DDB Chicago appoints Rodrigo Jatene as chief creative officer

Rodrigo Jatene is joining Omnicom's DDB Chicago as its chief creative officer, the latest in a series of new leadership hires. The role was last held by John Maxham, who departed in early 2020 to join Laughlin Constable. The position had remained open since then, overseen by former DDB North America CCO Britt Nolan and DDB Global CCO Ari Weiss. Jatene’s hire comes on the heels of new leadership announcements in DDB’s Chicago office: Andrea Diquez, named CEO in May; Milo Chao, appointed chief strategy officer in October; and Sandra Alfaro, hired as head of business leadership last month. Jatene previously spent seven years at Grey, half of that as chief creative officer of Grey West and a member of the Grey Global Creative Board and before that as co-president and chief creative officer of Grey Brazil. He’s also held positions in creative leadership at Leo Burnett Tailor Made, Wunderman Brazil and McCann Erickson Madrid. His notable projects include work for Brazilian complaints site Reclame Aqui while at Grey Brazil. That included the 2018 Cannes Mobile Grand Prix-winning "Corruption Detector," an app that utilized facial recognition to expose corruption in Brazilian politics. “I am a graphic designer by trade, transformed into an art director, transformed into someone who really lives and breathes digital and social media and culture,” Jatene told Ad Age. “I think that we should try to make more culturally relevant work in more unexpected formats than ever before, like using technology, using data, using humanity–Why not?—and bring it to the center of everything we do, to the center of the relationship with the clients and the center for our products.” “My goal for the DDB Chicago office has always been to create the most diverse team possible, varying in experience, background, and thought, bringing unexpected thinking from unexpected places,” said Diquez in a statement. “Rodrigo is the person to take our agency and our creative product to a whole new level and I am excited about what we will be able to accomplish together.” See Ad Age's 2021 Marketers of the Year here. Jatene said he believes the new leadership team at DDB Chicago is on track to make that office not only the top in the U.S. but “the global powerhouse for DDB.” He points to the diverse backgrounds and expertise of the team as an indicator of what he thinks will be a new age of prosperity for the office. Diversity is one of the larger issues Jatene hopes to prioritize, both within the DDB network and the marketing industry at large. Another goal of his is helping brands become voices in cultural conversations, and he hopes that clients will be courageous enough to jump in. “The talents and the people and the diversity we have in this group–when we bring it all together, I think that there's only one output, which is creative ideas to change the way clients do stuff and to change the way they are perceived and to change the way people behave,” said Jatene. “Brands are not only there to sell you the stuff they produce ... I think that we're forgetting most of the time to build brands that mean something for society and for the world. We can only do that if we have an open organization, if we are a welcoming organization, because we should be the reflection of society within our four walls.” Behind the rankings: Ad Age World's Largest Advertisers 2021 Ultimately, Jatene said he hopes DDB can produce work that transcends advertising. He mentioned not just Cannes Lions (he’s been involved in winning 60 of them during his career) and Gold Pencils, but Oscars and Emmys. He said he wants brands to be relevant voices in society and culture. “The advertising industry is our house," said Jatene. "But we have to admit that it's a grain of sand in the world. We need to be more enthusiastic and a little more ambitious to be part of the whole beach.”

DDB Chicago appoints Rodrigo Jatene as chief creative officer

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