About Me

Regional Strategy Director, APAC for Iris Worldwide/ Youth Marketing Specialist

Charged with developing innovative cultural strategies and platforms for clients across the APAC region including Adidas (Adidas Performance, Originals, Super Rugby, All Blacks), Sony Pictures, Shell, Bendon, Heineken, Johnnie Walker, Lonely Planet.

I’m a creative, digital and pop culture obsessed strategist focused on  innovation & creating cultural platforms.

Recent position as Deputy Planning Director/Head of Digital Strategy at M&C Saatchi Sydney running the Google, Qantas, Nestle & Tennis Australia accounts developing their integrated brand strategies, with a focus on social.

My passion is youth marketing and how brands connect with digital natives in the dynamic world of social media. I’m also particularly interest in the ‘real time creativity’/news jacking trend, what we at Iris call ‘Urgent Genius’ – how brands create topical social ideas at speed.
I study (and hang out) with Generation C constantly.

I’ve spent the last 12 years sharing the love around some great  communication agencies in Sydney (Saatchi & Saatchi, BBDO and DDB), London (Euro RSCG Fuel ) and New York (BBH New York). I’ve been lucky enough to work on some great brands including Axe/Lynx, Levi’s ,Gatorade, McDonald’s, Telstra,  5 Gum, Sony, Sega, Doritos, Pepsi Max,  Samedi, Lexus, Jaguar, Volvo, Rexona, BMW, Pilsner Urquell, Fox Sports, RTA, Toyota, Northern Territory Tourism and a few others.

In 2010, I won a Silver APG Planning Award for Telstra Mum 2.0 Digital Makeover campaign and a Gold and Bronze Effie for my work on McDonald’s McHappy Day Campaign. I’ve also won the AMI (Australian Marketing Institute) Corporate Social Responsibility Award for work on McDonald’s.

Some of the campaigns I’ve helped create:

Adidas SupeRugby campaign  Supersounds

Google Voice Search 

Desert Experiment Teaser   Desert Experiment Full Story  User Generated questions via Tourism Australia

Great Barrier Reef Experiment Teaser  GBR Experiment Full story  User generated questions via TA Facebook community

YouTube Getmoreintomusic

Get more into mashups with Pogo

Get more into vocals with Florence + the machine

Telstra Cabbieoke, Sushiplane,  Party Catchers, Mum 2.0 ‘Digital Makeover’ Prepaid Mobile Wifi Don’t Do It Yourself DDIY

McDonald’s ‘Playland’
Axe ‘Gamekillers‘ Season 2,   ‘Millions‘, ‘Bom Chicka Wah Wah’, Axe Bullet, Axe Dry Focus
Levi’s 501 ‘News Story’ which won a Silver Film Lion at Cannes 2007.
Sega ‘Offset the Evil’ which won a Cyber Bronze Lion at Cannes 2009

Samedi energy drink – ‘Samedi Says’- world’s 1st campaign created by a voodoo spirit

Guzman Y Gomez ‘This is Mexico’
Jaguar ‘Gorgeous‘, XKR launch
Volvo ‘Life on Board’, ‘Who would you give a Volvo to?’, Bloody Volvo Driver

My favourite brands are Red Bull, Adidas, Spyder, Cannondale and Deus Ex Machina.  I’m a sports nut spending my spare time playing tennis tournaments, football for Mosman FC. I also love returning to my spiritual roots in Austria annually for a skiing pilgrimmage.

I’ve been hitting the speaker circuit lately and have done several presentations at youth marketing/social media conferences including Nokia World, AIMIA ‘Future of Gen Y’ and the recent Myspace ‘Next chapter in social media’ conference and Nielsens ‘Consumer 360′ conference in Jakarta.

I’ve also guest lectured at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Charles Sturt University on brand planning and modern marketing strategies. Feel free to contact me for any conference speaking requests.

Email me at danpankraz@gmail.com, follow me @danpankraz on Twitter