Nirvana, ‘99 Francs’, and ‘Karoo’: The Work That Made Jerome Gaslain

Jerome Gaslain is vice president and creative lead for AUNZ at frog, part of Capgemini Invent, where he blends strategic vision with creative innovation to craft transformative brand experiences.

Over a 15-year career spanning Europe and Australia, Jerome has led global creative teams at T&P London, AKQA Amsterdam, and AKQA Sydney, delivering award-winning campaigns for major brands including Coca-Cola, Disney, Oppo, Levi’s, and Accor.

Born in France, Jerome began his career in Sydney at M&C Saatchi, working under Ben Welsh, before joining BWM to lead strategic creative work on Toyota, launching multiple vehicles. He later moved to Whitegrey, where he drove campaigns for Vodafone and spearheaded the Panadol ‘Let’s Rethink Care’ platform, before stepping into international leadership roles.

Passionate about ideation, social media, and culture, he champions inclusive, collaborative environments that turn creative ambition into meaningful outcomes for clients and communities.

LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…

Jerome> Without hesitation: Nirvana – 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'.​

I was 12 and I would watch MTV for hours just to catch that video. It hit me like a massive shockwave and completely changed my teenage years forever.

LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…

Jerome> ‘99 Francs’ from Jan Kounen, a crazy movie about the glory days of advertising in Paris in the 90s. It was meant to be a criticism of consumerism, but I took it as an ode to everyday creativity.

LBB> The creative work that I keep revisiting…

Jerome> I’ve read ‘Karoo’ by Steve Tesich in both French and English multiple times. First, it’s a beautiful book, not just in its physical form, but also in its storytelling. The narrative is simple yet deeply compelling: an alcoholic suddenly loses the ability to get drunk, and that single fact sets off a chain of changes in his entire world. I also love love love the photography work from Tyler Shields.

LBB> My first professional project…

Jerome> The first ad I did was a Qantas billboard to promote fast checking during my time at M&C Saatchi straight out of award school. I was mortified at the idea of being creative with a deadline for such a big client.

LBB> The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…

Jerome> It’s hard to get upset about any piece of work, after all, what we do can feel quite frivolous compared to bigger issues. That said, during my time at AKQA Amsterdam, the team came up with some incredible ideas for Oppo, including a campaign featuring ‘Rick and Morty’.

Unfortunately, it never saw the light of day, and a year later, Adidas launched something strikingly similar. I was gutted; it would have been amazing to bring that concept to life but at least we got to meet the creators, Justin Rolland and Dan Harmon.

LBB> The piece of work that still makes me jealous…

Jerome> Oh, there are so many! One that truly stands out is ‘Be a Lady, They Said’ for Girls Girls Girls magazine. Every time I watch it, I get goosebumps, it’s absolutely perfect. I also love Samsung’s ‘Awesome is for Everyone’, which I often use as a reference for its creativity and approach to a true integrated campaign that starts with social.

LBB> The creative project that changed my career…

Jerome> Undeniably, one of the proactive ideas I worked on was ‘Pay With A Kiss’ back in 2013, a truly passionate project for a French friend of mine who needed help launching his café in the heart of Hyde Park. It went viral, and I often think about how massive the impact would have been if it had launched in the TikTok and Instagram era.

It was my first global award-winning campaign and really put me on the map, not just in Sydney’s adland but also within the French community here. For a while, I was known as the ‘Pay with A Kiss guy’. Credits to Will Lavender to agree to do it and Marco Eychenne for supporting us.

LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…

Jerome> I have a few obvious favourites, but one unassuming project stands out, Vuse Street Covers for Mixmag during my time at T&P in London. It is a documentary series exploring underground music scenes around the world. Projects like this remind you of the essence of our craft: telling untold stories while being fortunate to travel for weeks to capture them.

We visited Liverpool, Barcelona, Dubai, Medellín, and Johannesburg with renowned DJ Anfisa Letyago and Brian Cannon from Oasis, who shared incredible stories about the band’s global tours back in the days.

It was an unforgettable experience. I truly wish every creative could have the chance to work on something like that and the result went beyond our expectations.

LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…

Jerome> I did a road safety campaign over 10 years ago that I hope no one will go digging for….

LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…

Jerome> We’re only in year one of frog in Australia, and creating ‘The World’s Best Exchange Rate’ for ALL.com by Accor was an early highlight. This activation toured across Australia and New Zealand, spreading joy and delivering real impact.

We didn’t just meet expectations, we smashed client KPIs, earned fantastic media coverage, and brought home our first shiny global awards while spreading smiles around.

A proud moment for the team and a celebration of the type of work we want to be known for moving forward.