Blue Chip has named John Maxham its first chief creative officer, formalizing a role he has effectively been shaping over the past year and a half as a consultant. The former chief creative officer at DDB and Laughlin Constable, Maxham brings deep brand building experience and a big idea mindset to the middle market focused agency.
Maxham is widely known for leading high-profile campaigns for brands including Skittles, Jeep, State Farm, and Capital One. More recently, he has worked as a consultant for companies such as Abbott and Kohler, as well as agencies on both coasts. During that time, he also partnered closely with Blue Chip leadership, helping guide a significant evolution in the agency’s creative culture and approach.
According to Maxham, the opportunity stood out because Blue Chip was willing to make real structural change rather than simply talk about it. Instead of being asked to oversee a traditional creative department, he was brought in to help rethink how the agency operates, from team structure to idea generation. Over the last 18 months, that collaboration led to a reconfigured creative team and a new process designed to elevate brand thinking across the business.
The shift has already delivered results. In the past year, Blue Chip has secured creative agency-of-record assignments with Lamb Weston, Emerald Nuts, Frogtape, La Brea Bakery, and Panera at Home, signaling growing momentum well beyond its original roots in shopper marketing.
Founded 43 years ago, Blue Chip built its reputation as a retail and shopper marketing specialist, working with major clients including Procter and Gamble, Bausch and Lomb, and Gallo Winery. While that heritage remains part of the agency’s DNA, leadership sees the current transformation as a natural evolution rather than a departure. Today, Blue Chip positions its approach as Brand Commerce, blending brand strategy with performance-driven thinking to help clients build long-term equity while driving immediate sales.
CEO Stanton Kawer says the goal is to eliminate fragmentation for clients by uniting brand and commerce under one roof. With Maxham stepping into the CCO role, Kawer believes the agency is better positioned to guide businesses through the full journey to measurable growth, from bold creative ideas to retail execution that converts. “We’re fusing brand and commerce thinking at Blue Chip. So, we can prevent clients from having to work with a bunch of disconnected agencies because we can put it all together. With John at the helm we can lead a business through the entire journey to measurable growth, from creative that knocks you off your chair to retail activations that inspire you to reach for the brand.”
For Maxham, the appeal lies in the model itself. In an industry crowded with similar structures and promises, he sees Blue Chip’s approach as genuinely distinct. “I’ve consulted for a lot of agencies that say they want to attract clients with bigger ideas and brand thinking, but Blue Chip was serious about overhauling the creative culture. Leadership didn’t ask me to head a creative department; they asked me to help build a new kind of agency. We’ve reconfigured the team and introduced a new process for generating ideas. Now we’re truly changing the face of the business.”
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