Who:
I’m Ant Jackson (she/her). I’m a brand consultant, creative director and writer, most known for the pun I wrote that ended up on every Lidl carrier bag across the country. Before my grocery-selling stint at TBWA\London, I was a marketing manager who sold kitchens, quite fittingly, the things you put groceries in (it was destiny).
What:
From leading teams to advising clients, I work with brands, agencies, start-ups, campaigning groups, and non-profits to solve complex problems, change audience perceptions and behaviour, and build better experiences with strategically sound, relevant creative comms.
Having worked in-house as a marketing manager, and with over a decade of experience in integrated creative agencies, production houses and strategy consultancies, I have a well-rounded perspective when it comes to assessing the needs of the client, agency and project team. Although my core discipline is creative, I often apply psychological, sociological and cultural research to my thinking and build brands and campaign platforms with human values-led or identity-led strategy. This has been a breath of fresh air for startups, philanthropic campaigning organisations, non-profits, and businesses, who often report that this approach enables them to understand their audiences better.
I lead with a good balance of rational thinking and emotional empathy, and love collaborating with clients and colleagues to unpack data and insights, uncover compelling human truths, unearth fertile creative ground, nurture new ideas and talent, and grow brands. As a neurodiverse, LGBTQ+ creative leader, I advocate for equitable and inclusive workplaces where everyone can feel safe to be their authentic selves, set and respect boundaries, fail without fear and succeed together. Success is almost always a team effort, and teams will succeed more when ED&I and EQ are prioritised over ego and IQ.
Why:
While awards may offer a temporary self-esteem boost, and winning a pitch is always a rewarding dopamine hit, these weren’t the things that attracted me to the creative industries in the first place. Since as far back as I can remember, problem-solving has been my ‘thing’, and the world is full of problems that still need solving. As much as I’d love to climb to the top of Nelson’s Column with a gas mask and make it onto the front page of the Daily Fail, I figured that tieing myself to a tree or blocking a road (no offence to those who do) probably wasn’t the best way to influence impactful change if I didn’t want a criminal record. So, instead, I’ve spent over a decade learning how to write, disrupt, engage, influence and persuade, so I’m better equipped to help organisations that want to make a proper impact. In other words, I’m a big, nerdy, non-conformist idealist who wants to create beautiful chaos instead of beautiful wallpaper.
ED&I, speaking and judging:
Advocacy Co-Director, Outvertising - 2022 - Present
Guest Lecturer, LCC University of The Arts London - 2024
Speaker, Neurodiversity Week - 2024
Judge, ESA Awards - 2024
Speaker, Neurodiverse Leaders, The Future is ND - 2023
Judge, Effie Awards - 2023
Central committee + agency lead, WPP Unite - 2021
Mentor, Outvertising - 2020 - 2022
ED&I Lead, Young Creative Council - 2016 - 2022
Judge, Effie Awards - 2021
Co-chair, PRCA LGBTQ+ Group - 2021
Mentor, D&AD New Blood - 2020
Ambassador, NABS - 2019 - 2021
Speaker, Falmouth University - 2018
Panelist, Outvertising - 2018
Panelist, Black Creators Matter - 2018
Speaker, Sup De Pub - 2016
Awards and mentions:
The Independent Agency Awards 2023, Best Use Of Copy - Discarded - Waste Tastes Beautiful - Winner
ET Brand Equity Shark Awards 2021, CSR - HSBC - #ProudOfMore - Bronze
The Pitch Fanzine - Pitch List Superperson 2021
WACL Future Leaders Award 2020 - Winner
The Marketing Society Brave Awards 2019 - Bridgestone x IOC - Chase your dream, no matter what - Shortlist
The Drum Awards 2019 Automotive - Bridgestone x IOC - Chase your dream, no matter what - Shortlist
Sports Industry Awards 2018 - Bridgestone x IOC - Chase your dream, no matter what - Winner
Young Creative Council - Badass Gal 2019
IPA Effectiveness Awards 2018 - LIDL - Gold
Adland 2015 Best Cannes Self Promotion - Lion Arse Award - 1st Place
Falmouth University 2015 - Warmest Wit
Go Ape 2015 - “I climbed a tree!” Certificate
Brand experience:
Airbnb, Airbus, Air New Zealand, AEG Electrolux, Airspace Change Organising Group, Amazon, BeGambleAware, BNP Paribas, British Paralympic Committee, Bupa, Coco de Mer, Clean Air Fund, Diageo, Doom Bar, First Bus, Hays, Honda, Hollywood Bowl, HSBC, Hunger Magazine, IKEA, Mercedes, Mazda, Nokia, Nestle Skin Health, Nissan, International Olympic Committee, Lebara, Lidl, Jacobs, Jameson, Porsche, Quadro Vehicles, Queer Voices Heard, KK Group, Secret Cinema, Sergei Polunin, Sharps, Sotheby's, Syfy Channel, The Diversity Standards Collective, TRESemmé, Uber, UEFA, Velux, Virgin Money, Yorkshire Bank and Youngs Seafood.
Work featured in:
Ads Of The World, Adland, Amoré, Badass.gal, Campaign, Channel V Thailand, CNN, Creative Review, Daily Express, DailyMotion, Daily Express, Der Tagesspiegel, Digital Spy, DNA India, DN.Kultur, DR.dk, E News, Entertainment Today, Elite Daily, Evening Standard, Fox News, Heart, Glamour Magazine, Grazia, ITV News, Joe.be, Kultur, The Independent, Little Black Book, La Voila, Lorraine ITV, Marie Clare, NZ Herald, Metro, Métro Journal, MSN, New Indian Express, Optima Italia, Perez Hilton, PR Week, Q Music NL, RTE, Salon Magazine, Sky News, Sydney Morning Herald, TV3, Smooth Australia, TimeOut, Tribune Pakistan, Vamos, Yahoo, Young Creative Council, Zeit Online.
Mentoring and crits:
If you’re a junior creative looking to get your foot in the door, head to Young Creative Council’s website for some great advice. Then, when you think you’re ready to show me your book, drop me a line.
Contact:
Email: antjacksoncreative @ gmail.com / ant @ outvertising.org
X + the gram: @TheAntJackson
LinkedIn