Computer Arts - UK (2019-11)

COMPUTERARTS.CREATIVEBLOQ.COM

D&AD’s Agency of the Year for the second

year running, JKR has also maintained its

strong second-place performance in the

UK Studio Rankings 2019, having climbed

11 places in 2018. The past year has seen

the agency broaden its horizons, working

in the sustainability space for Miller Harris,

creating branding for Irish distillery Athrú,

and designing Budweiser’s new offices...

What’s the secret of JKR’s recent success?

We believe a great idea can come from

anywhere, and always look for opportunities

to share briefs amongst the wider studio.

That’s led to some of the most exciting work

for us over the past 12 months. We interrogate

the brief to really understand the problem the

client is trying to solve. And we have brave

clients, fostering relationships that last.

What have been the biggest hurdles?

Building on what you’re known for, while also

reacting to a client’s needs for change, brings

some challenges. You need to have confidence

when you start working outside your comfort

zone, and be prepared to get some things

wrong. Also, it can be challenging to decide

whether to build new expertise into the core

business or outsource it.

Any exciting plans for 2020?

We’ve got some high-profile rebrands on the

horizon for some great legacy brands, and are

FOUNDED 1990

LOCATION

CAMDEN,

LONDON; PLUS

NEW YORK,

SHANGHAI AND

SINGAPORE

STAFF 140 UK,

280 GLOBALLY

NEW HIRES 90

(GLOBALLY)

Multi-award-winning

executive creative

director Sean Thomas

oversees JKR’s creative

output in London,

including Mars, Costa,

The Diana Award and

The Gut Stuff.

02

also working with clients to tap into bigger

societal issues.

We’re also developing some exciting

innovations through our JKR Ventures

model, applying learnings from our big-

brand experience to the challenger brands

of tomorrow.

More broadly, we’re seeing the attitude

towards pitching and lengthy consumer

research change, with fewer creative pitches,

and faster routes to market. It’s great to

see that clients recognise the value of

creative work.

JKR’s branding work

created for Athrú.

-- NO CHANGE

SPECIAL REPORT

JKR

http://www.jkrglobal.com