UK-born Steve Morgan joins Y&R South Africa this month as the creative lead on the agency’s biggest account, Pick n Pay.
His experience and accomplishments on the Jet brand over the past ten years has earned him authority within the retail advertising space. This, coupled with his previous 20 years of varied ad experience across pharmaceutical, automotive and hospitality industries instilled solid confidence amongst Y&R’s leadership team in his ability to add creative value to one of South Africa’s coolest grocery brands*.
The success achieved on the Jet account while under Steve’s guardianship, is testament to his ability to successfully bring the ‘inspired by you’ brand promise to life. He helped grow the Jet brand from a three-man team, marketing clothing to a 45-staffed department, which serviced the evolution of the clothing store into what later, through his efforts began offering financial services, food, a baby and furniture range, and cellular products and services.
Fraser Lamb, Y&R’s Group CEO comments, “We believe that he is the best man for the job based on his character, résumé and perspective on retail advertising. Steve will focus on bringing in creative solutions that will drive and build the Pick n Pay business and brand equity.”
Steve believes that great ideas are the global currency of commerce. “Ultimately creative’s are salesmen,” he adds. Whether he has to sell a can of baked beans or a sports car, Steve will use the same approach. His philosophy is that creative communication gives you the edge, so long as it’s treated with reverence.
He’s won several international and local awards, including a Gold Apex for Jet, illustrating his creative forte, which is complemented by his knack for developing effective, memorable creative concepts that boast an extraordinary longevity. The ‘Cancer can be beaten’ campaign that he created ran for 17-years, and several others including Baracuda ‘Bears’ and Imodium ‘Occupied’
On a personal note, Steve is fanatical about motorsport, which suggests that although he is an adrenalin junkie that moves at pace, he does so with precision. The enthusiastic right-brained energy that Steve intends bringing into Y&R and Pick n Pay is balanced with meticulous left-brain logic that is bound to reap results and awards.
