WeFirst is a way of looking at the world.

As founder of We First, Simon Mainwaring brings over fifteen years of world-class advertising expertise to bear on each project. His brand experience stretches across almost all product and service categories ranging from the U.S. launch of all three generations of the Toyota Prius to the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s National Service Initiative to the Olympics and World Cup for Nike. Prior to founding We First, Simon created marketing campaigns for following brands during his career:

Sport:
Nike, Adidas, Converse, Callaway Golf, Philadelphia Eagles, Brine

Automotive:
Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, Ford, Mercedes, Nissan, Lincoln, Acura, Infiniti, Buick, Jaguar, Volvo, Kia, Range Rover

Media:
New York Times, truTV, ABC, XM Satellite, DirecTV

Alcohol/Beverages:
Moet Chandon, Bud Light, Absolut, Red Bull, Chivas Regal, Miller Genuine Draft, Remy Martin, Level One, Cazadores, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper

Financial/Insurance:
Visa, Citibank, HSBC, ING Direct, Charles Schwab, Discover Card, Nationwide Insurance, Mercury Insurance

Hospitality/Luxury:
Ritz Carlton, Marriot Hotels, Holiday Inn, Hotels.com, Mohegan Sun, Expedia, Rolex

Retail:
Sony, McDonalds. Carl’s Jr., Enfamil, Wheat Thins, Altoids, Countess Mara

Cause:
Entertainment Industry Foundation, ONE.org, Project Peace on Earth

Technology:
GE, Intel

Telecommunications:
Vodaphone, Telstra

Pharmaceutical:
CVS

Case Studies

Client: Saatchi & Saatchi Los, Angeles
Project: 3rd Generation Toyota Prius
Role: Freelance ACD

The launch of the 3rd generation Prius was critical for several reasons. The 2008 global economic meltdown had just begun, Toyota had just posted its first ever operating loss since 1950 and its first major rival, the Honda Insight, was launching three weeks prior to the new Prius.

Working as a freelance consultant for Saatchi & Saatchi in Torrance, the assignment was to develop strategy and creativity that would position the Prius at a category-owning advantage while expanding the pre-existing community of loyal Prius owners. The resulting campaign, ‘Harmony Between Man, Nature and Machine’ became a popular hit generating 80,000 pre-orders despite the Recession and prompting Toyota to re-institute overtime at its Tsutsumi factory to keep up with global demand.

The team at Saatchi & Saatchi, Los Angeles, together with all its creative partners, executed the campaign in myriad inspired forms including ground-breaking floralscapes, solar-powered wi-fi towers, interactive infographics (in partnership with GOOD Magazine), interactive iPhone apps and games, a Facebook community of over 60,000 fans and a micro-site that featured three twitterstreams discussing green inspiration, charitable giving and the 3rd generation Prius.

AICP AwardsWinner: Production Design
AICP AwardsWinner: Music Arrangement
AICP AwardsWinner: Production Design
AICP AwardsMerit Award

Client: Freeform, Los Angeles
Project: Entertainment Industry Foundation National Service Campaign
Role: Freelance Creative Director

The goal of the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s service was to harness the collective power of the entertainment industry to launch a groundbreaking initiative that inspires a new era of service and volunteerism across America.

Working as a freelance creative director for Jesse Dylan’s purpose-driven company Freeform, Los Angeles, the assignment was to develop the strategy and creative for a multi-year campaign that showed Americans what could be achieved through service when the country works together. The resulting campaign, ‘iParticipate’ brought together Freeform, Schematic, Katalyst, corporate sponsors (AARP, Medco, United Health Group, Fidelity Investments, Welcome Back Veterans, Major League Baseball), and for the first time in U.S. television history, all four major broadcast networks – ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC – in an unprecedented week-long, television event with more than 100 primetime shows highlighting volunteerism.

The campaign was launched in Times Square by Mayor Bloomberg and Ashton Kutcher, and the celebrities featured in the PSA’s included Blythe Danner, Morgan Freeman, Faith Hill, Matthew MacConaughey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Simon Baker and Eva Longoria Parker. ‘iParticipate’ took to the Red Carpet at the Emmy’s while its twitter and Facebook pages drove traffic to its website where visitors entered their zip code to find real-time volunteer opportunities in their area.

Client: Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Project: Hyundai Brand Relaunch
Role: Freelance Writer

Hyundai had suffered a reputation for poor quality vehicles ever since its launch in the U.S. Despite marked improvements in its vehicles, the reputation persisted limiting sales and market share.

Working as a freelance consultant for Goodby Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, the assignment was to overcome this deeply entrenched misperception and re-launch the brand as the quality automaker it now was. The resulting campaign, ‘Think About It’ was a strategic and creative success, inviting new car buyers to identify the issues they cared about most only to discover the Hyundai had addressed them in their vehicles.

Both the teaser and brand print campaigns were finalists at the Magazine Publisher’s of America Kelly Awards and the website executed by Goodby Silverstein and Transistor Studios was included in Communication Arts and was an FWA site of the day.

MPA Kelly Awards (Teaser)Finalist
MPA Kelly Awards (Brand)Finalist
Communication ArtsThinkAboutIt.com
FWA (Favorite Website Award)Site of the Day

Client: JWT, Detroit
Project: Brine Lacrosse
Role: Freelance Creative Director

Despite being the country’s leading supplier of lacrosse equipment, Brine was regarded as a stayed and conservative brand when compared to rivals such as Warrior.

Working as a freelance consultant for JWT, Detroit, and Honest, and limited to a finite budget and tight deadline, the challenge was to inspire young, aggressive players (aged 8-18 years old) to adopt the Brine brand while remaining true to its heritage of teamwork and sportsmanship. The resulting campaign, ‘Join the Tribe’, invited players to the website to create avatars of themselves out of actual Brine equipment. These tribal mask self-portraits could then be uploaded to their iPhones or posted on the Brine community site.

Over 5000 players took the time to create their own self-styled portraits and to share it with friends. Driving them to site was a TV campaign featuring star lacrosse players and a digital banner campaign in Lacrosse magazine featuring masks created by different athletes.