Industry vet returns
to the town where
he launched his career
and became one of
Michigan Avenue’s
youngest VPs
Executive Creative Director Aaron Evanson is returning to Chicago, the city where his career began, after working at in VMLY&R Kansas City, one of the agency’s principal offices.
Formed in September 2018, VMLY&R is the union of two leading WPP shops, VML and Y&R. The agency has nearly 7,000 employees worldwide with principal offices in Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney.
Evanson will focus on the office’s lead campaign work for clients, including Kraft Heinz, Panama Tourism and Wells. He will work alongside VMLY&R Chicago Executive Creative Director Jeremy Schutte, who oversees platform work for clients, such as Northern Trust, and Group Creative Director Mariana Costa.
Evanson’s work has been recognized with industry awards, including Cannes Lions, the One Show and London International Awards, among others.
While at VMLY&R Kansas City, Evanson led creative teams to multiple new business wins and buzzworthy campaigns, such as Wendy’s Pretzel Love Songs, which garnered more than 2 billion earned media impressions and grew Wendy’s stock price by 31 percent.
WENDY’S PRETZEL BACON CHEESEBURGER LOVE SONGS | VOL 1
Evanson has nearly 25 years of brand-building expertise. He started his career at FCB Chicago, where his Kraft campaigns created pop culture buzz and record sales.
His work on the It’s Not Delivery, It’s DiGiorno campaign is still going strong today. The effort is part of an award-winning portfolio that helped Evanson become the youngest FCB creative to ever earn the title of vice president.
About VMLY&R
VMLY&R is a global marketing agency that harnesses creativity, technology and culture to create connected brands. The agency has nearly 7,000 employees worldwide with principal offices in Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. VMLY&R works with client partners including Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, Dell, Electrolux/Frigidaire, Ford, Office Depot, Pfizer and Wendy’s.
Send your agency updates to Reel Chicago Editor Dan Patton, dan@reelchicago.com.
