Following our recent feature City Brand Leaders – Glasgow, we interviewed a select group of leaders from Glasgow’s top agencies to help focus on the Glasgow brand and consider their own agency vision.
Creativebrief Founder & Chairman Tom Holmes talks to Gary O’Donnell, Managing Director of Frame.
Gary O'Donnell, Frame
Gary O’Donnell is Managing Director and co-Owner of Frame.
Prior to returning to his native Scotland in 2003, he worked in London for over 10 years at a variety of agencies including Y&R, BDDH, and TBWA. He was also a client at Scottish Courage, before its takeover by Heineken.
He studied law at Glasgow University.
TH: Gary, what does the Glasgow brand stand for?
GO’D: If some cities are passive, Glasgow is positively alive. It throbs with energy and definitely has its own vibe – which is characterful, funny and grounded.
TH: What are your views on the new slogan “People Make Glasgow” and the city’s marketing to date?
GO’D: It’s hard to sum up a city in a sound bite. I think ‘People make Glasgow’ is the right strategy, but I think we are yet to see the breadth of executions and initiatives to be able to judge it as a campaign.
TH: How do you think Glasgow should position itself?
GO’D: As a city of experiences and good-times. People go to see Edinburgh, but they come to experience Glasgow.
TH: What impact do you think the Commonwealth Games will have on Glasgow?
GO’D: It’s already having a huge impact. Glasgow prides itself on being a great host, so a lot of work is going into ensuring visitors get the warmest of welcomes. There is a thrum of anticipation surrounding the games already – with just under a year to go.
TH: Why should clients from outside of Scotland consider sourcing work from Glasgow agencies?
GO’D: I’ve never been one for saying clients from anywhere should consider agencies from somewhere.
Clients should pick agencies that best match their needs – ways of working, level of ambition, culture and personality and of course, creative requirements – and the best agency match could be anywhere.
Gary O'Donnell, Frame
We don’t really consider ourselves to be a ‘Glasgow agency’, we’re paddling our own canoe!
TH: Are the city’s brand values reflected in your own agency culture?
GO’D: Frame is noisy. There is always loud music playing, laughter from impromptu meetings, raised voices to be heard over the chatter. There is also a down to earth quality in our brand that borrows from Glasgow, and a tenacity and work ethic as well.
TH: What makes your own agency offer different?
GO’D: See above.
TH: What sort of clients do you want to attract?
G O’D: Ones that see creative ideas as the best way to achieve their objectives.
TH: What work makes you particularly proud and why?
GO’D: We love our Scotland at the cinema campaign for the National Library of Scotland.
TH: Which Glaswegian brands do you most admire?
GO’D: Is Billy Connolly a brand?
TH: What business would you most like to win?
GO’D: The kind that’s fun to do, that produces great ideas and that is profitable because it delights the client’s audience and makes them come back for more.
TH: Thanks Gary
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