Culture

Where are they now? Tom & Darren

Tom Smith and Darren Urquhart graduated from the University of Lincoln's Creative Advertising programme in 2008 and work as a creative team at Ogilvy. Last year they created a very high profile campaign for BP. You will have certainly seen the TV ad over the past few months.

Here's Tom to tell you more:

'BP wanted to announce their commitment to the Olympics, from supporting British hopefuls to offsetting the carbon footprint of spectators.

'So we created a TV, print and online campaign that took you on a journey with British athletes to see what BP are doing for London 2012. Focusing on six Olympic and Paralympic athletes from Team GB, we wanted to capture the energy and excitement of the journey to the Olympics.

'Shooting in locations ranging from the British Museum to a beach in Margate was at times a logistical nightmare but it was also a lot of fun, especially when trying to get the fast paced and energetic shots we wanted.

'We used everything possible to shoot the campaign, including a helicopter, a boat, a beach buggy, a crane, a cameraman on rollerskates and even a remote control car with a camera mounted on top. 


'Overall, it was an incredible experience and we even got a signed shirt from all the athletes out of it.'

Here is a fascinating 'behind-the-scenes' video of the making of the TV ad that shows how much work was involved in its production:


Behind the scenes making of the TV ad

And here's the final TV ad:

The final TV ad

 One of the 96-sheet billboards featuring Stef Ried

  One of the double page press ads featuring Jessica Ennis

 Another of the double page press ads featuring Lizzie Armitstead

One of the benefits of working in advertising: freebies – a signed shirt from all the athletes involved

Another great example of high profile, national campaign, effectively executed by a Lincoln Creative Advertising alumni team. Well done Tom and Darren.