The Martin Agency has announced that Matt Williams, a 21-year agency veteran, will be promoted to CEO effective Feb. 1. He will succeed John Adams, who has served as chairman and CEO since 1995. Adams will continue in his role as chairman.
As CEO, Williams will lead the development and execution of the company’s business strategy and oversee, through the CFO, the financial operations of the company. Additionally, Williams will oversee account management, business development, corporate communications, the company’s innovation initiatives and the relationship with Martin’s parent company, The Interpublic Group.
Adams will continue to lead the agency’s executive committee as chairman and will maintain several key client relationships while remaining active in select business development opportunities.
Williams most recently served as the agency’s general manager, a role he was promoted to in July of 2011.
Williams joined The Martin Agency in 1991 as an account executive. He moved to the strategic planning department in 1995 and was named partner in 2005.
At The Martin Agency, Williams has led strategic development for accounts as diverse as UPS and GEICO. He has led global strategy development for UPS, Saab Cars and Credit Suisse, working with agencies in London, Stockholm, Frankfurt and the U.S., and has managed strategy on Effie-winning campaigns for UPS, Signet Bank, Bank One and GEICO. Williams has received account planning awards from the American Association of Advertising Agencies for both Saab and UPS.
Williams began his career in advertising at Ketchum Advertising in Philadelphia. He holds a degree in marketing from the College of William and Mary and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Williams is a contributing author to Kellogg on Branding (John Wiley & Sons, 2005). He has been a guest on NPR and Bloomberg News and a speaker at the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the American Marketing Association. He has consulted on communications strategy with the U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense and has served as a judge for the Effie Awards, Green Effie and the U.S. Account Planning Awards.
Serving with Williams on Martin’s executive committee are Adams; Mike Hughes, president; Joe Alexander, CCO; Beth Rilee-Kelley, COO; and Earl Cox, chief strategy officer.
The Martin Agency’s clients include BFGoodrich, Discover, GEICO, Hanes, Kraft, Manpower, Mondelez International, Morgan Stanley, PING, Pizza Hut, the American Cancer Society and Walmart.
A Similar But Different Take On A Feature Film Debut
Similar But Different is not only the moniker for the directorial duo of Dani Girdwood and Charlotte Fassler but also in some respects an apt description of their feature filmmaking debut, My Fault: London (Amazon MGM Studios). The movie, which premiered last week on Amazon Prime Video, has on one level some select elements similar to what we’re accustomed to in the young adult (YA) universe--which helps make it familiar, comfortable and relatable--yet at the same time My Fault: London brings a new, decidedly different dimension to YA entertainment, uniquely meshing action-adventure, mystery, music, romance and humor. The film captures the feel of the underground London culture, lending an authenticity and contemporary vibe that’s a departure from the norm when it comes to the adaptation of YA literature. This mesh of similar but different has served the film well in that there was some target audience skepticism initially over the notion of doing an English adaptation of the popular, fan-favorite Spanish-language novel “Culpa Mia,” the first of the “Culpables” trilogy. Thus it’s most gratifying for Girdwood and Fassler to see the social media response after the release of My Fault: London, with many viewers enthusiastically embracing the film. My Fault: London introduces us to Noah (portrayed by Asha Banks) who’s uprooted from her U.S. hometown, having to leave her boyfriend and friends behind to move with her mother (Eve Macklin) to London. Mom has a new rich husband (Ray Fearon) in London and their new residence is a mansion. There Noah meets Nick (Matthew Broome), her new stepbrother. They have an immediate mutual dislike for each other which blossoms into something quite different over time. Along the... Read More