Heinz, Coca-Cola and Powerade: The Work That Made Pete MacInnis
Pete MacInnis is an associate creative director at Ogilvy New York, known for his work on award-winning campaigns for global brands including Heinz’s ‘Shake’ and Coca-Cola’s ‘Recycle Me’.
Originally from Bedford, Nova Scotia, Pete honed his skills at leading Canadian agencies Lg2, TAXI, and Cossette after graduating from Humber College's copywriting program.
LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Pete> There was a Dristan decongestant commercial where the Easter Island statues were complaining about stuffy, runny noses – until a cargo ship full of Dristan arrives and saves them.
It’s so weird. It stuck with me forever. “At least you got a nose.”
LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
Pete> Years before I got into the industry, I saw a billboard for milk with a glass shaped like a tooth being filled with milk. There was just a little splash coming out of one side so you knew it was a glass and not just an ordinary tooth.
The benefit was an instant-get.
No copy required.
Its simplicity has influenced my own work.
LBB> The creative work that I keep revisiting…
Pete> Every Christmas, I watch ‘Heat’ by Michael Mann. I wouldn’t say I have a particular interest in action movies but the bank heist sequence is as legendary as the cast.
LBB> My first professional project…
Pete> While not exactly professional, I think of my student work for No Name – a Canadian brand famous for making generic versions of brand-name products – as my first real project.
We wrote generic versions of famous brand slogans using the ultra-basic black-on-yellow style they are famous for.
Looking back, it was the beginning of what I would now consider my style.
LBB> The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
Pete> The more I do this, the more I understand how many things get in the way of good ideas – realities that are completely outside of the creative team’s control.
So, I see weak stuff all the time, but having looked behind the curtain, I’m no longer as critical.
LBB> The piece of work that still makes me jealous…
Pete>‘The World’s Biggest Asshole’. Such a clever solution to the brief, so well executed. It’s a great example of what can happen when clients trust their agency.
Coming up with strong ideas isn’t rare in our industry, but being able to see them come to life is.
LBB> The creative project that changed my career…
Pete> Heinz ‘Shake’ with my then partner, Chris Walker and the talented TAXI team. This is the piece that defined the kind of work I like to make – using existing brand equity in its purest form to communicate its message, or as I call it, working brand-out.
The experience of making it was also a standout because I got to see creative leadership go to bat for the idea, doing anything to get it made.
Thanks to my ECDs at the time, Kelsey Horne and Alexis Bronstorph.
LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…
Pete> Coca-Cola ‘Recycle Me’with my current partner, Woo Jae Yoon, and the lovely Ogilvy / WPP OpenX team.
It’s made me believe that with strong leaders, a brave client, and a little luck, you don’t have to compromise the creative for it to exist on a grand scale.
Our team was able to get the earliest iteration of this idea to print.
LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
Pete> Powerade ‘What It Takes’, a March Madness campaign I recently worked on with the Ogilvy / WPP Open X team.
We joined forces with Roc Nation rapper and LSU Tigers guard, Flau’jae Johnson, on an original song and music video to inspire the next generation of female athletes. There were no print ads involved but we did design cool album art.
