Meet Us

 

If you arrived here you are a little curious about us…

Here are a few bits that may make you even more curious.

As you can see, we all have – to different extents – rather unusual backgrounds. Most of our clients find this a source of amusement.

But they also find it reassuring that most of us have run our own business and been around for a bit. This means that, unlike many people in this business, we have experienced the real world and what we say, recommend and do is never based on obscure theory, but on proven and tested ideas.

But it is not just our personal oddities that make us different from any other direct marketing agency. There are 5 other, more significant ones:

  1. Everything we do, say or write is overseen or contributed to by Drayton Bird. He doesn’t just lend us his name. He comes every day to the office, replies to all his messages and writes copy. Nothing leaves our office unless Drayton has approved it.

  2. We know more than most people. Drayton is very, very demanding. Not one day goes by without us being prompted to read something of interest. Maybe a forgotten classic, like the transcript of James Webb Young lectures at Chicago University in the1950s, or the latest e-marketing blog or a trade magazine article. (Oh, and there’s no way we can just pretend to read them – Drayton actually checks on us)

  3. You always deal with the people who do the work for you – not a junior account handler.

  4. We are very small – a boutique agency, as they say. This means we can be quicker and less expensive than most big agencies.

  5. But if your job needs more people, we cooperate with several partners. They are all leading names in their respective fields. So we build the team around your project, calling in the people who are best for the job (not just those who are free as sometimes happens in large organisations).

 

Do you want to see what we look like

– and what the “oddities” I’ve mentioned are?

 

Drayton Bird – Temperamental** Guru

Drayton has been around in the direct marketing business for longer than he cares – or wishes – to remember.
Direct response entrepreneur – making, risking and sometimes losing his own money on anything from body-building exercisers to swimming pools to hair pieces…
Creative director – he worked with four of the top five ad agency groups
Direct marketing authority – applauded by everyone from the CIM and IDM to Campaign and Precision Marketing
Author – his books are out in 15 languages
Trainer and speaker – he’s now taught, inspired, and started fires in 43 countries.
But he still can’t resist his innate passion (actually, compulsion) to write his own copy – and rewrite everyone else’s.
** He denies this – furiously, of course.

Click here to read more about him.

Michael Carpenter – The wise money man

Involved in advertising and marketing since 1960.
Unusually for a financial director, Michael spent his first 18 years in print, production and client handling to account director level before concentrating on finance. He has run his own businesses including a mail order firm, and an Algarve holiday and property sales company.
So he has had first-hand experience on agency and client sides of the business, understanding the practical as well as theoretical.
He has worked with Drayton Bird, on and off, since 1964 in direct mail and direct marketing.
Michael is married with two grown-up daughters.

Alastair Lee – The virtual hound

Alastair was a graphic artist, then set up his own firm selling computer peripherals before becoming one of the pioneering web designers in the UK 10 years ago.
He’s worked with Drayton for four years now, specialising in two things.
First: getting better online results. He has the rare ability to look at a site, transform the avalanche of data into easy-to-digest information, then analyse and come up with sensible ideas – that produce better results.
Second: he is our new business man.
But don’t be put down by his nickname. He is a benign hound. He doesn’t bite and he’s quite funny.
He likes running and rowing - and loves his 8 year old son – little Al. 

Marta Caricato – the Dottoressa

One client thinks Marta writes all Drayton’s copy, which is a lie. She just rewrites it – and he returns the compliment.
She graduated as a Doctor of Philosophy at Pisa University, so we should call her Dottoressa Caricato. After declining an invitation to join the faculty she went into on-line gaming – the obvious career-path.
She worked in every department at Coral-Eurobet before joining us, and she ended up managing the International affiliate programme and the customers’ database.
Besides writing copy that so far has never failed to win in tests, she does nifty layouts, works on strategy and planning, makes very good speeches and excellent Espresso.
She is addicted to coffee, cigarettes and shopping. She won’t feel accomplished till she owns a pair of Manolo Blahnik’s shoes.

Claudia Guenther – Das Design Genie (the design maestro)

Claudia is our youngest team member. She had 4 years’ media & management studies at University and worked freelance in promotion, fairs and events in Stuttgart.

She sneaked a peek at San Francisco’s Meridian Art Gallery and then after 6 months with Digital Spirit Design Agency she joined us.

Thanks to her studies she can run a printing machine herself, but hates to get dirty and prefers creative design in print and web media. She loves challenges, Marta’s espressos, and conquer exciting cities and their shopping malls of course.

 

Iane – the Brazilian bombshell

She organizes us, which she finds easy after some of the things she’s done.

For instance, being the general manager of a smart hamburger restaurant or negotiating contracts for an electrical engineering firm.

So she is a natural for developing our international business – but what is really surprising is that she has excellent copy ideas.  

Where do we find them?

 

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