STEVE WEHRENBERG

Chief Executive Officer

 

Steve began his advertising career as a copywriter, then transitioned to account and strategic leadership positions, working with just about every product category out there.  He rose through the ranks to be named Campbell Mithun’s Chief Executive Officer in 2006. And he says he still loves coming to CM every day. “For more than 30 years, it’s like getting paid to go to graduate school.”

 

Steve has been a catalyst in the creation and refinement of CM’s proprietary strategic tools, including CM’s Strategic Architecture mapping, Brand Zealotry model and Brand Conversion research tools, all developed to fuel clients’ growth. He was also a driving force behind one of Campbell Mithun’s most successful campaigns, H&R Block’s “You Got People,” named best brand insight by Ad Age and awarded the AAAA Jay Chiat Account Planning Award.

 

The accomplishment of which he’s most proud is raising three smart, independent, liberally-minded children into adulthood with his wife Sue.

 

Outside of Campbell Mithun and family life, Steve teaches a strategy course in the University of Minnesota’s Master’s Program in Strategic Communications.  He’s co-written a new edition of The Successful Marketing Plan with former Famous Footwear client Scott Cooper. And he serves on the board of the Greater Twin Cities United Way.

 

 

 

RACHAEL MARRET

President and Director of Integrated Client Services

 

As President of Campbell Mithun, Rachael oversees the integration of digital capabilities throughout client services, technology and production.

 

What she loves best about her job is bringing different minds and perspectives together to crack a solution. And she’s excited that those solutions are getting more interesting because the industry is at a tipping point. “The experience channels are all blurring into digital,” she notes, “allowing us to help brands become a more valuable part of consumers’ lives. We don’t have to focus on channel mechanics anymore.”

 

In her previous role as Managing Director of MRM Worldwide Minneapolis, Rachael led overall strategy, business development, service delivery and quality. She’s leveraged digital solutions to drive measurable business impact for clients including General Mills, H&R Block, Microsoft, The Hartford, Sony, National City Bank, Target, and Intel (Asia-Pacific region). Though she’s been focused on the online space since 1995, Rachael spent the first nine years of her career in creative development roles, working with clients such as Marriott Hotels Worldwide, Polo Ralph/Lauren, and Hertz.

 

Rachael stays more than busy raising her daughter — who, we imagine, is pretty savvy in all things digital.

 

 

 

 

HEATH RUDDUCK

Chief Creative Officer

 

Heath leads and manages the agency’s creative output.  He’s skilled in the fine art of talking your ear off when it comes to his passion for big organizing ideas and his love for untapped creative possibilities.  And he revels in today’s fantastic nonlinear communication world.

 

From branded-content experiences to user-generated social campaigns, Heath believes in building brands that stand the rigors of time, but that also can morph with shifting markets. He possesses a boundless passion for possibilities, fueled by the power of harnessed insights, by the weaving of ideas into consumers’ lives and by embracing the thrill of the new.

 

His 20 years of international experience span major industry categories from CPG, FMCG, pharmaceuticals, automotive and large-footprint retail-to-consumer electronics, telecommunications and travel. His clients have included P&G brands, Olay, Pampers, Crest, Gillette, Tide, Downy, Tampax, Head & Shoulders, General Motors, Buick, GMC, Aflac Insurance, Stop ‘n Shop, Staples, Goodyear and SunTrust.

 

Considered one of the founders of digital creativity in Australia, Heath has worked around the globe, spending time in AsiaPac, the Middle East and Europe.  Prior to joining Campbell Mithun, he served as executive creative director at Digitas in Boston. Though his daughter did have a penchant for Boston’s chowder, Heath and his entire family are now happy to be in Minneapolis, where they’ve found they can still get their foodie fix.

 

 

 

 

REID HOLMES

Executive Creative Director

 

Reid possesses all the traits of a good leader — virtuosity, authenticity, and thanks to a stint in a London pub, the ability to pour a perfect pint. He also possesses constant dissatisfaction, so he never stops pushing to make CM’s work better.

