McD's Post Again Open at DDB

Hub Fan Bids Shop Adieu for President's Job at Hill, Holliday CHICAGO--Mike Sheehan, who was in line for a larger role at DDB Chicago after nine months as lead creative on McDonald's, is returning to Hill, Holliday, Connors Cosmopulos in Boston as president and executive creative director. Sheehan, 39, is DDB's third lead creative on McDonald's since it took the lead role on the account in July 1997, although he departs under considerably different circumstances than his predecessor, John Staffen. Sheehan oversaw the long anticipated "We love to see you smile" campaign set to break June 30. Bob Scarpelli, who earlier this year rose to chief creative officer for DDB U.S., was in the process of filling leadership roles at the Chicago office. One scenario had Sheehan taking on more accounts and possibly being joined by another executive creative director in a co-leadership role for the creative department. Sheehan said there had been only "loose talk" about a promotion. In that sense only, he said, it was a "good time" for him to leave, before such decisions were made. Scarpelli said he has one internal candidate to lead McDonald's creative and will also look outside for a replacement, who he hopes to have in place by Sheehan's scheduled July 15 departure. Scarpelli said he remains ultimately responsible to the client, while DDB Worldwide chairman and CEO Keith Reinhard also is heavily involved. "I'm the continuity ... Keith is the continuity," Scarpelli said when asked about the affect of Sheehan's departure on the business. At Hill, Holliday, Sheehan will replace Fred Bertino as president, a role he will share with June Blocklin, and also becomes ECD. Sheehan left the shop in May 1999, claiming burnout. He joined DDB three months later. "It's a chance to go back and lead an agency, one I spent a great deal of my life at and poured a lot into," the native New Englander said of his return to Boston. "It's home." Sheehan said he enjoyed working on McDonald's, which has a reputation as a tough account. "For the size of the work and the scope of the account, I would not say they're difficult," Sheehan said. "I didn't expect to like it as much as I did." Former DDB executive Jim Ferguson temporarily handled the top McDonald's creative role for a year before Staffen was brought in from DDB New York. Staffen exited after less than a year amid organizational difficulties [Adweek, June 14]. Sheehan was deemed a "perfect fit" for the account by Scarpelli when he was hired in August. K

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McD's Post Again Open at DDB

Trevor Jensen

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Trevor Jensen