Ogilvy hires IBM global creative lead
Former McCann New York deputy CCO Matt Curry becomes global executive creative director on Ogilvy client IBM.
FrankLin
Ogilvy continues to build out its creative leadership team with the appointment of Matthew Curry as global executive creative director for IBM. Curry moves from McCann New York, where he served as EVP-deputy chief creative officer, overseeing the Verizon account.
In his new post, which starts today, Curry will help to define and drive the global creative vision for EightBar, WPP’s bespoke IBM team of creative and media talents.
IBM is one of Ogilvy’s most famous and celebrated clients, and their partnership has endured for nearly 30 years. In February, they debuted the “Let’s Create” campaign, IBM’s biggest brand initiative in more than a decade, centered on innovation and collaboration. In April, the brand became the first B2B company to be inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame.
“IBM is one of the world’s most iconic brands,” Curry said. “Its history is defined by smart work, strong design and radical thinking. I want to build on that and make it the standard in everything we do.”
The appointment marks Curry's return to Ogilvy, where he held his first job in advertising as a copywriter in the agency’s Beijing office nearly two decades ago. From there, he’s served at agencies large and small, including chief creative officer at indie shop Butler Shine Stern and Partners, a former Ad Age Small Agency of the Year. He’s also held posts at 72andSunny, David and Goliath, AKQA and Saatchi.
Big brand work has been his forte. For Verizon, the work he led at McCann included the brand’s massive 5G launch, Super Bowl ads and live-streamed concert series. At previous agencies, he also led major campaigns for Google, Activision and Starbucks. "To me, working with the game-changing brands of each industry is exciting,” he said. “Navigating the complexities, helping steer the ambition, collaborating across many fronts to lift a big brand to new heights—that’s where the magic is."
Curry added that at Ogilvy, he’s excited about working with one of the “most talented leadership groups in the business." The agency has seen a steady drumbeat of key leadership hires in the last year, including Menno Kluin, who moved from Dentsu to become New York chief creative officer; North America Advertising President Chris Beresford-Hill, former chief creative at TBWA\Chiat\Day New York; former Leo Burnett honcho Liz Taylor as global chief creative officer and McCann vet Devika Bulchandani as North American CEO and global chairwoman of advertising.
“We are thrilled that Matt is joining us to help produce a new period of game-changing, legacy-making work that brings to life the technological innovations that are creating the fabric of our reality,” said Taylor in a statement. “ Matt embodies the essence of ‘Let’s create—a belief that creativity will be the defining currency of business moving forward and driver of impact in the world.”
