TESCO: Every Little Helps

Leading the Tesco business was the best thing that could have ever happened to my career. Not only did I get to work with some of the finest talent at Lowe and Tesco, but I really got to learn my craft, at high speed and at high volume.

I owe a great deal to Paul Weinberger, who was a truly inspirational partner and teacher. Paul was the agency's Creative Chairman and had led the creative department of Lowe Howard-Spink during its creative zenith, alongside Sir Frank Lowe. He always challenged me to ensure that our thinking was actionable (as we never had enough time) and encouraged me to be outspoken about the work.

Together, we created a body of work that I was immensely proud of and it led to Tesco being recognized as Advertiser of the Year by Campaign in 2003. 

One of the things that I still find refreshing about the creative work was the distinctive tone of voice we created. We talked a lot about "brand humility" and how our role was merely to make one of life's weekly chores a little easier for our 25 million customers. This was a refreshing antidote to the brand hyperbole that I have encountered throughout the vast majority of my career. Not many brands would have had the confidence to embrace a line or an idea as self effacing as "Every little helps".