Meet the Banana Kickers

Alex Hughes

Senior Designer

Alex dedicates his time to producing unforgettable ideas for our clients. It doesn’t matter if it’s a website, retail POS or an integrated campaign – his creative always impresses and hits the brief. Working across our full range of clients in the sport, leisure and retail sectors, Alex has delivered some truly memorable campaigns over the years he’s been with us thanks to his passion, talent and dedication to producing high quality creative solutions.

Most memorable brand experience

“The day I got a Sony Playstation 1. Everything stood out, from the noise it made when it turned on, to the hours of fun, frustration and excitement I felt playing it over many misspent years! I’ve been brand loyal ever since.”

April Fowden

Account Manager

April has built her career working on fast moving retail accounts but is just as comfortable turning her hand to brand experience and brand development projects. Her dedication and commitment to her work is shown through the fantastic client relationships she has built and the memorable campaigns she consistently delivers for clients as diverse as Nisa and Every Can Counts.

Most memorable brand experience

“The famous Cadbury ‘Gorilla’ ad was a game changer – it really broke the mould. Taking a traditional and conservative brand and giving it a contemporary twist that everyone was talking about overnight. That’s when I decided I wanted to work in marketing”

Ashley Vann

Account Manager

When he’s not interviewing Premier League footballers for one of our sponsorship activations, Ash spends most of his time producing promotional marketing collateral for Genting’s premium London clubs and casinos. Ash is a true Banana Kicker – nothing is too much trouble and he is passionate about producing high quality, memorable campaigns that make a real difference to our client’s businesses.

Most memorable brand experience

“For the release of Deadpool, 20th Century Fox built a brilliant campaign that was completely true to the movie – close to the knuckle funny. The campaign went viral, many times over, because it pushed the boundaries and, with its self-referential jokes, embedded itself within real-world culture.”

Barney Wilcock

Senior Account Manager

Barney spends most of his time working with our client Genting Casinos delivering their CRM activity – from email marketing through to direct mail campaigns. But that’s not all he does. He’s taken the lead in the delivery of the inaugural Bradford Sports Awards, worked with Sunderland AFC to activate Satsuma’s sponsorship of the club and promoted Genting’s World Cup offering across their full estate of casinos. There’s not a lot Barney can’t do.

Most memorable brand experience

“Uber Ice Cream was a great way to promote the Uber app. People had to download the app and sign up to the service, and then they could request an ice cream! The hashtag #UberIceCream unsurprisingly flew to the top of the trends list on Twitter.”

Bradley Freeman

Finance Assistant

Brad works in our finance team dispatching advice and guidance to our team on all things financial. When he’s not crunching numbers, you might spot Brad helping out at one of our many experiential events, playing rugby for Morley or, more recently, sourcing, counting and stocktaking vast amounts of dinosaur merchandise for Jurassic Kingdom.

Most memorable brand experience

“Aldi’s tongue-in-cheek price comparison adverts stand out for me. They really cleverly demonstrated that Aldi stock brands and own label alternatives – both for less. I especially liked the one with gran advertising gin!”

Claire Greenall

Senior Account Manager

With over 20 years experience in the bag, Claire prides herself on building strong client relationships and delivering impactful promotional and shopper marketing campaigns for her clients. Whether you spot her at a Tough Mudder finish line handing out cold bottles of Kingstone Press or engaging with fans at a rugby event, Claire will always be at the forefront of the action!

Most memorable brand experience

“I was part of a prize-winning weekend hosted by Coca Cola, that took a group of winners to the Euros 2012 in Ukraine. It was an amazing trip, with excellent brand engagement, including a chartered flight and VIP seats to watch England (lose, unfortunately!).”

Claire Hamnett

Account Manager

Claire is committed to delivering memorable experiential campaigns for all our clients, whether it’s a local store opening for Asda, or showstopping Red Rum activity at the Grand National. When Claire isn’t working at one of our activations or planning future ones, she’s just as passionate about playing netball and watching rugby. So she fits in well at Banana Kick.

Most memorable brand experience

“I was lucky enough to have witnessed a round of the Red Bull cliff diving world series in 2013 where people dived 90 feet into the sea from the ICA building in Boston. Could there be a more dramatic way of demonstrating Red Bull’s brand values and personality?”

Cristel Smith Agüero

Senior Account Manager

Cristel is the creative force behind many of our experiential campaigns. Whether filming a Red Rum doppleganger on the beach in Southport, activating a pedal-powered Scalextric race around a scaled-down Tour de Yorkshire route, Cristel knows that a successful experiential event is one that stays in the memory long after the event.

