Zimmerman Adds HDC’s Goldberg, Cannon

ATLANTA At least two former HDC executives have joined Zimmerman & Partners.

Michael Goldberg, former chief executive officer of the defunct Fort Lauderdale, Fla., shop, has become chief marketing officer at the Omnicom agency, reporting to CEO and president Jordan Zimmerman.

Ex-HDC group creative director Michael Cannon assumes the same title at Z&P, reporting to executive creative director and partner Zev Auerbach.

Zimmerman said Cannon, who also worked at Doner in Southfield, Mich., was a complement to Auerbach.

The two executives are taking at least one client with them. Alabama Power, in the process of debuting a new campaign, will move the creative portion of its $6 million account to Z&P, the client confirmed.

Mary Story, advertising manager for the Birmingham, Ala.-based utility, said she had confidence in key team members Goldberg and Cannon, who both began work at the Fort Lauderdale shop Monday.

Goldberg is charged with diversifying the agency’s account base to be less reliant on automotive and retail clients, he said.

“Client success is what defines this agency,” Goldberg said. “I need to find a balance between that and the quality of the creative work. And [for Zimmerman] to find its place in the Omnicom network.”

Jordan Zimmerman wants Goldberg to “get us in front of more people, tell our story and win some sexy business. We’d like to go into the [quick-service restaurant category]. After that, we’ll look at categories such as Circuit City or Best Buys. They’re very ROI driven.”