Breakthrough Agency of the Year: Troubled Brands Turning to Johannes Leonardo Is a Sign the Agency Has 'Come of Age'

The shop produced strong work for Volkswagen and Gap and doubled in size

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It’s not every day that—in the midst of an unprecedented crisis—one of the world’s largest auto companies turns to a creative shop of around 100 that was launched a little over a decade ago.

When Volkswagen named Johannes Leonardo as its lead brand agency, it was a defining moment for client and agency alike. At the time, Volkswagen was still reeling from an emissions scandal, with consumer sentiment at an all-time low.

“When the world’s biggest car brand comes to an agency like us with such a huge problem, it’s really a sign for us that Johannes Leonardo has come of age,” observes co-founder and CCO Jan Jacobs.


The stats

Key Wins: Gap, Volkswagen
Losses: None
New Assignments: Truly Hard Seltzer (prior to Boston Beer creative review), Venmo
2019 Revenue: $50 million-plus (a +110% top-line revenue growth from 2018)
Strategic Moves: Bought back an unspecified portion of WPP’s 49% minority stake; increased agency head...



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This story first appeared in the Dec. 2, 2019, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.