Wieden+Kennedy Portland Names JP Petty ECD

Wieden+Kennedy wants its work to mirror culture. And in a culture where the conversation often starts online—in social spaces stocked with consumers who may beg brands to weigh in—having in-tune leadership that understands how to react in the moment is critical. "[Brands] show up in social, they show up in people's conversations, they show up in store, on premise and merch," global chief creative officer Karl Lieberman told Adweek. "There's just so much more surface area that we want to have really expansive leadership that can speak to all these areas." The trio of Ana and Hermeti Balarin and Petty will be paired with current managing director of the Portland office, Jess Monsey. "They're just going to be instrumental in expanding how we think about creativity," Lieberman said. Petty's work is infused in W+K's most explosive moments on social media for clients, which often come out of WKNY’s Bodega, the agency's social-first, internal creative group that uses cultural moments to tell a brand's story. That includes amplifying the McDonald's Travis Scott partnership—which led to ingredient shortages nationwide—and Bud Light's viral creation of its chief meme officer position, which netted 1,000 applicants in the first 24 hours. What this means for W+K W+K has challenged its traditional power structure before, Lieberman said—pointing to how John Jay and Iain Tait brought design and digital strategic backgrounds, respectively, to the ecd position. "JP is another step forward, helping the company to continue transforming from one that makes great ads into a company that helps brands to show up in culture with interesting and valuable ads," Lieberman said. Petty, who formerly held the position of head of social for W+K New York, wants to build the next version of W+K with diversity at the core of the agency—with the ultimate goal of making it one of the most diverse agencies in the industry. "We want different backgrounds, different ways of thinking, we want everything to come to the table to inform our work." From a strategic perspective, Petty wants the agency's work to show up everywhere, whether that's on t-shirts and in music videos or a Super Bowl spot. Social Confidential: How Bud Light Seltzer’s Chief Meme Officer Became the Dankest CMO From Philadelphia to Portland Petty, who also spent five years at Translation, admits he doesn't have the usual background for someone who is now one of three executive creative directors for the storied Wieden+Kennedy Portland office. He hailed from Philadelphia and attended an HBCU, later landing in advertising without studying the industry or having a background as a copywriter or art director. But that path is his superpower: Petty describes himself as an empathetic marketer who understands the role social has in driving cultural conversations—something he's seen going all the way back to the MySpace days when changing your Top 8 could shatter a relationship. Petty also finds direction from his mother, Wanda, whose picture adorns the shirt he chose to wear for the headshots for his new role. She recently passed, but her impact on Petty drives him. "Some of the stories that we tell as an agency on behalf of our brands influence generational behavior," he said. "That's really important to me, that was really important for her." When he considers how the nine-year-old version of himself would respond to his new role, Petty understands that it is bigger than him. "I'm sitting in a really influential seat," he said. "One that comes with a tremendous amount of honor. It represents limitless possibility."

Leadership & Talent

W+K Portland Names JP Petty ECD to Help Brands Become Part of the Cultural Conversation

The former NY head of social joins Ana and Hermeti Balarin

Jameson Fleming

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Jameson Fleming