Alex Bogusky, one of the original founders of Crispin Porter + Bogusky, has rejoined the agency as co-founder, chief creative engineer. In this new position, he will assume a leadership role in all aspects of the company, including creative direction, innovation, strategy, and talent. Bogusky will be working closely with CEO Erik Sollenberg, president Danielle Aldrich and chairman Chuck Porter, to reimagine what the modern agency of today can be, and ensure that CP+B delivers the highly-innovative brand solutions for which the agency has always been known.
“This is a decisive moment for the future of the advertising industry. The needs of brands have changed, and it’s high time to reexamine the best creative approach to meet those needs. My time away from advertising was largely spent advising and investing in tech startups and I learned about the processes that drive those successes. I think advertising agencies can benefit from the lean and agile practices that have revolutionized so many other industries,” said Bogusky. “CP+B is in my blood, and MDC Partners continues to be the network where real innovation can thrive. The CP+B brand has always been all about redefining advertising, and the opportunity to remake what it means to be a top-tier creative agency is too compelling to pass up. The timing is right.”
Bogusky has played a central role in the success of the agency since joining in 1989. He became creative director five years later, a partner in 1997, and co-chairman in 2008. During his creative leadership, CP+B became the world’s most awarded agency—named “Agency of the Year” 13 times in the trade press. In 2008, Bogusky was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame.
“CP+B’s true north star is dramatic and wildly effective work,” said Sollenberg. “There has never been a more interesting time to be in the industry, and it’s a privilege to partner with Alex to drive the agency of the future for clients and for our people. After all, there is no one better than Alex to combine the energy, passion and bravery of a start-up, with the rigor of a scaled global organization.”
Since leaving CP+B in 2010, Bogusky has been an entrepreneur, designer and investor. Always drawn to social responsibility, Bogusky and his wife Ana worked closely with Al Gore, rebranding his Climate Reality Project and starting “24 Hours of Reality.” Its launch is the most highly viewed streaming web event to date, and the project continues to grow. Along with Ana, Bogusky launched COMMON, a community for accelerating social ventures, and ad agencies Made and Humanaut. As an advisor and angel investor, he has worked with dozens of startups, including Lyft and SpotX, and founded Batshit Crazy Ventures, an early stage venture capital fund.
“Alex is the most original and innovative thinker I know,” said Porter. “The last time Alex was here, we reinvented what it meant to be an ad agency, and I don’t think there’s ever been a time when the industry needs that more than right now. The new world is about being smart, fast, nimble and prolific. I think that’s what marketers want, and where talented people want to live.”
