adam&eveDDB’s Matt Gay: The Work that Made Me
Matt Gay is executive creative director at adam&eveDDB London. He joined the agency in 2008 and quickly made his mark with Foster’s ‘Good Call’ and ‘The Long Wait’ for John Lewis & Partners, creating a cultural phenomenon and transforming the landscape of Christmas advertising in the UK.
He has also created standout work for brands including Amazon, Volkswagen, Marmite, H&M, Harvey Nichols, and Save the Children. In 2023, he took on the role of creative director for the Amazon European retail account. His recent work features the award-winning ‘Smugglers’ campaign for Marmite and the heartwarming Christmas advert ‘Ray’ for The Entertainer.
The ad from my childhood that stays with me…
Me and my brothers used to crack up at Tango’s ‘You Know When You’ve Been Tango’d’ spot - it was hilarious.
The ad that made me want to get into the industry…
I remember this very clearly, and it wasn’t an ad. It was a show called ‘The 100 Greatest TV Ads’ on Channel 4. I was about 18 and I was gripped. I didn’t know who they were at the time but advertising greats like John Webster, Tony Kaye, Trevor Beattie, Hugh Hudson, Johnathan Glazer, Trevor Robinson OBE spoke about these incredible ads they had made. I couldn’t believe that was their job. Or even a job! I was so jealous of them. 25 years later, I still am.
The creative work that I keep revisiting…
Sadly I can’t quote some obscure poem because I’m just not that cultured. And the truth is I’m unashamedly an advertising geek – I fucking love ads. The above mentioned show I still watch on YouTube.
Outside of advertising, I really enjoy O. Henry’s short stories and their surprising endings. I love a twist.
My first professional project…
My first (and only) placement was at Campbell Doyle Dye. Dave Dye had started a print campaign for Any Question Answered - a service where you could text a question to a number and receive the answer in seconds. The line was “The end of the question mark” and the ads showed visuals of a question mark being killed in a humorous way. Me and my old partner John Long spent days and nights drawing hundreds of executions for Dave. We were delighted when he finally selected one to go to the client. We got hired soon after.
The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
The work that makes me most angry are the pieces that never got to see the light of day. Those ideas that died in research, or got killed trying to get through layers and layers of approval, or pulled at the last minute even when you had your dream director signed up to shoot. The ones that got away always piss me off the most.
The piece of work that still makes me jealous…
There are so many, but it has to be either Guinness ‘Swim Black’ or Stella Artois ‘Ice Skating Priests’. Both are absolutely flawless and have me climbing the walls with envy every time I watch them. And I watch them a lot! Wonderfully written, lovingly crafted, with the product standing proudly at the heart of them. They were more than just ads, they were like short stories. Utter perfection.
The creative project that changed my career…
The Any Question Answered print ad I mentioned above. The one idea which Dave shared with the client was bought and printed in national press. The feeling I got when I saw something I made out in the real world gave me a buzz I’ll never forget and got addicted to. I was still on my first placement at the time and still didn’t really know what advertising was – I just found it so exciting and knew I wanted to be part of it. That feeling drove me on.
The work that I’m proudest of…
My work on John Lewis, especially the Christmas ad ‘The Long Wait’. Having a client willing to sell the feeling of ‘giving’ rather than actual products, then getting Dougal Wilson to direct it was a dream. The fact it went on to become such a cultural phenomenon in UK advertising was beyond anything I could have hoped for.
I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…
Ha! Unfortunately I have one or two of these knocking about. Let’s just say they haven’t aged very well and leave it there...
The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
We’ve entered a new chapter at adam&eveDDB and I’m loving working with our brilliant department on a range of great clients. It’s an exciting time.
