GSD&M names a trio of executives to newly created posts

Shop elevates execs in media, DE&I and human resources.

Mar 11, 2022 - 21:01

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GSD&M names a trio of executives to newly created posts

Omnicom’s GSD&M is reinforcing its executive leadership team by elevating a trio of current executives into newly created positions.

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Keisha Townsend Taitt has been named chief inclusion officer charged with expanding the agency's DE&I, which now include nine employee-led resource and affinity groups and the agency’s Vendor Diversity Program. The program is meant to develop relationships with diverse vendor partners rather than chasing a dollar or percent goal, according to the agency. Taitt joined in 2021 and was the director of diversity, equity and inclusion. In that role, Taitt spearheaded the agency’s online guide open to the overall ad industry called “&: A Guide to Better Work Through Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.”

Dave Kersey joined the agency in 2020 from Carat as an executive media director. He’s now shifting to chief media officer, expanding his remit to audience strategy, media planning and digital solutions.

Marci Rogers takes the title of chief people officer. Rogers has been at the agency for almost 20 years and served various HR roles. In her new post, she will make sure GSD&M is pursuing new ways to engage talent and ensure the agency has better benefits than its competition, the agency said.

“Keisha, Marci and Dave are talented leaders who are passionate about this business and care deeply about our agency culture,” said Duff Stewart, CEO, GSD&M. “These promotions recognize all they've accomplished at the agency, and I'm so pleased to have them continuing to partner with me as part of our executive team."

Reaching new goals

Kersey wants to change the way clients view media, which is typically seen as an investment, he said. Instead, he wants his team to focus on the idea of consumer engagement and behavior. “My group is more than media. I think it’s kind of a misnomer of what media stands for, but it is more inclusive because we do a lot of our work in audience strategy and really understanding real-life behaviors versus surveys or modeled behavior sets, and that has a lot of important insights that we can offer our strategy and creative team,” he said.

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Taitt said her new role will allow her to find new and creative ways to get people involved with DE&I rather than making it feel like a mandate.“I think people sat DE&I out because they didn't understand that they could play a part or didn't feel like it was on them to play a part,” Taitt said. But after the 2020 killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, and subsequent protests, “a lot of people had their own spiritual awakenings” and part of her job is to “continue putting that at the forefront.”

The agency saw a 10% increase in BIPOC hires during 2021, bringing its overall makeup to 25% multicultural; 59% of its employees are women.

Read Ad Age's latest news on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Business is booming

The Austin, Texas-based agency, which hit the 50-year mark in 2021, has landed some significant wins over the past 18 months.

In February 2021, it resumed as creative agency of record for Avocados From Mexico after a three-year absence. Prior to the client's switch to BBDO, GSD&M created four consecutive Super Bowl ads. The shop kept up the Big Game work with this year's commercial featuring Andy Richter as Julius Caesar. The agency won creative AOR duties for Tyson label chicken in May and released its first campaign in August.

The shop landed media and creative AOR for Fruit of the Loom in October 2021; the review was said to include McCann, FCB, and Wieden+Kennedy. It also scored full-service AOR for the Air Force Reserves last year.

GSD&M's first campaign for Fruit of the Loom is expected to launch this year.