Alfie Johnston

Junior Designer

Alfie joins us after a year away travelling the world and having visited 22 countries so far, certainly is a keen traveller. Starting as an Account Executive at Banana Kick in February, Alfie was quick to move over to the design team to pursue what he really loved and develop his creative skills. With a background in Interior Design & Branding, he’s excited to get hands on and immerse himself in studio. Outside of work, Alfie enjoys going to live music gigs and watching sport.

Most memorable brand experience

My memorable brand experience would have to be the Guinness Experience in Dublin. From start to finish it really immersed me in their brand, the interior design, branding style and guided tour all married perfectly to provide a great brand experience. As you enter the building, spiralling upwards through the pint glass shaped building, you learn about the company history and famous advertising campaigns before moving up to be educated about the flavour combinations and manufacturing before having the chance to pull your own perfect pint of Guinness in the rooftop bar with 360 views of Dublin. A great multi-sensory experience I won’t forget!

April Fowden

Senior 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”

Becky Rowlands

Account Manager

After graduating with a degree in creative advertising Becky worked in the London agency circuit working on a variety of brand campaigns, later deciding Yorkshire was where she wanted to return. Over the past 5 years, Becky has worked for a wide variety of retailer and branded clients creating sampling and roadshow activities in Asda & Co-op, later working at Proctor and Gamble on their shopper marketing campaigns.

Most memorable advert

The one ad that has always stuck is the McVitties “full moon, half moon, total eclipse”. Even now when I’m eating a Jaffa cake I turn into my 17 year old self.

Beth Westwood

Senior Social Media Executive

Beth graduated with a degree in Events Management, however, focused her dissertation on social media marketing. After living the high life as a Wedding Assistant in New York, kicking it down under in Sydney and becoming quite the gin connoisseur travelling the UK with The Gin Festival, Beth decided it was time to follow her interest in the world of social media and so began her agency career.

Now with nearly 2 years social media experience from events to retail clients, Beth is excited to expand her knowledge and become a fully rounded digital expert.

Most memorable brand experience

My favourite brand experience has to be the moment I followed Innocent smoothies on Twitter. They have truly nailed how to run social media on a relatable and shareable level, constantly posting witty, reactive and hilarious content whilst engaging with their audience in an authentic way. They’re not about pushing their smoothies, they’re about humanising their brand which I think is extremely important in todays social media landscape.

Brad Dixon

Account Executive

Bradley Freeman

Senior Creative Services Executive

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!”

Catrin Williams

Account Executive

Catrin has joined us for her placement year before returning to finish her Business Management with Marketing degree at the University of Birmingham. With previous experience of working for a marketing agency, she’s excited to become a member of the BK team and is eager to develop her knowledge and skills in a diverse and exciting industry.

Favourite brand experience:

I will always remember the NHS ‘Missing Type’ campaign as it showed me the extensive impact a marketing campaign can have on the general public. I saw multiple companies engaging in the campaign by removing the letters A, O and B from their company’s name to symbolise the decrease in blood donations. I thought this was a clever and insightful campaign as it substantially increased the number of blood donations made that year.

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!).”

Dave Lambert

Creative Director

With more than 20 years’ experience working for communications agencies in London, Leeds, and Manchester, as a Creative Director, Dave prides himself on work that makes an impact, connects with consumers and drives change. Banana Kick has carved out a real niche creating innovative events, campaigns and experiences that allow him to really hit home with sports, leisure and retail clients.

Most memorable brand experience

“As a young 21 year old, I was lucky enough to be working in the office next to John Webster, once described as “the best TV commercials creator in Britain, when Britain was the best in the world”.  John was famous for the ‘Cadbury’s Smash, The Martians’, TV commercial and many more classics too. Now that experience was unforgettable.

Duncan Liddle

Business Development Manager

The piece of brand comms that has always resonated most with me is the Reebok “Belly’s gonna get ya’ campaign from the early 00s. I always like an underdog and this struck a chord with me – it got right to the heart of the issue and showed a completely different personality to the slick Nike and Adidas brands.

