Jamie Whelan

Challenge

Ireland’s form was patchy in 2020 and the beginning of 2021. There was a lot of apathy from the public in terms of new personnel coming and a lack of results on the pitch. So, Vodafone wanted to get the excitement back for the November Autumn Series and the following year’s 6 Nations.

Inspiration

We wanted to show people how important the fans are to the players. Vodafone’s positioning Together We Can is all about bringing people to create a better future. And this is the epitome of how the Ireland team work. The Ireland team draws on the energy of the fans and their vital role in how their team produces on the pitch. So we wanted to celebrate having the fans back once again and show them the important role they play.

Idea
Visually we wanted something really striking that would resonate with Ireland fans on the way to the Aviva. We captured shots of Ireland fans wilding celebrating during games and in turn driving on the players to perform at their best. The swirling vector graphics around the players show this release of energy that the fans give and make for an eye-catching design. These layouts were in prominent DOOH sites around the city. And also dressed the Aviva stadium and business lounge for corporate hospitality.

We took this idea of celebrating the fans even further in our TVC stings. The power of Vodafone’s network means you don’t have to be a fan in the stadium to support the team, you can watch the match from anywhere and in high definition.

Brand: Vodafone

Creative Director: Jonny Cullen
Art Direction: Jamie Whelan
Copywriter: Donal O’ Higgins/Laura Halpin

Challenge
Consumers see the energy category as lots of brands that are hard to differentiate between. Consumers are largely uninspired and uninterested in the energy and services category. So the challenge for us was to show people that Bord Gais are different, that they have better more sustainable services and solutions to really help people in their daily lives.

Inspiration
We wanted to show people there is a world of brilliant possibilities when you choose to partner with Bord Gais Energy. So we came up with the brand platform ‘Imagine a Better Way’. Working as a tagline it is a strong call to action for the organisation, their customers, and the country itself to not settle for ordinary, always pushing forward and looking for improvements in how they do things.

Idea

From our new brand platform- Imagine a Better Way’, we came up with a campaign idea ‘How we choose to use our energy defines us’ the idea being that we all have a finite amount of energy within us each day. So, we can choose to use this energy in different ways, we can waste it overthinking and choose to ruminate on things that don’t matter or we can choose to use it in a better way, a more productive way focusing on those that matter and helping the world around us. Exactly like Bord Gais, where their services and solutions are re-imagining Irelands’ energy for a better more sustainable future.

Creative Director: Keith Lawler
Art Director: Jamie Whelan
Copywriter: Donal O’ Higgins

Challenge

Throughout the COVID19 pandemic in Ireland, An Post emerged as a champion of Irish brands. The organization and its network kept communities and families connected during what was a very difficult time and gave relevance back to the sending and receiving of mail. The challenge was to ensure we maintained this positive push for the brand, and helped them in achieving ambitious sales targets during the Christmas period. Although there has been success in halting the decline of written mail in recent years at Christmas time, the continuation of e-substitution across social and smartphone technology has continuously threatened commercial success and brand relevance.

Inspiration

Sending Christmas cards is a true festive tradition in Ireland and around the world. It is something those who celebrate Christmas, have been doing for generations, as the simple but powerful nature of the written word can evoke memories, bring a smile and let someone know you are thinking of them.

Idea

In "Make A Memory", we positioned the Christmas card as the special link connecting a grandfather, his son, and his granddaughter. Acting as the catalyst, the card triggers a happy memory and brings the family together to unite the traditions of past and present.

Growth

The campaign launched in mid-November and Christmas stamp sales were up 14% on the previous year.

Brand: An Post

Creative Director: Keith Lawler

Art Direction: Jamie Whelan

Copywriter: Donal O’ Higgins

Challenge
1 in 5 Irish women are victims of Domestic Abuse but sometimes the signs at the start can be hard to see.

Idea
On International Women’s Day Vodafone partnered with Women’s Aid to show the scale of the problem and how easy it is to miss these signs. We created a series of seemingly normal press ads on consecutive papers in National newspapers. The last in the series asking people to look again and see the messages hidden within each ad. The campaign was a huge success with a 51% increase in visits to the women’s aid website and a 51% increase in calls to the national helpline. And it has recently been commended for two ICADS for Creative Use of Media and Consumer Campaign.

Brand: Vodafone & Women’s Aid
Creative Director: Jonny Cullen
Art Direction: Jamie Whelan & Rafael Ferla
Copywriter: Rory Connolly & Donal O’Higgins

Challenge
In the lead-up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup, as the official sponsor of the Irish Rugby team Vodafone needed to rise above the noise and bring to life its 'Team of Us' idea in a new and tangible way. With a large-scale campaign to activate the rugby sponsorship centered on the theme of inclusivity, the brand needed to engage fans in a way that would drive buzz outside of paid advertising. They needed an idea that could rally all of Ireland and ensure that everyone felt they were part of the 'Team of us'.

