‘SNL’, Nike Football, and ‘The Atlantic’: The Work That Made John Graham
John Graham is Cartwright’s head of strategy, shaping the entire planning department to give it a very central role within the agency since its launch in 2020.
Prior to Cartwright, John spent more than seven years at 72andSunny working with Cartwright’s founder, Keith Cartwright, on brands like Activision, NFL, Sonos and Uber.
John has worked at BBH in New York, where his work helped relaunch Axe in today’s culture. He also led the strategic work for Johnnie Walker, and started his advertising career at Havas New York working on The Atlantic, Heineken and Dos Equis.
Below John looks back on growing up surrounded by advertising, finding inspiration in Droga5’s Unicef Tap Project, as well as his proudest work for the NBA.
LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
John> Like many elder millennials, I grew up steeped in advertising. It was just a part of life. In fact, it took a parody to make me realise advertising was even a thing. That parody? SNL’s ad for ‘First CityWide Change Bank.’ It didn’t scream comedy. It just subtly played with the form. It opened a door in my mind. It told me that there’s a lot of subversive fun to be had in this space.
LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
John> I grew up a Bills fan. And when you root for a small-market team, you light up whenever a big brand shows your players love. So when Nike Football’s campaign featuring a tweaked out ref played by Dennis Hopper trained its attention on Bruce Smith? I. Was. In.
The fact that I eventually went to work for the authors of that work at 72andSunny only makes the memory more meaningful. “Bad (maybe good?) things, man.”
LBB> My first professional project…
John> My first project as a young strategist was relaunching ‘The Atlantic’. Here, I not only got to learn from legendary strategist Michael Fanuele but also an inspiring group of writers, editors, publishers, and designers.
The insight was a simple one. Our highly educated audience was in the midst of middle-aged mental overload. They missed the heady days of college and their early 20s when they could engage in thoughtful debates about meaningful subjects. They desperately wanted to ‘think again’.
Knowing nothing makes you think like a good question, CCO Jose Cabaco identified the fact that many Atlantic articles had headlines like ‘Why do Presidents lie?’ and ‘Is Google Making us Stupid?’ and ‘Can Jesus Save Hollywood?’
Those questions became the basis of an integrated campaign that challenged people to ‘Think. Again.’ The work went on to win Effies, Chiat Awards, Lions, etc. Not bad for a first time out.
LBB> The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
John> The complete oeuvre of Dr. Z.
LBB> The piece of work that still makes me jealous…
John> I have to say Droga5’s Unicef Tap Project. I loved how it simultaneously raised awareness of a problem, money for a cause and the profile of New York City’s unmatched tap water.
LBB> The creative project that changed my career…
John> Hard to choose so I’ll offer two:
AXE’s ‘Fear No Susan Glenn’. Here I got to work with the late, great Ari Weiss. It came at a time when AXE’s ‘spray and get the girl ethos’ had worn incredibly thin. So we decided to flip the power dynamic and put women in control. It was a brave move by a brand with a lot to lose. It almost died four or five times.
Kudos to (then) Unilever’s Matthew McCarthy for taking such a big swing. The case had an ambitious mix of storytelling, experiences and partnerships but I believe we stuck the landing.
Also, The NFL’s ‘100 Year Game’ effort for Super Bowl LIII. This one stands out as a particularly proud moment because it not only had USA Today Ad Meter scale, but it was the continuation of our relationship with who I believe to be the world’s greatest client, Tim Ellis.
I had first started working with Tim during my time on the Activision business. Most notably ‘Call of Duty’. The fact that he trusted us with his first major effort at the NFL was really special.
LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…
John> I’d have to say the ‘Whole New Game’ campaign we built for the NBA’s bubble season. It was the first high-profile thing we created at Cartwright. And from the strategy to the execution, I thought we met the moment. It made me immensely proud of what that five-person agency was able to pull off during a head-spinning time.
LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…
John> I took part in some Resolve Carpet Cleaner ads early in my career that I hope are lost in the sands of time.
LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
John> The development of the Golden State Valkyries brand. To get to guide the development of what is already the most valuable franchise in the WNBA was once in a lifetime experience for a strategist. From the naming to the positioning to the logo and even the mascot the Cartwright team showed up big. Most importantly, it’s just the beginning of a story of mythic proportions.
