While we do not have much in the way of details at the moment, we hear from multiple sources that Chief Creative Officer Jim Larmon will soon be leaving Chicago’s Cavalry.
The agency is perhaps best known for its work supporting Coors; it won part of the Coors business from FCB back in 2012, and the client completed its shift away from that agency in early 2013. At the time, The Chicago Tribune described Cavalry as an agency solely dedicated to beer, and the shop’s own Google profile currently describes it as “Agency of Record for strategy, advertising and digital on Coors Light, Coors Banquet and MillerCoors New Products” (the latter would be newer names like Smith & Forge and Third Shift, or the parent company’s attempts to cater to “craft beer” drinkers).
When Cavalry began making the rounds to promote its launch, it also announced the hiring of Larmon as its first chief creative officer. He was one of the approximately 40 staffers chosen by Cavalry founder Marty Stock–who, coincidentally, managed the MillerCoors business at FCB before launching his own shop.
Larmon knows beer well, too: prior to joining Cavalry he was SVP/group creative director at DDB Chicago, and during his time there he helped create the famous “dude” series for Bud Light. Prior to that gig he was an ACD at Taxi and a senior art director at Ogilvy.
The agency tells us that Larmon remains its chief creative officer at this time (though we were unable to reach him today).
Our sources, however, claim that he will soon depart to be replaced by a new chief creative who will be one among a string of hires.
We do not currently have any information on the “why” behind Cavalry’s apparent decision to shuffle its staff at this time as its relationship with MillerCoors does not appear to have changed.