Most memorable brand experience

“The Dove #ChooseBeautiful campaign really resonated with me. Dove asked women to choose between two building entrances labelled ‘Average’ and ‘Beautiful’. It hits home the sad reality that the majority of us don’t consider ourselves beautiful. Beauty brands have a key role in promoting self-confidence in women, and this is something the Dove brand does really well.”

Ella Camponi

Receptionist

We know first impressions count which is why Ella is the first person you’ll meet when you visit Banana Kick. Ella joined us after a successful career as a professional dancer, treading the boards of the West End in the hit musical Wicked no less! Ella is there to make your first Banana Kick experience an unforgettable one, with a smile, a coffee and a plentiful supply of biscuits!

Most Memorable Brand Experience

“One advert that has always stuck in my mind is the Nike advert with the dancer, Sofia Boutella. Maybe because it is dance-related, but I remember it stopping me in my tracks. And needless to say, I asked for those trainers for my birthday! Brand job done.”

Fran Ward

Social Media Account Manager

Fran began her career in social media after graduating in 2012. Since then, she’s worked on social media campaigns for a wide range of clients and in a wide range of sectors. From Bodyline Fitness to Satsuma Loans, she’s helped our clients grow their social media following and deliver their business aims. Solid strategy and cracking content is top of Fran’s list when it comes to delivering for our clients.

Most memorable brand moment

“John Lewis’ 2014 Monty the Penguin Christmas advert stands out for me. They managed to capture the essence of Christmas in just two minutes with Monty’s touching story. A powerful piece of video that took me right back to being an excited little girl waiting for Christmas morning!”

Gary Coupland

Artwork Manager

With 12 years national and international agency experience behind him, you could say that Gary knows a thing or two about creative artwork. As our Artwork Manager, “Coups” is responsible for the day-to-day production and management of creative artwork for both print and digital projects across all of our clients.

Most memorable brand experience

“Being a huge fan of Adidas and of their famous blue trainer box, my most memorable brand experience was seeing an oversized Adidas Originals shoebox designed as a set of bespoke table and chairs, featuring a standout display and ‘try-on area’ where you could sit down and try on a pair of Gazelle trainers. Obviously I bought (another) pair.”

Gary McCall

Director

After a successful client side and agency career, Gary founded Banana Kick with Nick and Rich in 2008. With a passion for delivering memorable customer experiences, Gary is committed to producing truly unforgettable campaigns for our clients.

Most memorable brand experience

“During the Gulf War, people stopped flying out of fear of terrorism. British Airways needed to do something to get people in the air again. Their answer – ‘The World’s Biggest Offer’, where all seats on the 23rd April, 1991 were free. 500m people read about the campaign, 200m saw it on TV and 5.7m entered. Within 120 days BA flights were back to pre-war levels – brave, ambitious and successful. A truly memorable brand experience.”

Jamie Ferguson

Client Services Director

Jamie has spent his 22 year career delivering high quality and effective marketing solutions to clients as varied as Nisa, Shell, Morrisons, the NHS, Sky Bet, The Car People and Alliance & Leicester. At Banana Kick he is dedicated to ensuring all our clients receive the highest levels of service and quality every single day.

Most Memorable Brand Experience

“A brand needs to deliver on its promises but so few actually do. So when I first visited The Corner Café in Leeds and they delivered everything they promised and have consistently done so for the 10 years since, you have to be impressed. That’s why this place is an icon in Leeds and one of the most enduring small brands in the city.”

Janice Lewis

Creative Artworker

After building up an impressive range of experience in her native South Africa, Janice joined us in our creative studio, where she has been a key member of our team delivering accurate, impactful and creative artwork for all our clients. She has an unmatched eye for detail and a real creative sensibility, so when you put a piece of artwork into Janice you know it will come out bulletproof.

Most memorable brand experience

“Toyota South Africa’s ‘Buddy’ campaign is my all time favourite brand campaign. Their range of adverts that featured a wise-cracking, smart-talking dog with attitude was not to be forgotten!”

Jess Barrans

Account Manager

Jess dived straight into agency life from sixth form and since joining us has worked on a variety of clients and campaigns including promoting the Yorkshire Marathon series with Plusnet and a national campaign for Asda Tickled Pink’s 20th anniversary. Jess works incredibly hard for her clients to deliver the best in service and the best results. A combination we love.

