About Me

Regional Strategy & Innovations Director, APAC at Iris Worldwide

Youth marketing expert

Charged with developing world class participation brands for clients across the APAC region including Diageo, Adidas (Adidas Performance, Originals, Super Rugby, All Blacks),  Diageo, Sony  Pictures, Lonely Planet, Shell, Christchurch Tourism, Pleasure State &  Heineken.

I’m a brand strategist obsessed with youth culture and creating awesome brand content.

Recent position as Deputy Planning Director/Head of Digital Strategy at M&C Saatchi Sydney running the Google, YouTube, Qantas, Nestle & Tennis Australia accounts developing their integrated brand strategies, with a focus on social. The award winning Google/Lego collaboration ‘Build with Chrome’  I worked was recently named Australia’s best digital idea of 2012 by AdNews.

My passion is youth marketing and how brands connect with digital natives in the dynamic world of social media. Whilst at Iris, I’ve been pioneering thinking around the principles of ‘Participation Branding’ as the new way brands connect with consumers in the digital age. I recently presented at Spikes Asia on the topic of Participation branding.

I’ve spent the last 13 years sharing the love around some great  communication agencies in Sydney (Saatchi & Saatchi, Naked 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 2011, 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 Hunt for Fast

adidas NEO Find My Golden Shoes: Bieber

Xperia Lounge & Swedish House Mafia #together

J&B Launch Party

Christchurch Tourism Bob thinks Big

Adidas SupeRugby campaign  Supersounds

Google Build with Chrome  Build with Chrome microsite

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 Adidas, Google, Red Bull,  Kjus, 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’m a regular speaker at youth marketing /digital & social media conferences having spoken at Spikes Asia 2012 in Singapore, Nielsens ‘Consumer 360′ conference in Jakarta and regular appearances at AIMIA ‘ Future of Gen Y’.

I’ve also guest lecture at  AFA Adschool, ADMA’s digital marketing course the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Charles Sturt University on brand planning and digital marketing strategies. Feel free to contact me for any conference speaking requests.

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