Andrew Keller named global chief creative officer of WPP Coke agency Open X

Andrew Keller discusses AI, his time at CP+B and Meta and building communities around brands.

Apr 17, 2023 - 21:01

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Andrew Keller named global chief creative officer of WPP Coke agency Open X

After more than seven years at Meta, Andrew Keller is returning to the agency world as the global chief creative officer of WPP's Open X, the holding company’s team dedicated to serving its massive Coca-Cola account.

Keller joined Meta in 2016 as global creative director and most recently served as VP of creative and experiential. Prior to his time at Meta, Keller logged 18 years at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, where he rose through the ranks to become chief creative officer and eventually CEO.

Returning to agency side

For Keller, the Open X position represents a chance to return to the agency world while using the expertise he gained working brand-side.

“Being able to focus on a brand was actually something that I really appreciated,” Keller said. “I really missed the agency world, where it's [about] ideas every day. That's the product, that we make coming up with ideas. And that was something that I really wanted to get back to."

Keller will be based in Atlanta and start his role in June. He replaces Javier Campopiano, who is set to join McCann this year.

Keller also sees his new role as a chance to work on a brand responsible for his initial interest in advertising as a child growing up in Atlanta.

“It was a Career Day in the third grade when someone came in and talked about an ad for Mello Yellow, I was like, ‘Whoa, that's amazing,’” Keller said. “My father-in-law was a Coca-Cola bottler in Savannah. There's just a lot of meaning in this brand …even if it didn't mean something to me, it means something to the world in an important way.”

Keller will help lead an Open X team open to all of WPP’s employees which currently utilizes around 8,000 employees globally, according to Laurent Ezekiel, CEO of Open X and chief marketing officer at WPP. Agencies that are part of the team include Ogilvy, VMLY&R, AKQA, Wunderman Thompson, Grey, EssenceMediacom, Ogilvy PR, Landor, Design Bridge & Partners, BCW, H&K, Hogarth and The&Partnership.

Ezekiel says he was looking to find the “CCO of the future,” which meant purposefully looking for someone with a background in tech.

“There is a huge data, tech, and experience-driven [capabilities] behind everything that we're doing for The Coca-Cola Co.,” Ezekiel said.

Art and technology

Recent Coca-Cola ads have leaned into art and technology. The company held a recent contest for fans to create Coke art utilizing AI tools ChatGPT and DALL-E, with the winning art to grace billboards in New York and London. A short film called “Masterpiece” highlighted an iconic Coke bottle in an art gallery come to life. The latter was part of Coke’s global “Real Magic” campaign.

In February, Coke inked a deal with management consultant Bain & Co. to explore new ways to enhance the creativity of its marketing through OpenAI.

Keller said he's excited about the potential of AI as a “co-pilot” for creatives.

“I actually think we're going to learn more about what creativity really is as we explore AI, and I think that we're going to be able to use AI quite effectively to drive ideas and to drive insight and to drive production," he said.

“We're applying and experimenting with AI across the entire WPP Open X model, and we're pushing hard across many of the brands at The Coca-Cola Company,” Ezekiel added.

Keller will join Open X’s creative council, which includes Laura Visco and Thiago Cruz, global creative leads for Open X at Grey; Guillermo Vega, global creative lead for Open X at Ogilvy; Hugo Viega, global creative lead for Open X at AKQA; Rafael Pitanguy global creative lead for Open X at VMLY&R; Manuel Borde, global creative lead for Open X at VMLY&R Commerce; Daniel “Dany” Minaker and Sebastian “Patán” Tarazaga, global creative leads for Open X at Wunderman Thompson.

Keller’s focus will also include helping to build experiences for Coke brands that are centered on building communities.

“Community’s about finding intersecting values,” Keller said. "What's important to you as a brand? What's important to the people and where do you connect [with them]? … We've seen the sort of personalization of content and products [driving community building]. I would say that more than ever we've got to know exactly who we're talking to and what we're talking to. We've got to be extremely relevant. These days it's easier than ever. And that creates a bigger obligation to do it, or you just feel like you're missing everything.”

Time at Meta

Keller led global business creative during his time at Meta which included working on the company's rebranding from Facebook and leading the communication and positioning of Meta’s products and tools for businesses, creators and developers. He helped double the size of Meta’s social and web channels, according to Keller, which included the Meta for Business website and social channels for entities, such as Instagram for Business.

Keller helped lead campaigns such as Meta's “Good ideas deserve to be found,” and shows on Facebook including The #BuyBlack Friday Show.

Keller departed for what was then Facebook during a time when many advertising execs were making the move into the tech space. And while that is still the case for some high-profile names, this is the latest example of a Meta executive going back into the agency world. In February, Jason Sperling was named chief operating officer of Innocean USA after serving as global executive creative director of Meta Reality Lab and Teemu Suviala, global head of brand design for Meta Reality Labs, joined the WPP-owned brand and design consultancy Landor & Fitch.

A reunion

Keller’s return is a reunion of sorts for him and WPP’s Global Chief Creative Officer Rob Reilly, both of whom played lead creative roles at Crispin during its prime when it was named Ad Age’s Agency of the Decade.

“We're just great partners that really respect what each other does. And I think it's just going to be so fantastic to be back together with him and playing in the world that he has really played a big hand in creating,” Keller said about Reilly.

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Keller recognizes the significance of the reunion but doesn’t put too much stock into it.

“I don't think about it,” Keller said “I loved what I was doing … but through the journey, what I realized is this is the space that I want to come back to. I've got the bandwidth, I've got the energy, I've got the excitement to really dig in here, and I am excited to figure out what is going to be this next innovative age of marketing and advertising.”

A focus on partnerships

Moving forward, Ezekiel said the Open X team is focused on a few key growth areas for its client, which includes a focus on digital and innovation, co-creating products with outside partners, such as launching a limited-edition beverage with electronic music producer Marshmello and its canned Jack & Coke launch in partnership with Jack Daniel's.

Coca-Cola’s fourth-quarter net sales increased by 7% to $10.1 billion, driven by 12% growth in pricing and a favorable sales mix. For 2023, the company previously forecast organic revenue growth of 7% to 8% and earnings per share growth of 4% to 5%.

Speaking at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference in February, Coca-Cola President John Murphy described the company’s results over the last few years as “steady returns in an unsteady world.” Moves to trim its portfolio and adopt a more efficient marketing approach have resulted in a healthier company, Murphy added.

“We have a very clear understanding of what is it that drives volume, price and mix in our many markets across the world,” Murphy said. “And I think what we’ve seen over the last few years is developing capability to toggle these levers so that we can both win locally as well as deliver on our broader enterprise agenda … This approach is paying off.”