Inspiration
With the Rugby World Cup taking place in Japan, it was hard for most Irish fans to be physically there supporting the team. Through the use of bespoke technology, we created a unique rugby ball imprinted with the fingerprints of Irish fans from around Ireland.

Idea
‘Ireland’s Ball’ is a unique rugby ball that celebrates the diverse fabric of modern Irish society, the inclusive nature of rugby, and its power to unite the people of Ireland. In partnership with Gilbert, we created a world-first ball grip that features the fingerprints of 32 people from 32 different counties in Ireland, all with their own unique link to the game we love. The stories were told in a series of online content videos as well as a vast number of print and online publications. Ireland’s Ball traveled to the world cup in Japan with the team as a symbol of the Team of Us support for Irish rugby from fans all across Ireland.

Growth
All the KPIs we set at the start of the campaign exceeded expectations. The campaign deeply engaged the Irish public, with Team Of Us mentions up 40% on social media during World Cup versus Six Nations.

The marketing industry voted Vodafone as Best Sponsor of the Rugby World Cup 2019 and Best Sports Sponsor of 2019. Padraig Power, IRFU commercial director, said: “The feedback towards the campaign has been incredibly positive and the team on Sunday would not be as good as it was without the lift it has gotten from it.”

According to ONSIDE 2019, Vodafone was the most admired sponsor in the week prior to RWC kick-off, as well as appealing sports sponsor and overall sponsor in Ireland for Q4 2019.

Brand: Vodafone
Creative Director: Karl Waters & Jonny Cullen
Art Direction: Jamie Whelan
Copywriter: Donal O’ Higgins

Challenge

Brennan’s is a much-loved brand up and down the country. Everyone knows its staple Family Pan but that doesn't necessarily mean they buy it. We identified that when it comes to our bread, people are on auto-pilot. They only buy it on certain occasions and they're set in their flavour ways!

Idea

‘What will it be Today’ campaign idea was to shake consumers out of their old white bread habits and into new ones and reconsider Family Pan as an absolute must in their shopping trolley by showing the versatility of one loaf. Bringing in lots of different usage occasions for every meal of the day

Brand: Brennans

Creative Director: Karl Waters

Art Direction: Jamie Whelan

Copywriter: Donal O’ Higgins

Challenge
As a nation, we thrive on being together and our basic need for human connection is more important now than ever before. At a time when we have never been more physically disconnected, Vodafone Ireland wanted to show how we can remain connected using their network.

Inspiration
From playing games, home schooling, practicing our sports skills, to chatting to our parents and grandparents, technology through the Vodafone network allows us to stay together even though we’re staying apart. This ‘new normal’ forces us to embrace a new way of living to meet and fulfil our need to stay connected.

Idea
The creation of this campaign saw Vodafone Ireland adopt an innovative approach to overcome the challenges associated with the COVID 19 pandemic. Along with Vodafone we reached out to the Irish Creative Community, which includes Ireland’s top producers, directors, directors of photography, to come together and shoot individual shots, reflective of their own experiences at home while in lockdown and adhering to the COVID 19 restrictions. This creativity was allowed to take place through the power of Vodafone Ireland’s strong network right across the country.

Growth
Vodafone needed to maintain a reassuring voice during COVID 19. Being an essential service, now more than ever, they needed to instill trust and confidence in their customers.

Creative Director: Karl Waters
Art Director: Jamie Whelan
Copywriter: Donal O’ Higgins

Challenge
An Post opened the Witness History exhibition in the GPO, to commemorate the lesser known stories of the Easter Rising. Amid 2000 attractions celebrating the centenary we were tasked with promoting the exhibition with no media spend and have An Post stand out amongst the rest of the 1916 conversation.

Idea
We decided the best way to tell these lesser known stories was to use the witnesses to those events 100 years ago – Dublin post boxes. And then paint them the colour they were in those days - British royal red.  The reaction was visceral as the postboxes made national and international news. The end result being that the exhibition was sold out for close to a month.

Brand: An Post
Concept: Oisin Hirst, Ciaran O Suilleabhain
& Jamie Whelan
Creative Director: Oisin Hirst
Art Direction: Jamie Whelan
Copywriter: Ciaran O Suilleabhain

In the second phase of our Vodafone X campaign, we had the same audience to target, and the same offers to target them with. But this time around, we decided to focus on what the tariffs allow you to do, rather than simply calling them out. 

To do this, we used real-life videos that show people following their passions, from the frivolous to the more ambitious, then invited our audience to continue fuelling their passions with our 20GB of data, Music, Sport and Weekend extras. 

