Richard Russell

Richard Russell broke his English teacher?s heart by forsaking an English Degree at Oxford/Cambridge to go into advertising. Full of ambition he joined Hilton Advertising in 1980 as a traffic guy thinking he would work his way into the Creative Department; he was made redundant.


Following a copywriting course at Watford, he joined Boase Massimi Pollitt as a junior copywriter. Two years later he moved to Leo Burnett as a copywriter, where during his 8 year tenure, he developed the award winning Gordon?s Gin ?Green? campaign and was promoted to Creative Director along the way.


Next followed Creative Director posts at Bates Dorland and D?Arcy writing award winning work for Compaq and the COI before moving to Wieden & Kennedy in 2000 where he led the successful pitch for the global Coke Football account. Here Richard was part of the team that developed the powerful Honda ?Power of Dreams? campaign and wrote the Honda Diesel ?Grrr? commercial - the most awarded commercial ever made, anywhere in the world (2 D&AD Golds; 8 D&AD Silvers; Cannes Grand Prix; Cannes Titanium; and the Grand Prix/Best In Show at all remaining major UK, USA, European and global awards festivals).


In 2005, Richard joined Ogilvy as Creative Director where he oversaw new campaigns for Toblerone and Slimfast that saw sales for both brands increase by 400%.


In 2007 Richard moved to Saatchi & Saatchi where, as European Creative Director on Toyota, he developed innovative work for the brand including the Prius commercial/campaign; a radical departure from existing Toyota work, yet first in living memory to receive enthusiastic take-up from every single European market.