Jeremy Pemberton, the European head of art at D’Arcy, has been
appointed by IMP, its sister direct marketing agency, as executive
creative director, from January.
The appointment ends a four-month search to fill the role, which was
made vacant in August when the incumbent, David Harris, quit to start up
a direct marketing agency at M&C Saatchi.
The move brings Pemberton out of semi-retirement. He has worked
part-time in the European role since stepping down as executive creative
director of D’Arcy in March last year, making way for Nick Hastings.
Pemberton’s appointment comes as a surprise, as many heavyweight
below-the-line creatives had been linked to the vacant role. ’The least
important element of Jeremy’s appointment is that he comes from the same
’family’,’ John Quarrey, IMP’s chief executive, said. ’We simply wanted
someone very different. We already have a department that can stand up
to pretty much any below-the-line challenge. We didn’t want to take on
more of the same.
’We were looking for someone that absolutely everyone, not just the
creatives, could learn from and he intuitively understands what is
important to us.’
Although Pemberton has spent recent years working above the line, he has
a background in other disciplines, having been a founding partner of
Yellowhammer, which worked through the line for accounts such as
Barclays Bank.
’I have to bring myself back up to speed with direct marketing and sales
promotion but, in the end, the key is creativity and getting the most
out of a department,’ Pemberton said. ’I believe in using a combination
of above the line and below the line. I did that at Yellowhammer and
also at D’Arcy, as we worked with IMP on joint projects regularly.’
IMP’s creative reputation has steadily grown over recent years,
beginning with Andy Blackford’s tenure and continuing under Harris’s
reign.
