Allison Pierce promoted to global CCO of Intel; Routhier named CCO of WPP Walgreens Team
VMLY&R has made two key leadership moves, boosting the agency’s creative bench strength across its Intel and Walgreens client teams.
Allison Pierce has been promoted to global chief creative officer across the agency’s Intel team. In this role, Pierce will oversee all creative work for Intel, ensuring global consistency and integration across all markets. The agency has also named Mel Routhier the chief creative officer of WPP Walgreens team. In this role, Routhier will lead creative development for the Walgreens business. The WPP Walgreens team is a cross-agency team that comprises agency partners, including Burson Cohn & Wolfe, Hogarth Worldwide, Mediacom, Ogilvy, and VMLY&R. Both Pierce and Routhier will join VMLY&R’s senior ranks in the global creative council and report to VMLY&R global CCO Debbi Vandeven.
“In Alli and Mel, we have two very strong creatives with proven track records for leading large creative teams and doing top-tier creative work,” Vandeven said.
Since joining the agency in 2010, Pierce has been a major force at VMLY&R, producing some of the agency’s most innovative and awarded work. She played an integral role in helping VMLY&R land the global agency of record for Intel and has led creative duties for the brand since early 2020, launching one of the company’s largest consumer campaigns in the midst of a global pandemic.
Pierce has also overseen creative for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development for the past seven years, spearheading innovative work like “The Colorblind Viewer,” an experiential campaign that launched a scenic viewer equipped with high-tech lenses that made it possible for colorblind people to see fall colors for the first time. The campaign won multiple Cannes Lions, Effies and a gold cube at the Art Directors Club, among other honors.
She has also led creative for a range of VMLY&R client brands, including Gatorade, Wendy’s, Kashi, Electrolux/Frigidaire, Boehringer Ingelheim Equine and Cobra Puma Golf. Her work has been awarded by Cannes Lions, the One Show, Effies, Clios, New York Festivals, Art Directors Club, LIA, D&AD, Webbys and more.
Meanwhile Routhier will lead a cross-WPP team of 25 creatives and multidisciplinary talent, including content specialists, social, and more. Routhier joins from DDB Chicago where she served as SVP, executive creative director overseeing creative for State Farm, one of the agency’s key blue-chip clients. She played an integral role in developing State Farm’s first tagline in 40 years, “Here to Help Life Go Right,” and the Cannes Lions award-winning “Following” campaign.
Routhier has been a Chicago mainstay during her two decades in the ad industry. Prior to DDB, she worked at Trisect on clients such as YouTheory and Kimberly-Clark, overseeing creative for Kimberly-Clark’s portfolio of paper products. She also worked for over a decade at Leo Burnett Chicago on some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Kellogg’s, Procter & Gamble, Hallmark, Disney and the U.S. Army.
Over her career, Routhier’s work has received top honors at major industry shows, including Cannes Lions, The London International Awards, Clios, Effies, Luzer’s Archive, Communication Art, ADDys, Reggies and the Chicago advertising federation.
A WPP company, VMLY&R is made up of nearly 7,000 employees worldwide, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney.
The Many Hires Jeremiah Wassom As Group Creative Director
Independent agency The Many has added Jeremiah Wassom as group creative director.
Wassom most recently worked a decade at Deutsch LA where, as SVP/creative director, he led the Taco Bell account and won new business for the agency. His agency past also includes AKQA and TBWAChiatDay. His creative work has touched the QSR, video games, automotive, fashion, and culture brand sectors. He also served eight years with the United States Marine Corps.
“Throughout his career, Jeremiah has helmed work that has not only made me personally jealous but has consistently pushed brands to show up in memorable and innovative ways,” said Josh Paialii, head of creative at The Many. “One look at his body of work and you will see his passion for storytelling and craft has raised the bar for entire categories, driving participation with many brands’ most loyal fans. Beyond being a world-class creative director and maker, Wassom is a proven team player and strategic thought leader. He’ll be a great addition to the leadership team at The Many working across all accounts. His role will be immediately felt as he guides and supports each of the creative leads in the department.”
A 20-year creative with agency, brand, and freelance experience, Wassom has forged a creative approach which focuses on crafting engaging connections rather than simply make ads. He sees the need for advertising to mean more, not simply do more.
The Many believes that true business growth is made possible by harnessing the power of participation and partners with brands to forge deeper connections with consumers, cultivate trust and loyalty, and maximize marketing spend and execution. The agency is built around a flexible model that offers a suite of capabilities, including... Read More