Today CP+B named Eric Zuncic as its new North American chief strategy officer.
Zuncic previously led strategy at Mekanism, where he worked with clients including Ben & Jerry’s, The North Face, Pepsi and The White House; he led strategy on the latter party’s “It’s On Us” anti-sexual assault campaign. Before joining the shop, he directed strategy and innovation for New York’s Brand Union, where he consulted with other firms handling consumer and B2B brands. His pre-agency positions were in-house: he worked on the Dove Men+Care brand at Unilever and held several marketing/management positions within the GEICO organization.
The agency’s newest hire does not replace any outgoing staffers; Zuncic will work “in partnership” with Jason De Turris, the former VP/planning director who relocated to Hong Kong last year after being promoted to CSO. When the agency announced De Turris’s move, it also mentioned its plans to “appoint a new head of planning in North America in the near future.” Zuncic is that planner, and he will be based in Boulder while working with the agency’s other offices in Miami and Los Angeles.
Regarding the new addition, Global CEO Lori Senecal writes:
“What initially drew us to Eric is his unique, modern approach to strategy that he’s cultivated through a breadth of experience, ranging from a deep understanding and expertise in data and analytics, to lead strategy roles on both the client and agency side.”
In his own statement, Zuncic argues that strategy is more crucial to agencies than ever:
“Planning was originally invented in the service of creativity, but over the years, it seems the industry has over intellectualized it and disjointed it from the creative process,”
We want to show how unexpected new ways of linking strategy and creativity can help solve the toughest business problems.
[I am] excited to be a part of the agency that reinvented the way modern brands behave.”
This marks the latest executive change at CP+B. In April, VP/director of product and innovation David Corns (who was responsible for many of the agency’s original creations) left to run accounts at Venables Bell & Partners in San Francisco.
The accounts on which Zuncic helps drive strategy will also include Pay Pal, which recently signed with CP+B’s L.A. office for project work.