Ella Husted

Account Executive

Ella, a keen boxer, has joined us as an Account Executive after graduating with an Events Management degree from Leeds Beckett University. Experienced in handling large-scale events for high profile clients such as LadBible and Xercise4Less, Ella is keen to expand her events expertise into the marketing and advertising sector.

Most Memorable Brand Experience

My most memorable brand experience is Xbox’s Survival Billboard, promoting the release of their new Tomb Raider game. The concept saw members of the public try to withstand some of the world’s most extreme weather conditions for 24 hours. This campaign stood out to me as it took big steps bridging the gap between virtual and reality, as well as being a great example of experiential marketing.

Felicity Clark

Senior Creative Artworker

Felicity has been part of the Banana Kick team for a while, but as a freelancer. She has over 7 years experience, ranging from print design, packaging, retouching, POS and more and after winning BK Freelancer of the Year in 2018 we asked to become a permanent part of the team. We’re happy to say she accepted!

Most Memorable Brand Experience

Apple’s ‘Get a Mac’ advert campaign. They made Mac’s look like the cutting edge new product with fun additional features that everyone had to have and made PCs look like an outdated, boring product.

Gary Coupland

Head of Studio

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

Chief Executive

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.”

Hanna Kelly

Account Executive

Hanna graduated from Northumbria University with a Criminology Degree before discovering a passion for marketing. She has since completed a Masters Degree in Advertising and Marketing here in Leeds. Outside of the office, Hanna loves to bake, experimenting with recipes to create the perfect gluten free sponge.

Favourite brand experience:

For me, the CoppaFeel! charity brand experience stands out, from their ‘Trust Your Touch’ campaign to their social media channels. Coppafeel! achieve cut through messages as they are able to create awareness through the use of humour to encourage engagement in a way that does not alienate their audience or downplay the severity of their message.

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!”

Lewis Chadderton

Account Manager

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.”

Mia Byatt

Account Executive

Mia achieved a marketing degree with first class honours and since then has been working as a fundraising and marketing assistant in a local Yorkshire charity. But she couldn’t resist the pull of a fast paced agency environment so is now a key part of the Banana Kick team.

Most Memorable Brand Experience

I know it’s cliché but the most memorable brand experience for me has got to be ‘Share a Coke’ by CocaCola, it was so simple but incredibly effective and engaging!

Oliver Mitchell

Account Manager

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.”

Pete Chandler

Senior Account Manager

Pete completed a degree in Sports Marketing & PR, followed by a brief but hugely enjoyable stint as a volunteer at the 2012 Olympics. He’s spent the last 5 years concentrating on CRM and data and brings those skills to his role at Banana Kick.

Most memorable brand moment

“Growing up watching my favourite players take to the field in the latest boots and starring in TV ads wearing them fostered the genuine belief that a pair would instantly make me a better player. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case! The constantly changing designs (including the current fluro trend) certainly helps brands attract the attention of budding Cristiano Ronaldos!”

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 Brown

Senior Digital Account Manager

With a two year career stint down under, Rachel brings international know how of all things digital gaining experience of managing influencer campaigns to paid media strategy. With a history of working both client and agency side across a variety of sport and retail brands, Rachel is excited to grow her expertise in this space and share her passion for using smart digital insights to deliver engaging customer experiences for online and destination brands.

Most memorable brand experience

“In response to a controversial advert from Protein World that appeared to be body shaming, Dove did what Dove does best and celebrated women of all shapes and size with a very clear message, “Yes, we are Beach Body ready” – a clever extension of their real beauty campaign and stand against body shaming adverts.”

Rachel Taylor

Middle-weight Designer

Rachel is a key member of the Banana Kick design team. She understands that a brand is more than just an identity, it’s about how that brand makes someone feel and how that feeling changes their belief or behaviour.

Most memorable brand experience

“When I was younger, mum and I used to have the occasional shopping spree. During one trip we came across a Lindt sampling experience. I was handed one of the little red balls of chocolate and was blown away – it reminded me of the chocolate in Holland where I grew up and it has been my favourite brand since then.”

Richard Flaherty

Managing 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.”

Scott Cranmer

Senior Digital Content Producer

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!”

Susie Dickens

Account Manager

Susie 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 youngest 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 Wilson

Creative 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!”