Walton Isaacson Appoints Jeff Davidoff as Its First President

Walton Isaacson appointed longtime marketer Jeff Davidoff as president effective immediately. This is a new position at the agency.

“In a sea of sameness Walton Isaacson stands out in the caliber of their creative, their diversity of thought and people and most importantly the enduring value they deliver to their clients,” said Davidoff in a statement. “I very much look forward to helping shape the bold future of the planet’s most interesting agency which, like me, is passionate about the power of ideas, people and creativity.”

Davidoff arrives at Walton Isaacson from “not com” domain owner and operator Donuts, where he has served as CMO since October of 2014. Prior to that he spent nearly four and a half years serving as CMO at ONE, the grassroots advocacy and campaigning organization founded by Bono. That followed a little over a year in the same role at Orbitz Worldwide. Before that he spent six years as vice president, brand marketing and communications at Whirlpool. Prior to going client-side again with Whirlpool, he served for seven years as executive vice president, managing director at Upshot, the integrated marketing agency he co-founded after serving as vice president, national marketing division for Citibank for over five years.

“Jeff Davidoff embodies Walton Isaacson’s purpose-driven culture. From his ground breaking LGBT Orbitz work to Whirlpool’s Habitat for Humanity campaign, Jeff marries ideas and impact,” Walton Isaacson co-founder Cory Isaacson said in a statement. “As CMO for ONE, Jeff was laser focused on action as the real game-changer. Everyone should work with a Jeff Davidoff in his or her career and now all of our talented WI team members will get to do just that.”

“Having worked with Jeff as a client I am excited to have him join our team. We share core values and a common vision of where marketing is headed and of our agency’s role within that changing landscape,” added fellow co-founder Aaron Walton. “Recognizing that innovation and diversity go hand in hand, Jeff has a proven track record of success fueled by the power of possibility.”

Walton Isaacson Slows Things Down for Cruzan Rum

Following on the heels of last year’s “Don’t Hurry” campaign, Walton Isaacson has created a series of follow-up ads for Cruzan Rum. Keeping that campaign’s tagline and focus on slowing down to live in the moment, this year’s iteration takes things off the metaphorical “Don’t Hurry” island to everyday life.

In the new series of ads, people are shown in common situations where hurrying really isn’t getting them anywhere, including speed dating (above) and speed chess. The digital campaign includes these two 30-second spots, as well as three 15-second pre-roll videos, and will be supported by social media, public relations and retail extensions.

“If you hurry through life, you could miss something big, and that’s what we really want people to take away from the campaign,” explained Brendan Lynch, senior director of rum & cordials at Beam Suntory. “We’re often so focused on what’s in front of us that we miss what’s going on around us. It’s important to slow down, take the time to enjoy the best things in life, like Cruzan Rum, one sip at a time – and our fans agree.”

Stick around for “Speed Chess,” a recipe for “Cruzan Life’s A Peach” and credits following the jump. Don’t forget to lightly slap your mint sprig. continued…

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Cruzan Rum Wants You to Slow Down, Which Means No Speed Dating or Speed Chess

If you've been settling into a slower pace of life with Kona beers but want to move on to something stronger, Cruzan Rum might be right for you.

Building on last year's campaign, themed "The Don't Hurry," the brand illustrates that its version of relaxation isn't constricted to the kooky metaphorical island from which it hails. Nope, it's all about a state of mind—and whether you're speed dating or playing chess, you've got to kick back and savor life (and rum).

The five new spots by ad agency Walton Isaacson are similar to last year's, which highlighted the eccentric air that came with drinking the rum. This time, though, they've swapped spokesmen, promoting the soothing Barry White-esque voiced parrot.

CREDITS
Client: Beam Suntory
Vice President, General Manager, Mixables Category Business Team: Jared Fix
Senior Director, Rum and Cordials: Brendan Lynch
Senior Brand Manager, Rum: Nabil Wanna
Global Manager, Consumer and Market Insights: Janu Lakshmanan
Brand Assistant, Rum and Cordials: Corine Reed

Agency: Walton Isaacson
Co-Owners: Cory Isaacson, Aaron Walton
Executive Producer: Dana Offenbach
Group Creative Director: Miguel Garcia Castillo
Creative Director: Mark Westman
Associate Creative Director: Jose Martinez
Senior Designer: Laurent Varlet
Senior Account Director: Nick Vitellaro
Account Executive: Kelly Clark

Production Company: Tool of North America
Executive Producer: Oliver Fuselier
Director: J.J. Adler

Editing Company: Beast
Executive Producer: Peter Hulliger
Editor: Angelo Valencia

Music: Ramblin Man
Executive Producer: Yupa Wathanasin
Composer: Daniel Belardinelli