Most memorable brand experience

“Support. Love. Encouragement. Help. All delivered from an iconic brand: the Virgin Money London Marathon. From the day I gained a place to run the marathon, the experience of being part of something so huge is something I will never forget.”

Laura Alderson

Account Director

Working both clientside and agency, Laura has experience working with a multitude of brands from FMCG and retail sectors to financial services. With a focus on all things digital and tech, Laura’s main goal is to optimise and integrate digital channels to create the ultimate brand experience for customers.

Most memorable brand experience

“Burberry has always been the brand that inspires me the most. They use the most innovative creative ideas and technology to create a memorable and exciting customer experience. I always refer to The Art of the Trench user generated content campaign as one of the best examples of a highly successful content-first campaign.”

Lewis Chadderton

Account Executive

We welcome Lewis back after spending time at Banana Kick during his placement year. He left such an impression working on projects as varied as the Plusnet Valentine’s Day event, the 2017 Leeds Sports Awards and the Red Rum Grand National activation that, when he graduated, we asked him back.

Most memorable brand experience

“The ‘UberSafe’ campaign is one that stands out for me. Uber identified that even a small amount of alcohol before driving can push you over the limit. They breathalysed would-be drivers, letting people know if they were over the limit. Every participant receiving a free ride home. Reminding people that the safest way to get home after a night out is always an Uber cab.”

Maggie Senior

Account Manager

If you’re looking to put on an unforgettable event, Maggie is our go-to girl. You can often find her in a hi-vis vest directing the building of a stage, setting up a pop-up event space or buried amongst event kits. Whether she’s running a sports awards ceremony attended by Olympic athletes or engaging with fans at a major Rugby League event, Maggie certainly understands how to deliver great brand experiences and activations for our clients.

Most memorable brand experience

“The ‘This Girl Can’ campaign identified a simple piece of insight, that the judgement of others is a barrier to women getting involved in sport. Tackling that fear in a positive way is so powerful for millions of women and has inspired me.”

Megan Walklin

Account Executive

Megan has only been at Banana Kick a short time but has made a real impression. It doesn’t matter if she is getting stuck in at a high profile event activation at the Grand National or delivering complicated consumer leaflets for Nisa, excellent client service and attention-to-detail comes as standard. Away from the agency Megan can be found playing hockey, where again she excels.

Most memorable brand experience

“The P&G Rio 2016 Olympic advert ‘Thank You Mum’ really stood out as a piece of memorable advertising for me. Although it focuses on elite sporting success, all us amateurs can relate – I know my mum gave me lots of support! P&G were able to capture a universal truth that not many brands have captured before.”

Nick Goring

Director

A Banana Kick co-founder, Nick has over 25 years experience in agencies with clients ranging from start ups to FTSE 100 companies. His experience across a diverse client portfolio and varied marketing communications disciplines gives clients the confidence that he will deliver the most appropriate and effective response to their brief.

Most memorable brand experience

In 1983 I took part in The Pepsi Challenge. After drinking from two identical cups, one filled with Coke and the other Pepsi, you picked your favourite and your choice was revealed. It was engaging, confident and memorable. A simple strategic idea that challenged the brand leader and repositioned Pepsi as the taste of a “new generation”.

Nick Sankey

Senior Account Manager

Since joining Banana Kick almost 6 years ago straight from university, Nick has worked with clients across a number of different sectors, including convenience retail, leisure, and sports sponsorship. When he’s not engaging with fans at a Premier League football club, you’ll usually find him drinking protein shakes, enjoying early morning spin classes and delivering excellent client service to all his clients.

Most memorable brand moment

“After seeing David Beckham advertising Adidas Predator football boots, I remember wanting a pair more than anything in the world. The feeling when I got my first pair for Christmas and the excitement of opening the box and trying them on for the first time is something I’ll never forget.”

Oliver Calvert

Senior Account Manager

Ollie knows a thing or two about planning events and experiential campaigns. Having turned Sheffield pink for a Plusnet Valentine’s Day spectacular and produced a pink tractor to promote the Yorkshire Marathon, he understands what it takes to put on a memorable event. But his ability to deliver an equally compelling branding project, advertising campaign or website means that Ollie is truly an integrated marketeer.

Most memorable brand experience

“Getting into the heart of your audience is so powerful for a brand, and nothing did this for me quite as much as the Dogs Trust #SpecialSomeone ad from 2016. As a dog owner and lover, it was an ad that spoke to me on a personal level like few others.”

