Hadleigh . Art Director

I’m an experiential and social media specialist.

When Guerilla was the current ad trend during the naughties, I was at the forefront creating pranks and stunts for some of the world biggest brands, working at agencies in Amsterdam and London such as Blueberryfrog, Strawberryfrog, and DDB.

Then, when Guerilla diversified to become part of integrated campaigns, I surrendered to the 360 degree approach and became a Yes-Sir-I’ll-Do-Anything guy. But when experiential advertising became popular, I really found my niche. In this space I could do what I do best - creating emotionally engaging connections with brands – connections that generate and cement life long brand loyalty.

Now, with the advent of social media, I have diversified once again, returning to a integrated approach but with an emphasis on the inception and maintenance of conversations across a variety of media – conversations that start with an emotional experience and continue in the comfort of the social media space - conversations that enable consumers to feel part of a brands evolution.

For the last two years I have operated my own company and developed ‘The Nikolai Organisation’ in partnership with NZ agency Running With Scissors. The N.O. was an entertainment and social networking platform created for Lion Nathan’s Smirnoff. The campaign facilitated a wonderful opportunity to focus on the space where experiential and social media converge to aid in building brand equity and ultimately driving sales. (You can find it on Wikipedia as well my portfolio – or watch One News coverage of it.

Beyond advertising, I have a small foothold in the contemporary art world, exhibiting around the world and often collaborating with a number of artists from differing disciplines. You can see some of my work in my portfolio also.