New York-based MCD Partners–a self-described “digital customer experience agency” that is not to be confused with another, very similar acronym–signed Ron Coalson as its new creative director based out of its Chicago office.
Coalson comes to MCD from MaaS Appeal, a “marketing as service firm” founded by veterans of Rosetta and W2O Group. Coalson made the move along with former Rosetta innovation partner and W2O Group COO Dave Mihalovic when he founded the shop one year ago, leading its creative and user experience divisions in New York.
Prior to that gig, Coalson worked with Mihalovic at Rosetta as creative director. This was his second stint at the Publicis agency, and he left in February 2014, a few months before that agency folded into Publicis Groupe’s Razorfish Global Network and began what has proven to be an ongoing series of layoffs and executive staffing changes as it adjusts to its new status under the Razorfish umbrella.
A designer by trade, Coalson has also held such positions as senior art director at VML/Y&R New York and ACD at Philadelphia’s Brownstein Group.
Because MCD is an interactive, CX-focused agency that specializes in web design, we have never featured any of its work on this site. But it did recently make some big moves for an indie shop: last November, former JWT North America CEO David Eastman joined its New York office to serve as partner, leading us to recall the time in 2010 that he spoke to our own Matt Van Hoven about his rise to the top of the WPP shop’s American operations. (He also incorrectly guessed that Mad Men would end with a twenty-something Martin Sorrell buying SCDP from McCann.)
Regarding Coalson’s hire, partner and creative director John Caruso, who founded MCD (that’s Magnani Caruso Dutton) 16 years ago, writes:
“Ron is an extraordinary creative leader, a strategic thinker with deep interactive experience. We searched long and hard to find the perfect fit for this role. And we’ve found it in Ron.”
Coalson will lead the creative team in Chicago and report directly to Caruso.