Epsilon Parts With Chief Creative Officer John Immesoete After 6-Plus Years

Epsilon Agency, the creative division of data-driven marketing giant Epsilon, recently parted ways with its longtime executive vp and chief creative officer John Immesoete.

A spokesperson confirmed that Immesoete is no longer with the company but declined to elaborate, stating that “Epsilon’s protocol is to not comment on associate news.” Representatives did not clarify when Immesoete left the agency or whether Epsilon has begun seeking a replacement. They also declined to comment on the events that led to his departure.

According to a party familiar with the matter, Epsilon terminated Immesoete late last month. The now-former executive has not responded to an email seeking comment.

Immesoete is a 30-plus year veteran of the ad industry who spent nearly two decades in top creative positions at the Chicago offices of Leo Burnett and DDB, where he led key accounts such as McDonald’s and Bud Light.

After leaving the agency world to become a writer, director and partner at production studios including Backyard Productions and Seed Branded Content, he joined Epsilon Agency’s Chicago headquarters in the CCO role in 2012. Since then, he has overseen the agency division’s work for clients such as Google, Mars, Walgreen’s, Nature’s Way, Kraft-Heinz, Del Monte and Cracker Barrel.

He also hosted the podcast Conversations With Giants in which he interviewed various media and marketing celebrities.

Epsilon, which acquired ad-tech company Conversant in 2014 for $2.3 billion, has been moving into traditional creative agency turf in recent years after primarily being known for direct mail and data services. As Immesoete told Adweek in 2016, “We’re different than any other agency out there, which is why we’re starting to get a lot of notice.”

The Irving, Texas-based company currently employs more than 8,000 in 70 offices worldwide, according to its LinkedIn page.

Last week, parent company Alliance Data Systems Corp. confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that it is considering a sale of Epsilon after an internal review found “weaker-than-expected revenue from its agency services.”

Patrick Coffee

@PatrickCoffee

Patrick Coffee is a senior editor for Adweek.