Christmas for all Australians by playfully turning those vague wishes into wonderful gifts, adding this provides a great way to showcase the many reasons they continue to be the ‘home of Christmas gifting’.

“Christmas is a busy time of year, that’s made ever so slightly more complicated by our attempts at trying to guess the perfect gifts for loved ones. With the vast Christmas range on offer in-store and online at Myer, we’re here to help Australians Unriddle Christmas, with our expert Giftician service and wide range of gifts that everyone will love,” Ikin said.

The ad, made by agency Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, was first previewed to the MyerOne loyalty program, with over 5 million members. The campaign then comes to life across all of Myer’s platforms including TV, BVOD, OOH, digital, social, online and in-store.

One of the many OOH campaigns for Myer’s ‘Unriddle Christmas’ campaign.

“We can all relate to giving and getting those annoyingly vague responses at Christmas. But one thing’s for sure, it’s been a joy to reimagine this classic tune with Fiona and the team. We hope this spot inspires some loud and proud Christmas carol singing. And of course, helps Australia Unriddle Christmas and turn those unhelpful hints into wonderful gifts,” said Ellie Dunn and Huei Yin Wong, senior creatives at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne.

Myers also added that the campaign’s media approach, led by AKQA, is steeped in making their ‘Unriddle Christmas’ campaign one you cannot miss. 

“Unmissable media with in-depth partnerships ensures Myer creates and owns this relatable conversation, and showcases that no matter who you’re purchasing for, the perfect gift is waiting for them at Myer,” the company stated.