To prove that we didn’t only talk the talk, we then chose five interesting people who were following their passions in real life, and shot them for our digital display ads. Each one is captured ‘mid passion’ – from the drummer, to the cheerleader, to the insanely talented make up artist, and aligned to the tariff that helps them fuel their passion the most. 

To ensure maximum stand out in a crowded online space, we also partnered with New York based illustrator Kervin Brisseaux, who drew bright, eye-catching illustrations over each passion featured. 

The videos worked in tandem with the hyper-targeted digital display to entice new Vodafone X customers to the fold. The resulting campaign is fresh, youthful, energetic and hard working.

Brand: Vodafone X
Concept: Jamie Whelan & Ruth Dempsey
Art Direction: Jamie Whelan
Copywriter: Ruth Dempsey
Creative Director: Karl Waters

Challenge

Vodafone wanted to engage with fans during the 2019 Rugby World Cup being the main sponsor of the Irish rugby team they wanted to do something different rather than giving score updates and match commentary like everyone else on social. So how do we rise above the noise?

Inspiration

The first-round game between Ireland v Russia was the only game that was mid-week during working hours for Irish fans at home.

Idea

So we wanted to leverage Vodafone’s partnership with the IRFU and have Joe Schimdt write a letter of permission that all #TeamofUs fans to be let off to watch the game by their bosses. So we created a FB post and Instagram story the morning of the game while also appearing in the Irish Times where people could cut out their permission slip fill in their company name and give it to their boss.

Growth

Was Vodafone’s best performing social post ever.
|nstagram
8,000 likes

Facebook
Organic reach 105K
Shares 203, 424 comments 7K engagements

Twitter
275K impressions
(avg previous posts were 5K impressions)

Challenge
Vodafone wanted to target new customers (recently out of contract with other phone companies) with new and improved price plans.

Idea
We came up with the analogy that sometimes your mobile plan like life doesn’t work out the way you want it to. So, the ‘Power to Fresh starts’ was based on you initially thinking that you are getting a great deal, but are left disappointed with the results. Although turnaround was tight as we only had 3 weeks from concept to finished TV ad, we were really pleased with the results. And Vodafone saw a significant jump in sign-ups as a result of the campaign.

Brand: Vodafone
Concept: Jamie Whelan & Ruth Dempsey
Art Director: Jamie Whelan
Copywriter: Ruth Dempsey
Creative Director: Monika Crowley

Problem:
When the biggest global study on modern women is brought to the Irish market, it deserves to be treated in a way that reflects the importance and cultural significance of the findings. However, it also needs to be communicated in a way that’s uniquely Irish, that was task given to us by the planning department within JWT Folk. We needed to a communicate what was a very statistical heavy overview what it means to be a woman in Ireland today into something more accessible.

Solution:
We knew we had to do something different to the typical campaigns that come out of these type of studies. We felt it better to almost illustrate the stories behind the data so we teamed up with Sasha Terfous, a spoken word poet with a fresh voice and a distinct view on the female narrative – the perfect person to articulate the challenges facing women in Ireland today. Our brief to her was simple – bring the findings of the Female Tribes study to life in a memorable and accessible way.

Creative Director: Jonny Cullen
Art Director: Jamie Whelan
Copywriter: Ciaran O'Suilleabhain

Problem
Vodafone wanted to showcase the power of its 4G network using the Irish rugby team.

Solution
We stayed true to the creative platform of 'Team of Us' and bringing the Irish fans closer to the players. We had a photographer shadow the Irish rugby team in the week leading up to the historic game against the All Blacks in Chicago. We then installed a 6mx6m digital billboard in the heart of Dublin city centre for the week. And using Vodafone’s powerful 4G network, the photographers images were sent live to the digital billboard. It was the largest digital billboard of its kind ever displayed outdoor in Ireland.

Brand: Vodafone
Concept: Jim Seath, Jamie Whelan & Karl Walters
Art Director: Jamie Whelan
Copywriter: Karl Walters
Creative Director: Jim Seath

Problem
As the 3rd telco in a row to sponsor the Irish rugby team, Vodafone needed to do something to stand out. The main problem was that there was a disconnect between the fans and the players, the previous campaigns had put these players up on a pedestal and dramatised them as almost superhuman.

Solution
Bobby Byrne and Stephen Mangan were my two Creative Directors who came up with the creative platform of the 'Team of Us'. This aimed to show the humans behind the superhumans and allow the fans to feel closer to the players. At this stage, I joined the project as Art Director.

Along with 2 hour long documentaries that followed players on two tours and showed exclusive behind the scenes access, we created ads and social content that showed the true personality of the players. The first year of the #Team of US platform was a huge success and with 1 in 4 people in Ireland watching the documentaries, it really brought fans closer to the player's world.

Art Director: Jamie Whelan & Steve Mangan
Copywriter: Bobby Byrne & Karl Walters
Creative Director: Steve Mangan, Bobby Byrne & Karl Walters