TracyLocke, a global communications agency and a subsidiary of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), has promoted Carol Pernikar to chief strategy officer. Pernikar originally joined TracyLocke in 2015 as an integral hire during the opening of the agency’s Chicago office.
Moving forward, Pernikar will continue to partner with Hugh Boyle, TracyLocke’s CEO, and Lovegrove, president and chief creative officer, leading the strategic product for TracyLocke across all of their clients. She will work with TracyLocke’s executive committee to continue to build, develop and grow the strategic planning team in all offices for both TracyLocke and Haygarth.
Lovegrove commented, “Carol has been the strategic backbone of the Chicago office, contributing elevated thought leadership and a strong POV on global SC Johnson projects, Kellogg’s initiatives, and new business opportunities. As a result of her uncompromising work ethic, passion and teamwork, the Chicago office delivers our company’s most strategically inspired work. I have no doubt we are about to experience the next generation of our strategic potential.”
Pernikar brings with her 25 years of experience in the marketing industry, a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, an MBA from Northeastern University, and a postgraduate certificate from the Sorbonne.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More