Last week we learned that Chris Perkins, a veteran agency guy who worked in various accounts and managerial roles around the world, would be leaving his position as managing director of StrawberryFrog after approximately ten months.
Now we know where he went: Kansas City’s Bernstein-Rein. He will also be MD there (and he’s the first person to hold that title).
Perkins, who hails from the Midwest, will now be running day-to-day operations at Bernstein-Rein while managing its brand and working on new business. He reports directly to president Steve Bernstein.
The release tells us that Perkins contributed to StrawberryFrog in various ways during his relatively brief tenure, helping the agency win SunTrust Bank and hire some unnamed “top talent.” As for why he left, B-R is a far larger agency in what we hear is a slightly friendlier city. SF boss Scott Goodson told us that he’d been recruited for “a really big job,” and that statement was accurate.
Regarding the new hire, Bernstein calls Perkins “a proven marketer who brings a vision for how agencies today must work to further connections with clients, brands and consumers,” adding, “I am confident that he will be the spark for us to do the best work of our lives and help propel our clients to even greater heights.” (Those clients currently include Haverty’s furniture store, McDonald’s, Old Dominion Freight Line and Hostess.)
Perkins’ own take:
“Bernstein-Rein is a 51-year-old success story. My passion as a business and brand strategist is building an irrevocable connection between people and brands so this is a perfect fit.”
You may recall that Bernstein-Rein went through a small shakeup earlier this year after LPL Financial ended its relationship with the agency. A couple of SVPs departed and–in an unrelated move–CCO Brian Brooker left to go client-side with hometown industrial production company Garmin. The agency then signed David Smith of The Richards Group as its ECD.
We hear that StrawberryFrog will continue fueling cultural movements. No word on whether that shop is looking for a new MD, who would be its seventh managing director in six years.