Oliver Mitchell

Senior Account Executive

From the Grand National Festival to the Tour de Yorkshire, Oli has been involved in delivering some of our biggest experiential projects to date. He isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and get stuck in. A real team player on and off the rugby field, nothing is too much trouble and he always gets the job done – on time, on budget and to a high standard.

Most memorable brand experience

“A standout brand moment for me was seeing the Adidas ‘There will be haters’ advert, as I felt it was something out of the ordinary compared to traditional sportswear advertising. It was edgy, took risks and used something controversial to Adidas’ advantage. Needless to say my current rugby boots are from the brand.”

Phil Curry

Head of Creative Services

Phil has over a decade of experience in creative services, having worked at a number of leading agencies in the north and joining Banana Kick 5 years ago. When he’s not managing our studio workflow, Phil is the brains behind sourcing some of the more memorable items we’ve produced for clients, including 3-D roaming dinosaurs and a giant pink tractor! If Phil can’t source it, then it can’t be sourced. He loves a challenge and always delivers. On time and on budget.

Most memorable brand experience

“As part of a big promotion for McCain, I had the opportunity to visit the factory in Scarborough where I was involved with putting prizes into pizza boxes for competition winners. I even had to wear a hair net!”

Rachel Roberts

Account Director

Rachel has over 10 years marketing experience under her belt, having worked in national & international agencies across a wide cross-section of clients. At Banana Kick, Rachel focuses on our events & experiential offering, delivering memorable customer experiences for clients including Asda, Yorkshire Bank, and the Jockey Club.

Most memorable brand experience

“Having close family abroad, WestJet’s Christmas surprise and delight campaign really hit home for me. Providing unsuspecting travellers with a real-time holiday surprise as they travelled to loved ones at Christmas reinforced a strong brand experience at an emotional time of year.”

Richard Flaherty

Director

As an original ‘Day One’ Banana Kicker, Rich has pretty much been there, done it and has the promotional t-shirt. With a passion to drive the agency forward in experiential marketing, you’ll find him coming up with big ideas and hoping someone will help deliver them.

Most memorable brand experience

“As a self confessed sports fanatic, my first trip to Wimbledon will live long in the memory. As a celebration of all things British, SW19 is a very special place – from the strawberries and cream to the Pimms, it’s all about the experience. My experience was crowned with watching not only Federer and Agassi, but also seeing Tim Henman make his final Wimbledon appearance. Unforgettable.”

Rob Singleton

Head of Sponsorship

As our Head of Sponsorship, Rob develops partnerships between brands to deliver the maximum benefits for both companies and their customers. After 10 years in the sports sponsorship business, Rob knows the best technique to achieve this is a deep understanding of the client and their business goals.

Most memorable brand experience

“Take a look at any list of the all-time iconic ads and, chances are, that Guinness will feature. Who can forget the surfer ousting the competition to the beat of ‘tick follows tock follows tick follows tock’ in the seminal ‘Surfer’ ad in ’99? Throw in their long association with Rugby Union, and their excellent activation around key rugby events which has only strengthened the brand.”

Sam Penrose

Creative Artworker

Sam has spent a decade producing creative artwork for online and offline projects across the sport, leisure and retail industries. So he’s a great fit for the Banana Kick team and since joining us has developed a particular interest in digital projects, creating everything from bespoke animations, videos, engaging social content and incredible websites for our clients.

Most memorable brand experience

“After seeing one drive up the street when I was 7, I have been caught by the ‘vee dub’ bug ever since. It’s a brand I’m passionate about. So it fulfilled a dream when I bought my Golf mk2 GTI. It’s been one hell of an experience to date and will probably continue for many years, accompanied with blood, sweat and possibly a few tears!”

Sara Webb

Account Director

To be able to deliver a fantastic brand experience you need to be able to understand what makes a brand tick. Sara is an expert, with over 18 years experience at getting underneath the skin of a brand, product or service, to create innovative solutions for her clients thanks to her strategic and creative expertise.

Most memorable brand experience

“This would be Midland Bank’s Griffin Saver’s Account for children. You only needed £10 to open your account and with it came a whole host of branded freebies. All heavily promoted with the help of their brand mascot, a talking griffin voiced by Richard Briers. I sold my soul for this bundle of goods and have remained an account holder these past (how long?) years.”

