DDB is seeking a new creative leader on the U.S. portion of its global McDonald’s account as Bill Cimino prepares to move to Young & Rubicam.
Cimino has been U.S. creative chief on McDonald’s for many years, working out of DDB’s office in Chicago and rising to ecd last year. He’s exiting at the end of the month to become chief creative officer at Y&R, Chicago.
At Y&R, Cimino, 48, will lead a department of about 50 (including creative technologists and production people) and work on brands such as Kenmore, Craftsman, Hotels.com, Famous Footwear and BMO Harris Bank. He succeeds Bob Winter, who’s joining the Miami office of Crispin Porter + Bogusky as ecd.
About 20 creative staffers work on McDonald’s at DDB, Chicago, where the creative department numbers about 90. The office’s chief creative officer is Ewan Paterson, who came aboard in 2010.
Paterson will oversee the U.S. McDonald’s work until DDB fills the role. The search has just begun.
“The lead creative role on McDonald’s is one of the best jobs in the industry, so we’re pretty confident we’ll get someone great,” said DDB Chicago CEO Peter McGuinness. “We’re also evolving the specifications a bit to be more multi-platform and integrated as McDonald’s continues to compete in today’s highly competitive marketplace.”
DDB hopes to complete its search in December.