BOSTON Publicis Groupe’s Fallon said it has named Jeremy Bowles to the newly created position of global managing director of its Citigroup business.
Bowles, 44, was managing partner at WCRS and prior to that, managing director at Lowe, both in London.
Fallon said his hire was driven by the recent growth on the Citi account, which now taps into all of the agency’s worldwide outposts for creative work. In addition to its headquarters in Minneapolis, Fallon has full-service offices in Hong Kong, London, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Singapore and Tokyo.
Citi has also said it would partner with Publicis Worldwide to execute local advertising in various global markets.
Bowles will now coordinate efforts between Fallon and Publicis.
“This is an exciting time to be working with Citi as they expand their global presence and influence,” said agency chairman Pat Fallon, in a statement. “We have searched for the exact person to lead this challenging global role and we found the ideal person in Jeremy.”
Citi spent approximately $300 million in U.S. measured media in the first three quarters of 2006, per TNS Media Intelligence. Fallon handles at least one third of that business. The client’s global media spend was not immediately available.
Fallon’s ads for the client include the lauded “Live richly” campaign for Citi credit cards. That effort includes the popular “Identity Theft” spots that show, for example, a burly man speaking with a girl’s voice about items she bought using the man’s stolen identity.
Amid senior-level marketing changes, Citi is expected to move away from that positioning, though its future direction is unknown [Adweek Online, Sept. 21].
Bowles’ global brand experience includes work on Coca-Cola, Reebok, Stella Artois and Unilever, among others.
“Taking a single strategic and creative campaign and launching it around the world is a fascinating challenge,” said Bowles.
Bowles Joins Fallon on Citi
