Ketchup Marketing Limited

Creative Director, Designer

How do you reconcile a man’s lust for ornate bread bins with his outstanding ability to create brand-building concepts for top companies? Must be a visual thing.

Seen as a guru by both colleagues and clients, Gary epitomises the idea of calm hands fronting up a prodigious imagination. And when he’s not getting his fingers burnt on beach barbecues, or late-night gaming sites, he’s producing the kind of cool design that increases brand awareness, repositions companies, attracts new customers, changes public perceptions and stage-manages corporate images.

Just as he did for nine years at IBM. Just as he did for a whole diversity of clients when he ran his own design group.

Which is all very well, but what exactly was he doing that day, sitting beside a Florida freeway, on the bonnet of a hire car, staring open-mouthed at the sky?

Watching the launch of the space shuttle, of course.

Director of Copy

One picture is worth 10,000 words? Ha! Not to someone who writes in images. And paints in English.

Not to someone who can talk quietly, persuasively, into the ears of consumers. Or grab their lapels and command their attention. Not to someone who can sound as trustworthy as a best friend. As reassuring as a midwife. Or as edgy as a drug addict. Copywriting? Why, it’s all in the tone of voice, old bean.

Ian has spent three decades working for agencies as large as O&M, JWT, FCB…and as perfectly formed as Ketchup. He has worked extensively in the travel, holiday and leisure, property, automotive, FMCG, financial and legal sectors.

It’s all in a day’s work. Arranging the 26 letters of the alphabet into brand-building concepts, multi-media ad campaigns, TV and radio commercials. Websites, emails, press ads, brochures, posters, DM pieces…

And when the day’s work is done, it’s a fast ride home on an old, Italian V-twin. Satisfying, that. Working hard. Then thundering past all those Porsches on a wave of kinetic mayhem.

Director of Interactive and Web Development

Forget big glasses, comedy ties and short-sleeved bri-nylon shirts. In fact, drop the whole technorak mental picture. John may have an absurdly profound understanding of multimedia technology, he may have been one of IBM’s web development stars, he may be fixated with the latest advances in web technologies. But geek he ain’t.#

Think, instead, of a guy with the sort of drive needed to produce the most professional job possible for his clients. Or to take a rally-prepped Nova to the Nürburgring. Think of someone capable of directing infernally difficult web development and specialist programming. And making it look easy. Think of a free spirit who promises that, one day, he will take a roadcruise across America – and then the world.

John Simpson. Martial arts adherent. Motor sports fanatic. And techno-freak extraordinaire.

Marketing Director

Beneath Michelle’s smiling composure, seethe some powerful passions.

A penchant for pink champagne, for example. And ice skating. Not always separately!

And then there’s Ketchup. Michelle’s baby. The one she’s nurturing with all her silky business management skills. The one that was born to provide her clients with unbeatable web and print design, backed by a seamless client service.

Which brings us back to Michelle. She has the uncommon ability to combine commercial pragmatism with a real-world sense of humour. She also has years of experience as a Marketing Director in industries as diverse as adhesives, heating and higher education. Including five years as a senior project manager at IBM, and four years managing the Rare IT group.

During which time she developed other passions; for producing work on time, on brief and on budget. For creating measurable results for her clients.

Look into her eyes and you just know Michelle means business. One of her stated ambitions is to own a Villa. We wouldn’t be surprised if she meant the football club.