Susan Credle has been named chief creative officer of Leo Burnett USA, effective October 5. Credle formerly served as executive VP/executive creative director at BBDO New York.
In her new role, Credle will have oversight of both Leo Burnett and Arc USA. She will report to Mark Tutssel, chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Worldwide.
For over a decade, Credle has been leading BBDO’s creative development on M&M/Mars and Cingular/AT&T, among other brands. Under her direction, these brands have won numerous awards, including Cannes, One Show, Andy’s and Clios, and meshed themselves into pop culture.
For instance, Credle’s contributions to BBDO New York were noteworthy when that shop was named SHOOT’s Agency of the Year in 2007. In many respects, her exploits in ’07 reflected the wide ranging creative at BBDO. For example, Credle made what she characterized as her first significant high-profile move into “new media” with Mars/M&M’s “Inner M” campaign in which TV spots showing what people would look like when turned into M&M characters helped drive traffic to BecomeanM&M.com.
Visitors (there were 2 million in just the first three weeks) got in touch with their “Inner M,” building their own avatar M&M character based on their self-image, selecting such features as color of the candy shell, eye shape and hairstyle. The campaign brought a new dimension to branding. While it’s great to bring consumers to a brand, the “Inner M” initiative had them become the brand.
Also on the ’07 awards show front, Credle scored with AT&T/Cingular’s “Battle,” which was not only nominated for a primetime commercial Emmy but also won a Gold Effie Award for its effectiveness in the marketplace, and an AICP Show honor in the Performance/Dialogue category. The commercial shows a mother and teenage daughter “arguing”–at least that’s their tone–but the incongruity is that they are conveying positive messages to each other, as the parent entrusts her teen with a cell phone.
Particularly appealing about “Battle” to Credle was that it respected the audience’s intelligence. “The human brain is a problem-solving mechanism. This spot requires you to work a little bit,” she observed back in ’07. “If you lay something out that requires no activity for the brain, you might be missing more of a connection that you can make with the consumer.”
Of Credle’s appointment, Burnett’s Tutssel stated, “Creativity is the heartbeat of this agency. There is no role that is more important in powering this agency to the top than the U.S. CCO role. We have found the perfect leader to take on this responsibility. Susan is a creative powerhouse with a demonstrated ability to lead blue-chip clients to outstanding creative heights while creating work that truly matters to people.”
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More