The Work That Made Me: Lawrence O’Toole
Lawrence O'Toole is an award-winning copywriter and creative director who prioritises great creative thinking and creative problem solving with an open, collaborative approach. He brings two decades of experience creating within every channel, across a wide range of brand voices and industry verticals.
LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
Lawrence> Working on a Super Bowl spot. Last year, BODYARMOR Sports Drink came to Full Contact with a project. They were looking for creative ideas to help launch a new product. I think we had a week or so to turn around concepts. We brought them a ton of stuff, but one of the concepts hit different – it was from our ACD team of Al Duggan and Ellie Fusco.
They had a simple idea – it was a key image and 3 sentences. That’s it. The CMO saw it, pulled it aside, and said, “this is going to be our first Super Bowl spot.”
LBB> The ad that made me want to get into the industry…
Lawrence> I played sports in the Midwest throughout high school and college. Back then, Lebron was with the Cavs and Brian Ford (Wieden & Kennedy) had just written “We are all witnesses” for Nike.
On TV, ESPN’s 'This is Sportscenter' campaign was also in full swing - there was Lebron, struggling to fix a printer as Stuart Scott walks by and says, “The chosen one, huh?” I remember thinking, Man, advertising would be a cool job.
LBB> The creative project that changed my career…
Lawrence> When I started in advertising, I was an account guy, and then a few jobs in, I decided I needed to be a creative. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to create a spec book for an open copywriter job.
If I pulled it off, it would literally change my career.
So, for 6 weeks straight, I worked after hours and weekends to put a handful of worthy campaigns together. I’ll never forget taking the leap - the thrill and uncertainty of it all. Doug Chapman, Pete Valle, and Trey Phillips helped me turn that first book into a career and I’ll forever be grateful.
LBB> The music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Lawrence> Pearl Jam’s Jeremy first aired in 1991 on MTV. It’s just as haunting and relevant today. I got the chance to work with the video’s director, Mark Pellington, and he let me hold the MTV VMAs he won for it. Both are heavy.
LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…
Lawrence> The Alzheimer’s Association asked us to help them raise awareness, “but don’t make it sad”. It was a tall order for something so devastating. The idea was to create an experience where people could be in the same world as someone who was showing early signs of the disease.
We created an escape room where learning the signs was the key to getting out. It was all pro-bono. We called in favours, rented a tiny house from a local couple, and pleaded with city hall to rush permits for us to set up in downtown Boston. Everyone at Full Contact helped make it happen and the impact was incredible.
I remember looking on as people lined up all day, waiting in line for over an hour to get inside and thinking, this is awesome. I was proud of us. We used our advertising powers for good and to this day, it’s still one of the most fulfilling projects I’ve ever worked on.
LBB> The creative work that I keep revisiting…
Lawrence> Erroll Morris directed 'The High Life Man' campaign for Miller. It’s an advertising masterpiece created by Jeff Kling and Jeff Williams that I still revisit for many reasons – the writing, the voice, the cinematography, the grandpa values.
LBB> The piece of work that still makes me jealous…
Lawrence> I love great headlines. I love how in just a few words, they can carry a big idea with a turn of a phrase, a clever perspective, or a bit of poetry. I studied award show books a lot early in my career (it’s an annual, not a manual – I know) and there’s one line I’ve always admired for its amazing brevity, symmetry, and meaning.
Lawson Clarke wrote a campaign for Trustees of the Reservation. Eric Peterson art-directed it perfectly. The line: Walk in an atheist. Walk out an agnostic. It’s a beautifully big idea and a line I wish I wrote.
