'Dead Kid Ad' Notwithstanding, Roster Shops Didn't See Nationwide CMO's Exit Coming

Matt Jauchius leaves after 9 years

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Matt Jauchius' demise at Nationwide surprised roster shops like McKinney and Ogilvy & Mather even though it came after a public pummeling of the brand's "dead kid" Super Bowl ad.

Jauchius had worked at Nationwide since 2006 and risen from vp of strategy to chief strategy officer to chief marketing officer in 2010. Along the way, Nationwide's profile grew, in large part because of its relationship with McKinney, its lead creative agency since 2009. In fact, the brand's success at repositioning itself as a grown-up in a category that gets pretty silly made Jauchius a Brand Genius in the eyes of Adweek.

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