Naked Communications co-founder John Harlow departs London for director of communications planning role at The Brand Agency in Perth

In big news today in WA Naked Communications co-founder John Harlow has joined The Brand Agency as director of communications planning where he will provide high-level strategic leadership to clients.

The Brand Agency’s managing director Steve Harris said snaring Harlow was a major coup: “John’s reputation precedes him. He’s credited with having helped to change the global media planning landscape,” said Harris.

“Naked Communications basically created communications planning as a discipline in its own right. We’re excited to have him coming on-board and helping us to put together even better campaign strategies for our clients. He has a rare talent of being able to come up with innovative and engaging ways to reach people.”

With 22 years experience in the advertising industry, Harlow was once nominated as the number one media thinker in the United Kingdom and Naked Communications was the winner of multiple Agency of the Year awards in several categories, over several years. His impressive list of clients includes IKEA, Sainsbury’s, Guinness, Mazda, Nokia, Coca Cola and Heinz.

“When I was talking to Steve Harris and Paul Yole, I was taken by their vision and their goals for The Brand Agency, it really gelled with me and matched what my thoughts are about the future of the advertising industry,” said Harlow.

“I’ve also been really impressed by the calibre of the people and the original creative thinking in Perth, I think the city’s isolation breeds a desire to do things differently.”

Harlow said what Naked Communications did was to embrace all of the previously separated marketing disciplines such as advertising, PR, digital, experiential, direct, content and in-store to develop ‘media neutral’ marketing strategies.

“The communications landscape is rapidly changing and consumer behaviour is also changing. We’re in the middle of the equivalent of the industrial revolution, instead it’s the communications revolution, it’s a fascinating time and those people and companies that embrace it will survive and those that don’t won’t,” added Harlow.

Naked Communications was acquired by the Australian group Photon in a deal that included an initial upfront cash payment of £16.5 million with a pay out structure over four years dependent on achieving growth targets. Naked was founded in 2000 by John Harlow, Will Collin and Jon Wilkins. UK based agency, Mother was also a shareholder. Naked grew into an international business with 10 offices across Europe, north America, Asia and Australia.