 

Reid is the co-architect of H&R Block’s “You Got People” campaign, called “the best selling idea we’ve seen in 5 years” by AdAge magazine.  He’s received the prestigious H.K. McCann Leadership Award. And his work has been recognized by almost every industry creative award show – including Effie’s, Cannes, Communication Arts and The One Show.

 

He’s worked on brands including Burger King, Coca-Cola, Craftsman Tools, Dish Network, Domino’s Pizza, FiServ, Ford Motor Company, H&R Block, Kenmore, Kmart, Lowe’s Home Improvement Centers, National City Bank, Nestea, Schwan’s, Red Baron & Freschetta, Sears, Apparel, Toro, Unilever – Breyers, Good Humor, Klondike and Popsicle.

 

In his quest to make things better, Reid spends an inordinate amount of his spare time on home improvement projects.

 

 

 

CHRIS WEXLER

Director, Media Strategy & Interactive

 

Chris joined Compass Point Media and Campbell Mithun in August 2009, after working at Crispin Porter Bogusky in Boulder Colorado. The draw? The smarts, passion and energy that Compass Point Media and Campbell Mithun apply to our brands. With his own energy, love of challenge, and highly recognizable laugh, Chris now provides thought leadership in digital and emerging media forms for all of our clients.

 

He’s especially proud of his team’s success with the non-traditional media approach taken with Chipotle. “It shows what we do here at — stand on the shoulders of giants, blending history and innovation to redefine how everything talks.”

 

A self-proclaimed (but cleverly disguised) introvert, Chris prefers to spend time at home with his wife and daughters.  He also volunteers with Not For Sale, a leading anti-human trafficking organization.

 

 

 

 

SEAN OBRIEN

Director of Technology and Innovation

 

Sean develops technically sophisticated, immersive consumer experiences that give our clients competitive advantages. And he’s thrilled that CM isn’t afraid to try something new.

 

With his background as an experienced cross-platform systems architect, Sean has delivered SOA applications utilizing platforms including .Net, Java, Flash, and PHP. He’s also created rich social and mobile marketing applications, developing applications for Facebook, iPhone, and Android. Achieving success for clients like Navy.com, Zales, Carlson Companies, National City, Microsoft, General Mills, and Nestlé, he’s won numerous honors for technology and innovation including Google’s Marketing Machine Award. His three daughters also think he’s pretty great, but have not bestowed any actual awards.

 

Sean loves what he does so much he even codes in his non-work hours. That is, when he isn’t connecting via Tumblr, Twitter (@sean_obrien) and FriendFeed. Or constructing elaborate samurai costumes. Really, he does that.

 

 

 

 

MELANIE SKOGLUND

Director, Media Strategy & Investments

 

Facing challenges that require creative media solutions is Melanie’s forte. She believes it’s her job to be uncomfortable— pursuing projects that might scare her to achieve extraordinary results (she follows the same philosophy personally, tackling zip lining and parasailing despite a fear of heights).  Melanie and her team focus on understanding trends, embracing the new and trying what hasn’t been proven.

 

Her broad experience before joining Campbell-Mithun includes time at agencies, running a successful consulting firm, and working on the client side, helping her see the business from different points of view.

She also brings a phenomenal attitude that goes a long way toward achieving client satisfaction.

 

Minnesota weather allowing, she can often be found on the links with her golf-pro husband and two kids.

 

 

DEBBIE FISCHER

Director of Human Resources

 

To lead the Campbell Mithun Human Resources program, Debbie draws from experience in senior recruitment and development at organization including Disney, Target and Wells Fargo. She also draws on experience raising three young children, including twin toddlers. She does it all with obvious passion.

 

Debbie’s passion for attracting and developing the best talent for Campbell Mithun is what drives her  —though she does take time to pursue a master’s degree, regularly change her hair color, and chase those toddlers. She was instrumental in creating the Campbell Mithun Lucky 13, one of the industry’s most talked-about intern programs worldwide. One of Debbie’s proudest moments was seeing Lucky 13 coverage in the NY Times. She continues to evolve the program, now in its 7th year, finding more innovative ways to attract candidates who often become full-time Campbell Mithun employees.

