Accenture Song creative agency Droga5 has appointed Pelle Sjoenell as its new worldwide chief creative officer.
Sjoenell is responsible for driving the creative vision for Droga5 globally, one that plays off the intersection of creativity and technology and aligns with the creative vision of Accenture Song.
“Since its inception, Droga5 has been a creatively led company—it’s been 17 years of originality, relevance and positive influence,” said Droga5 founder and current Accenture Song CEO David Droga in a statement.
Droga added that with Droga5’s continued expansion, it’s vital that the agency has a global CCO to help unite, inspire and rally all the agency’s offices as it looks to its future growth.
“I have long admired Pelle across different geographies and companies. In fact, I have tried to hire him on many occasions. He is a true client problem solver and has the tech experience and humility that only the very best creative leaders possess,” added Droga.
At Activision Blizzard, Sjoenell was the first-ever chief creative officer where he was tasked with driving marketing innovation and creativity across global entertainment gaming franchises, including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch and Candy Crush. Under his leadership, the company received numerous creative marketing awards for campaigns including the Call of Duty and Heinz “Hidden Spots” collaboration, “Veteruns” for The Call of Duty Endowment, and “Scratch Boards” for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2.
“I knew that when I left to go client side, I had unfinished business in the agency world, so to be asked back in by David Droga himself to take care of the agency with his name on it is such an honor and a unique opportunity to apply my learnings,” said Sjoenell in a statement.
Prior to Activision Blizzard, Sjoenell was worldwide CCO at BBH, overseeing the firm’s creative efforts across its seven offices in Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, LA, NY, London and Stockholm, working with brands including Google, Nike, Samsung, Audi, E! and T- Mobile. He was also founder of the BBH LA office and spearheaded the agency’s branded entertainment and earned media strategic initiatives, including the launch of BBH’s joint venture with entertainment talent mogul Scooter Braun called The Creative Studio.
Under Sjoenell’s leadership, BBH won over 30 Cannes Lions, including two Cannes Grand Prix Lions for House of Cards’ “FU 2016” with BBH New York, and Axe “Excite” with BBH London, plus the Titanium Lion for “Dig Out Your Soul,” created for Oasis and NYC & Co.
“After reaching the 30-years-in-the-industry mark, I’ve earned the right to work with the best creative brains and characters in the world. Pelle and David are those people,” said Annette King, global lead, marketing at Accenture Song in a statement.
Sjoenell currently serves on the Board of Governors for Otis College of Art and Design, and is also the co-author of the non-fiction book The Art of Branded Entertainment in 2018.
Droga5’s previous Global CCO was Neil Heymann, who is now the global CCO at Accenture Song.