Former MRS president Jeremy Bullmore dies

Mark Read, chief executive of WPP, announcing the news on Friday ( 6^th January), wrote on Twitter: “I am very sad to share the news that our friend and colleague Jeremy Bullmore has passed away, aged 93. Jeremy died peacefully at home this week, with his family around him. We will miss him terribly. Our deepest condolences go to his family.”

Last year, WPP established an archive to make accessible Bullmore’s work, including speeches, essays and memos.

The Best of Bullmore archive collates material from throughout Bullmore’s career, which began in 1954. The site includes a keynote address at the MRS annual conference in 2005, where he mused on the value of research.

Bullmore, who started his career as a copywriter at J. Walter Thompson London, later becoming chairman, was appointed as president of MRS in 2005. He has also chaired the Advertising Association, served as president of industry charity Nabs and held non-executive director roles at the Guardian Media Group and WPP.

In 2017, he lent his name to a new award, when MRS launched the Jeremy Bullmore award for creative development research.

Jane Frost, chief executive of MRS, said: “Funny, clever, insightful and with an ability to use English to devastating effect in the gentlest of ways, it would have been difficult not to learn from Jeremy. His presentation on ‘tried and trusted ways to get the least from your agency’ should be required reading even now.

“Jeremy becoming president of MRS was the best signal we could have that creatives don’t need to be afraid of research. I was incredibly lucky to have known him personally as well as professionally. We will go on remembering him because of the Jeremy Bullmore award for creative development research, which reflects his impact on everyone he met.”