Tony Davidson

Tony Davidson mastered the basics of advertising from a young age, competing with his siblings to "Guess the commercial." He graduated with a 1st class BA Hons in Design and Communication Media from Manchester Polytechnic. His early career began at BMP in 1985, where he formed a significant partnership with Kim Papworth. At BMP, they developed creative solutions for brands such as Courage, Cadbury beverages, Scottish Amicable, and Heinz. Their collaboration flourished, particularly when the DDB merger provided them an opportunity to work on the VW account, for which Davidson won a D&AD pencil.

Their journey continued as they moved to Leagas Delaney in 1995, engaging with brands like Adidas, Tanner Krolle, Hyundai, the Guardian, and the BBC, and producing notable work including a Pepe commercial that was eventually banned. In 1997, Davidson and Papworth transitioned to BBH where they handled accounts such as Audi and Lynx. It was here that they created the highly successful Levi’s ‘Flat Eric’ campaign, with a soundtrack that topped the charts in ten countries.

In September 2000, they established Wieden + Kennedy London. Davidson, as the Executive Creative Director, led the agency to create the globally acclaimed Honda "Power of Dreams" campaign. This campaign not only received two D&AD Black pencils and the Grand Prix at Cannes, but also earned the title of Client of the Year 2007. Under his leadership, the agency has continued to work on impactful campaigns for other major brands, including Adidas, Audi, Lynx, and the BBC, maintaining a strong influence in the advertising industry.