Sasha Russell

Business Development Manager

Sasha has spent the last six years matchmaking brands and businesses with creative services needs. As our Business Development Manager, Sasha focuses on building relationships with prospective clients and finding out how we can deliver memorable customer experiences for them.

Most memorable brand experience

“One fantastic piece of TV advertising that stands out in my mind is the Heinz Suberbowl ad, The Weiner Stampede. The tagline is ‘it’s hard to resist great taste’ and, as a Daxie lover, it’s hard to resist this ad!

Scott Cranmer

Creative Artworker

It doesn’t matter if it’s a Nisa retail brief, an Asda event pack, Zeina website designs or a Genting in-casino campaign, Scott always produces great results. When he’s not providing outstanding creative artwork for our clients he doesn’t like to sit still – you’ll either find him playing rugby or competing in triathlons.

Most memorable brand experience

“On a family holiday, my son’s teddy bear didn’t make it off the plane. After posting on social media, a member of the British Airways cabin crew got in touch with the whereabouts of Pooh and so began his journey home – flying with a first class ticket and a visit to the flightdeck, and having photos the whole way. BA really bought into the whole story, and I’ll never consider another airline again!”

Sian Dickson

Senior Account Manager

At Banana Kick, Sian has worked on projects as varied as tipi event company branding exercises, to casino launches, and providing kids with a world-class Santa’s grotto experience. But her real passion lies in all things Food and Beverage. From development of all the Resorts World food service brands and concepts through to the hotel food offering communications development, kitchen support literature and even drinks menu creation, you’ll struggle to find someone with more F&B experience.

Most memorable brand experience

“Dove’s campaign for Real Beauty really did it for me. It challenged society’s notion of what women see as beautiful. It was groundbreaking, brave, bold, insightful and real.”

Stefana Stoica

Account Executive

Stef is our second placement student from our intern scheme and will be with us for a year. She is studying Marketing Communications and Advertising at Sheffield Hallam so it is a great opportunity for her to put into practice everything she has learned so far and add to her already impressive knowledge base.

Most memorable brand experience

“This was simple – it isn’t Christmas until I see the Coca Cola Christmas truck. When I moved to the UK and saw that the truck was doing tours around the country I knew I had to be there. Seeing it in person brought back all those childhood memories and reminded me of the magic of Christmas.”

Susie Dickens

Account Executive

Susie recently graduated from Newcastle University and joined us on a work experience placement. We were so impressed we gave her a job.

From building a beach in a shopping centre to activating community initiatives for Asda, Susie has made a real impression. The future is bright for one of our newest Banana Kickers.

Most memorable brand moment

“The Andrex brand is now synonymous with their brand ambassador – the Andrex puppy. As a child I collected soft toys and when Andrex announced they were giving away a puppy soft toy I had to have it. I pestered my parents to change brands to save up the points and eventually the puppy was mine. We never swapped back.”

Tom Elcock

Finance Manager

You could say that our Finance Manager, Tom, is the backbone of our agency. Keeping the finances in check is no simple task, yet Tom manages to make it seem a breeze. A keen park runner in his spare time, Tom is used to the fast pace that agency life has to offer.

Most memorable brand experience

“Cards Against Humanity’s ‘anti’ Black Friday campaign was a memorable moment for me. After taking their entire website down and encouraging users to buy nothing for $5, Cards Against Humanity managed to raise over $70,000 in a day, which they went on to squander on stuff for themselves. Brilliant!”

Tom Ward

Designer

Working alongside our other designers, Tom channels his creativity into designing memorable creative concepts for our clients. He understands the difference between simply telling a story, and ensuring it’s remembered. Away from InDesign, Tom is a gifted illustrator and has produced work that has been featured across many of our online and offline campaigns.

Most memorable brand experience

“For my birthday one year I received my first pair of Air Jordans. They were the beautiful Jordan 11’s, the ones Michael Jordan wore to defeat The Monstars in Space Jam! Ever since then I’ve been a brand loyal Nike customer.”

Tom Wilson

Artworker

After skipping university and jumping straight into agency life, artworker Tom has already racked up over 10 years experience in the industry. Proud of his keen eye for detail and calmness under pressure, Tom has helped produce marketing collateral of the highest standard for our clients, specialising in retail.

Most memorable brand experience

“Plusnet’s Valentine’s Day experiential activity at Sheffield train station stands out for me, as it was the first time I’d seen experiential marketing on that scale, with many individual elements all working together in unison. I was amazed!”