Wieden+Kennedy Sydney has expanded its team with a slate of new hires, AdNews can reveal.
The appointments include Jessica Campbell as executive producer, Amanda Alegre as senior art director, Ella Goldman as senior account director and Kiah Nicholas as creative.
It comes after the US agency secured foundation client McDonald’s Australia in January.
Alegre, who joins from BMF, said she’s thrilled to be part of the W+K team.
“They say the biggest compliment a creative can give someone else’s work is wishing they’d come up with it themselves. That pretty much sums up how I’ve always felt about W+K,” she told AdNews.
“Their fan-to-fan approach and relentless dedication to craft have created a body of work that’s not just beautiful and honest - but has genuinely shaped culture. The kind of ideas I’ve admired (and yes, even envied) for years.
“So to now be part of the team as a Senior Creative, alongside my beautiful brain twin Kiah and with the full support of the W+K family to make the best work of our lives? Pinch me. (But actually, please don’t.)”
W+K will service the quick-service restaurant’s (QSR) Chicken and McCafé portfolios locally.
The agency also works with McDonald’s in the US and Canada.
Earlier this year, W+K announced the appointments of Chris Wilson and Roy Leibowitz as creative directors, as well as Jack Elliott and Lochie Newham as senior creatives.
W+K ECD Eric Helin told AdNews that it was important to build the team with talent from both its global network and the local market.
The agency unveiled its first campaigns for McDonald’s this week.
The launches a new permanent menu item, Chicken McWings, with “cryptic” OOH placements and a series of films.
Billboards teasers appeared across major Australian cities with the phrase ‘Peak Chicken Is Upon Us’ disguised in Microsoft’s Wingdings font.
W+K has also created two hero spots, ‘Coffee First’ and ‘Yawn’, for the new McCafé blend.
W+K Sydney managing director Matt Owen expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership.
“It’s been brilliant how we have been welcomed into the agency village, with all the agencies helping us to get up to speed and sharing their learnings on the brand,” he said.
"They’ve also given us the space and permission to bring fresh eyes and that excitement that only comes from being the newest kid on the block.”
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