Agency news you need to know this week

Wolfgang debuts work for Johnston & Murphy Wolfgang’s first brand campaign for Johnston & Murphy aims to reshape how consumers view the 174-year-old footwear company. The agency’s 30-second “Not Your Dad’s Shoe Company” spot suggests that while Johnston & Murphy may have made shoes for older generations, the brand isn’t stuck in the past. See all of Ad Age’s 2024 Creativity Award winners here The campaign (below) introduces Johnston & Murphy’s spring 2024 collection, which includes pants, blazers, shirts, socks and other accessories, in a bid to position the company as a lifestyle brand for consumers of all ages. “With a modern, innovative and versatile new product lineup, Johnston & Murphy is definitely not your dad’s shoe company, in fact it’s not even just a shoe company anymore,” said Colin Jeffery, co-founder and chief creative officer at Wolfgang, in a statement. Accenture Song names new practice lead Accenture Song has appointed Katrina Alcorn as North America design and digital products practice lead, a newly created role. Alcorn formerly served as general manager, design at IBM. Alcorn will report to Olof Schybergson, Accenture Song’s global design and digital products lead, and Ndidi Oteh, North America lead. She will oversee Accenture Song’s North America products and services work for clients across industries, from banking and healthcare to retail and travel. “For the last several years, I’ve been in the trenches with my teams, learning what it means to design and deliver products and experiences powered by AI,” Alcorn said in a statement. “Joining Accenture Song feels like all three experiences—consulting, product design leadership, and innovating with AI—are coming together in the best way possible.” Ogilvy appoints chief creative officer for North America Rafael Rizuto is joining WPP’s Ogilvy as chief creative officer, North America, from Dentsu Creative, where he was chief creative officer, U.S. and Hispanic LATAM. Rizuto succeeds Chris Beresford-Hill, who left for Omnicom’s BBDO to succeed the retiring David Lubars as global chief creative officer. Also read: 21 top ads from retiring BBDO leader David Lubars Red Antler takes majority stake in Fat Earth Branding and design agency Red Antler has purchased a majority stake in performance marketing shop Fat Earth. The acquisition establishes the Red Antler Group, which includes Red Antler, Fat Earth and presentation agency Wild Fruit. Fat Earth clients have included direct-to-consumer brands such as olive oil upstart Graza and cookware company Our Place. Check out more DTC news here Madwell appoints first president New York creative company Madwell has named Gabriela Benitez as its first president. Benitez formerly served as senior VP, client services. She will continue to lead the agency’s DE&I initiatives. Clients listed on Madwell’s website include e.l.f. Cosmetics, Verizon Gaming and wireless brand Visible. Just briefly Independent creative agency Something Different hired Corinne Lowry as its first chief client officer. Lowry joins from New York-based agency Piro, where she held the same title. Her appointment comes after Something Different established a new headquarters in New York. Independent agency network Meet The People (MTP) acquired the marketing and advertising group True Independent Holdings (TIH). The deal, which includes TIH subsidiaries True Media, True Media Canada, Coegi and Radar, aims to bolster MTP’s media services. Terms of the deal were not announced. PMG appointed Adam Kasper to the new role of VP, of client strategy. Kasper was previously executive VP, managing director at iProspect, and was also VP marketing at Bob’s Discount Furniture. Republic Airways named marketing and creative agency MKR as its agency of record. The agency’s remit includes developing a creative strategy for Lift Academy, a commercial aviation training program founded by Republic Airways’ parent company, Republic Airways Holdings. Indianapolis, Indiana-based agency CVR previously held the account. See all of Ad Age’s 2024 Creativity Award winners here Personal care products brand Raw Sugar Living named Minneapolis, Minnesota-based creative agency Periscope as its first creative agency of record after a review. Periscope, a subsidiary of Quad, will break its first campaign for the brand this summer. Austin, Texas-based media measurement agency Measured named Will Post as head of sales and Elizabeth Garza as senior VP, customer success. Both roles are new. Garza was formerly VP, client services at Kargo, while Post was VP of creative analytics company VidMob's North America client organization. And speaking of hires, this Agency Brief is coming to you courtesy of Ad Age’s newest agency reporter: Ewan Larkin, previously a reporter at PR Week. Larkin joins Senior Reporters Brian Bonilla and Lindsay Rittenhouse in covering agencies. You can reach him at Ewan.Larkin@adage.com. Contributing: Phoebe Bain

Agency news you need to know this week

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