Deutsch LA has hired Kelsey Karson as SVP, group strategy director, to lead all strategy efforts for Taco Bell. Karson joins Deutsch from R/GA, where she was the architect behind many of the agency’s most disruptive and culture-impacting campaigns. She will report directly to Kelsey Hodgkin, Deutsch LA’s EVP, head of strategy.
Karson will be tasked with continuing to develop innovative strategies that connect Taco Bell with its fans. With the recent expansion of the agency’s scope to include social efforts, Karson will oversee all brand efforts, including upcoming campaigns for Taco Bell’s loyalty program, new product launches and platform work.
Karson is a Texan who made her way to Los Angeles to work on the Beats by Dre brand at HUSTLE, R/GA’s conflict shop. There she created campaigns that reacted to culture in real time, including LeBron’s return to Cleveland, the NFL draft, and leading the strategy for the infamous “Straight Outta Somewhere” campaign, which was the first campaign to trend simultaneously on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Karson then spent time at R/GA’s LA office, where she led strategy for brands such as Barbie, Amazon, Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and Amazon, to name a few. Throughout her career, she has collected top industry accolades including numerous Cannes Lions, CLIO, D&AD, Webby, Shorty, and Jay Chiat awards.
