Rob Schwartz, CEO, TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
"Giles could walk into a top role at any big London agency. Thankfully he's remained independent, which means you get his commonsense approach to business and flair for selling - without any of the corporate mark-up or bullshit."
– Steve Harrison, copywriting legend, and most awarded Cannes Lions of all time.
Giles is the founder of Gasp, the award-winning marketing agency that’s been “fearless and inventive” (The Drum) and hell-bent on making its clients more profitable for more than 10 years.
A student of Professor Mark Ritson, Giles believes in “proper (timeless) Marketing”; tactics change, people don’t. And its vital role in the Boardroom. He rants about this and more, alongside esteemed guests, on the hugely popular UK Top 5 podcast, Call to Action. Launched in February 2019, he's subsequently hosted and interviewed some of the industry's greatest minds.
Giles recently collaborated with internationally acclaimed copywriter, Ryan Wallman (Dr Draper), to write, design and publish the #1 bestseller, Delusions of Brandeur; a no-holds-barred commentary on modern marketing and business. Industry legend Dave Trott remarked, “I love this book. Anything I spend my time on, I either have to learn something or be entertained, with this book I get both - along with great art direction. The only problem is that the people it takes the piss out of won’t know how funny it is. But that’s okay, they’ll buy it thinking it’s a genuine ‘How to’ guide.”
The brilliant Vikki Ross added, “Is it a guide book for our industry? Or is it a good laugh at our industry? It’s both. It’s Ryan at his most erudite and entertaining. And it’s Gasp at their most gorgeous. Get it to get ahead - or to get the hell out of the mess we’ve made of marketing, branding and advertising.”
Even more recently, in April 2020, Giles launched the charitable initiative ISOLATED Talks®. It’s a rallying call across the lockdown divide for the advertising industry to unite and share ideas that help others whilst appealing for donations to the Samaritans; a charity under increasing pressure due to enforced isolation caused by the Coronavirus crisis. "It's one of those ideas I wish I'd had myself" - Dave Birss.
He finds it ridiculous to write in the third person, and was recently referred to, by his closest friend, as “the kind of guy who would own a gazebo”. A new low.
GILES'S TESTIMONIALS
January 2021
Sweathead
Topic/Agenda TBC
16th March 2021
The Marketing Meetup
Don't Be Brave. Be Right
June 2021
Brand Tuned
Segmentation, Positioning + Strategy
Include:
The Value of Creativity
The Art of The Brief
Logic and Magic of Marketing
Marketing Risk vs. Reward
"Proper" Marketing (with a capital M)
Getting Marketing Back in The Boardroom