NEW YORK, Feb. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global digital
agency Wunderman today announced that it has appointed Kat Gates
and Jeffrey Castellano as Group
Creative Directors in its flagship New
York office. Reporting directly to Chief Creative Officer
Sami Thessman, they will oversee
day-to-day creative strategy for the agency's clients, including
Danone, United Airlines, Coca-Cola, Isle of Capri, USTA, E*TRADE
and Major League Baseball Players Association.
These hires are part of Thessman's plan to expand Wunderman NY's
creative offering. Arriving from Facebook and Google, where both
served as creative directors, Gates and Castellano were recruited
specifically for their expertise in mobile and experiential
marketing, digital, data and UX.
In their previous roles, Gates managed the development of
digital brand experiences for Facebook and played a key role in the
rebrand of Facebook for Business. Castellano specialized in
interactive experiences, product design and branding for
Google.
"Kat and Jeffrey both have a deep understanding of social media,
mobile UX and technology and are motivated by big, insight-driven
ideas," said Thessman. "These qualities are very much
aligned with the future of Wunderman and our industry
generally."
A savvy brand strategist with extensive global experience, Gates
was previously a regional creative director for Pampers and Iams at
Saatchi & Saatchi in Germany.
Prior to that Gates was a global creative director on Always at Leo
Burnett, where she was part of the team behind the multi
award-winning 'Like A Girl' campaign.
Prior to Google, Castellano was J.
Walter Thompson's director of creative technology in
New York where he managed the
agency's digital creative studio and lead multidisciplinary teams
in UX, technology and production for clients including Rolex,
J&J, Energizer and Nestle. An advocate for greater technical
exploration within the creative community, Castellano also develops
new digital products such as Empath, an artificial intelligence
storytelling framework that utilizes data to generate consumer
profiles and deliver personalized experiences in real-time. He has
served on the 4A's Creative Technology Committee and is the digital
chair for the Global Fine Arts Awards.
"Data is a fundamental part of today's creative process,"
Castellano said. "Wunderman excels at delivering creative
ideas and strategies fueled by data and I'm excited to help this
team develop the kind of meaningful experiences that drive our
clients' businesses forward."
Gates added, "My passion is helping brands create deeper
relationships with their customers. Wunderman in uniquely able to
educate and inspire brands about their consumers and then bring
them to life on the platforms that make the most sense for their
audience. I'm excited to help further their data-driven
approach."
The appointments follow Wunderman New York's significant
business wins. The flagship recently became direct agency of record
for E*TRADE, responsible for creative strategy, direct mail and
data & analytics. In September, Wunderman New York also
became responsible for all of Isle of Capri's direct marketing and
is leading digital and branding initiatives for the Major League
Baseball Players Association as well as branding, tools and
services for USTA. As part of WPP's Global Team Danone, Wunderman
is also responsible for creative, branding and strategy for Oikos,
Activia, Light & Fit®, Danimals® and
YoCrunch.
About Wunderman
Wunderman is Creatively
Driven. Data Inspired. A leading global digital agency,
Wunderman combines creativity and data into work that inspires
people to take action and delivers results for brands. In 2015,
industry analysts named Wunderman a leader in marketing database
operations as well as a strong performer in customer engagement
strategy. Headquartered in New
York, the agency brings together 7,000 creatives, data
scientists, strategists and technologists in 175 offices in 60
markets. Wunderman is a WPP company (NASDAQ: WPPGY). For more
information, please visit www.wunderman.com and follow us
@Wunderman.
Contact
Martina
Suess
+1 (212) 210-3859
martina.suess@wunderman.com
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SOURCE Wunderman