Danilo Boer and Marcos Kotlhar are joining Ogilvy New York as chief creative officers. The two industry vets have partnered as executive creative directors at BBDO NY since 2016 where they have developed highly awarded campaigns, delivered growth and developed creative talent at all levels.
Boer and Kotlhar most recently led one of BBDO’s largest and most innovative portfolios of clients with Bacardi Limited (Bacardi, Bombay Sapphire, Dewars, Cazadores, St Germain and Havana Club), GE, Macy’s, Footlocker and the non-profit DayOne, Rescue.org and She Should Run. They also lead transformative efforts to incorporate how social and design was baked into agency-wide culture. Recently they played a critical role leading GEs new global marketing and communications approach. While at the helm of the Bacardi Lmtd business Boer and Kotlhar helped catapult Bacardi to become the most-awarded brand in the spirits category for four consecutive years and helped drive consistent positive business results. Through their efforts, Bacardi’s innovative social campaigns have pushed the brand into a total new digital space including first-to-market initiatives for Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.
Separately, Boer has been at BBDO NY for 11 years where he worked on brands such as Fedex, Mountain Dew, Sneakers. HBO, AT&T and more. Kotlhar came to BBDO NY from BBH NY where he worked on Axe and PlayStation and before that from AlmapBBDO where he created famous fare for HP, Pepsi and GettyImages. AlmapBBDO is the place where the team first met when they worked together under Marcello Serpa and helped turn Havaianas Flip Flops into a global fashion icon and developed award winning work for Volkswagen and won a Grand Prix in Cannes for Billboard Magazine.
Lauren Crampsie, president of Ogilvy New York, said: “Danilo and Marcos are two of the most incredible, empathetic creative and business thinkers I have ever met in our business. They truly define the sum-greater-than-parts ethos of a creative partnership. Their growth-minded, purpose-driven approach to creativity has not only driven business innovation for clients, but has helped their brands find a meaningful, authentic place in culture. I’m thrilled to have them in New York at a time when how we handle the daily challenges in front of us will define how we lead our clients’ businesses into the future.”
Boer said, “Our goal has always been to do something great for our clients, for the world and to have some fun while we do it. We think Ogilvy New York has all the ingredients needed to make some greatness and everyone we met so far has made us feel like this is going to be fun. Those walls have such a rich history, but at the same time the agency is totally ready to take on the issues of today and tomorrow. We are so energized to partner up with Lauren and to help lead the agency into an increasingly diverse environment where creativity can thrive.”
Kotlhar added, “Meeting for the first time via Zoom felt less than ideal, but Lauren’s infectious energy crushed the awkwardness of video chats and the chemistry came almost instantly. Her vision for Ogilvy resonates perfectly with how we believe a modern agency should act in today’s world, including our commitments to equity and diversity. We’re anxious to kick things off and put some of our methods in practice at a much larger scale. And being able to do it at a place like Ogilvy, an agency with incredible legacy, with people you trust and a creative partner of 14+ years, is the stuff of dreams.”