 

 

 

 

GILES MARTIN

Director, Data Analytics & Marketing Accountability

 

Campbell Mithun found the analytics geek of our dreams in Giles Martin. He identifies key performance indicators from current marketplace data and turns them into actionable insights to benefit our clients. He leads the agency’s use of data both to create real-time views of consumer behavior and to analyze the performance of specific communications channels or executions – all with the goal of optimizing returns and predicting outcomes in increasingly relevant ways. And, perhaps due to his time living at a Buddhist monastery, he does it all with admirable calm and focus.

 

With degrees from Oxford University in philosophy and modern languages, Giles began his agency career in the UK at Carat and M&C Saatchi, working in disciplines including client services, planning, analytics and strategy. Before joining the Compass Point Media unit of Campbell Mithun, Giles worked at Ocean Media Inc. in Los Angeles where he built data analytics capabilities for all clients and provided account leadership on eHarmony.com.

 

Giles counts parenting, spiritual growth, and butter-based baked goods as priorities in his life. He also enjoys getting outside and taking in the bracing Minneapolis air.

 

Click here to listen to an audio clip of Giles commenting on the role of analytics in communications.

 

 

 

LYNN FRANZ

Director of Strategic Planning

 

Lynn makes sure that if we’re going to make Everything Talk for our clients, we start by listening – to consumer sentiment, brand impressions and cultural insights.  Then she uses both right- and left-brain analysis to turn mountains of data into motivating insights.

 

Her job ensures she’s constantly learning – about insurance one day and lawn mowers the next. She also learns a lot about “Momming,” which is personally useful with both a pre-schooler and a high schooler at home. But no matter what the subject, the research leads to a fresh, smart, pioneering idea — and that’s what Lynn loves most about her job.

 

Proof of her effectiveness could be her national Jay Chiat Planning Award for work on H&R Block, or, quite simply, our clients’ day-to-day healthy brand metrics. It can also be found in publications like Forbes, where Lynn’s recent article on The Sharing Economy provides a strong foundation for new thinking as it relates to our clients’ businesses.

(link to article)

 

 

 

 

KATHY DITORO

Director of Production

 

One of Kathy’s adventures before joining CM was working at a country ratio station in Shreveport (though she really prefers bluegrass). Clearly a master of reinvention, she’s always thinking of new models of working to adapt to our ever-changing business atmospheres.

 

Kathy oversees all production of CM’s broadcast, print, digital, outdoor, and mobile advertising. She’s constantly looking for ways to match client needs with innovative ways to leverage brand strengths. She was a force of nature in securing Alberto Culver’s TRESemmé and Nexxus brands’ highly successful partnerships with the Bravo network’s beauty-based reality shows. And she’s recently helped develop a CM Content Division focused on producing quick-turn, highly creative content for our clients; one of its first projects was a tight budget, tight timeline TV spot that was recognized by Ad Age as the year’s Best Non-Retail Holiday Spot.

 

Kathy credits the smart, creative people around her for bringing fresh ideas to life; they credit her optimistic attitude and infectious energy for making the work fun. When she’s not at CM, she’s sharing that energy with her “big, crazy, loving family” and friends, enjoying big dinners and great conversations.

 

 

 

 

STEVE ARNDT

Chief Financial Officer

 

No one understands how to use the financial resources of an agency to create mutual success for a business and its clients like Steve Arndt.

 

Steve is one of the few financial minds that can keenly recognize the difference between costs and investments in this rapidly changing marketing landscape, allowing Campbell Mithun to invest in growth strategies while maintaining an enviable position of financial stability. His counterparts on the client side laud Steve’s collaboration and his commitment to transparency and fairness in all aspects of Campbell Mithun’s business partnerships.

 

Steve’s prior experience as a senior leader serving global clients in KPMG’s Information, Communication and Entertainment Practice has helped form his broad perspective in financial management.

 

 

 

 

DICK HURRELBRINK

President, Compass Point Media

 

Dick actually started his career as a media planner at Campbell Mithun. He came back to join Compass Point in 1993 and hasn’t left, helping to lead the practice for nearly 20 years. Prior to Compass Point, he was the Director of Media Planning and Strategy at General Mills. During that time on the client side he worked with dozens of leading brands, developing a keen understanding of the importance of outstanding media planning and execution in successful brand building.