How Topham Guerin helped deliver Boris Johnson’s 2019 landslide
The New Zealand Herald profiled Topham Guerin’s Sean Topham and Ben Guerin (creative and digital directors of the Conservative campaign) after Boris Johnson’s 80-seat landslide. Their Love Actually spoof reached seven million views online alone, on a campaign built around the single message “Get Brexit done”.
- Publication
- New Zealand Herald
- By
- Audrey Young
- Published
- 16 December 2019
- Type
- Press coverage
- Topics
-
- political campaigning
- social media strategy
- digital advertising
What we did
- Sean Topham (28) and Ben Guerin (24) were the Conservative campaign’s creative and digital directors
- The Love Actually spoof reached seven million views online alone, excluding TV
- Conservatives returned with an 80-seat landslide on the “Get Brexit done” message
Read the full article at New Zealand HeraldDepending on your attitude to the rom-com “Love Actually,” and to the British Prime Minister, your verdict on Boris Johnson’s spoof of the film in the closing days of the UK election campaign will be “brilliant” or “gross”.
One thing that can’t be debated, however, is how effective it was – reaching seven million views online alone. That does not count the times it was viewed on television, both in allocated broadcasting time and in news bulletins.
The creatives behind it were the young Kiwis who work at Topham Guerin (TG) and who despite their relative youth, have amassed a wealth of experience and success in digital election campaigns in New Zealand, Australia and Britain.
Sean Topham, a 28-year-old former president of Young Nationals, and business partner Ben Guerin, aged 24, were the creative and digital directors of the Conservative Party campaign.
The clip of Boris Johnson flipping through cards on the doorstep ... was done in two takes. Topham was there directing as it was filmed, he confirms in a phone call from London, but he is economic with any details of how it was to direct Boris Johnson.
“He pulled it off in a way that probably only he could have,” says Topham.
The Conservatives were returned with a landslide majority of 80 seats, with Johnson campaigning largely on the simple message “Get Brexit done”.
“Our role as a creative agency was to find new and interesting ways to communicate that message each day.”
Sean Topham
“‘Get Brexit done’ was a message that appealed to a broad audience.”
Sean Topham
- 7M online views of the Love Actually spoof
- 80 seat Conservative majority, 2019
Questions & answers
What was Topham Guerin’s role in Boris Johnson’s 2019 campaign?
Sean Topham and Ben Guerin were the Conservative campaign’s creative and digital directors, finding new and interesting ways to communicate the single “Get Brexit done” message each day.
How far did the Love Actually spoof reach?
The Love Actually spoof reached seven million views online alone, excluding television, as the Conservatives returned an 80-seat landslide.