CURRICULUM VITAE
Ward Graham | Executive Creative Director
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
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An Executive Creative Director with extensive experience developing, nurturing and evolving some of the world’s most iconic brands. Thinking globally while acting locally I identify the insights that motivate people to buy.
From Lancôme to Marlboro, I’ve led the creative muscle for a portfolio of work that spans packaged goods, beauty, events and automotive. Transforming teams around the globe to push beyond the brief and engage consumers with truly memorable brand experiences and captivating marketing approaches is a passion. As a leader, I am dedicated to human insights, transparency and uniting teams around ideas that are current yet inherently timeless.
EXECUTIVE SKILLS
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Creative Direction
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New Business Pitch
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New product Launch
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Digital
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New Campaign
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Experiential
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Strategic Planning
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Branding
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Business Transformation
BRAND EXPERIENCE
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Packaged Goods: Del Monte, Bubble Yum, California Raisins, Marlboro, L&M, Parliament, Winston, Virginia Slims, National Coffee Association, National Beef Council, Hanes Her Way, Hanes Men’s & Boys Underwear, Lawn Boy
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Beauty: Lancôme Paris, La Prairie, Nina Rici, Band De Soleil, 3M Buff Puff, Charles of the Ritz
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Luxury & Spirits: Ralph Lauren Home Furnishings, Cointreau Liquor, Bill Blass Underwear
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Sports: Nabisco PGA Golf Tour, Vantage SENIOR PGA Golf Tour, Winston Cup NASCAR, Winston Eagle Hydroplane, Salem Pro Sail, Marlboro F1 Racing, Marlboro Indycar, Marlboro Adventure Team
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Automotive: Range Rover, DeLorean, Subaru South
CAREER SUMMARY
01.2018 – Present
Ward Graham Communications
Brand Experience Generator & Executive Creative Director
Ward Graham Communications was founded as a creative agency that specializes in generating brand experiences and challenging traditional advertising methods to focus on true audience engagement.
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Key responsibilities
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Developed the pitch and brand positioning evaluating the re-launch of ALTRIA / PM USA’s past and current menthol products, including Alpine, Parliament, Players, Benson & Hedges and Virginia Slims. As a result of the pitch, UNIWORLD was made the agency of record with the menthol business focusing on Players.
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For UNIWORLD GROUP of WPP, directed the creative and production for their ideology platform video ‘UNICULTURE: Winning Over Multicultural Consumers’.
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Designed the concept for Uiara Natural Tonic Water, an Amazon ingredients tonic water made with handpicked botanical which focuses its communications platform on an Amazonian indigenous community CSR.
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Created the entire brand and company strategy for Uiara Natural Tonic water including product name, logo, company platform, vision, mission and objective statements.
01.2015 – 04.2017
Leo Burnett, Frankfurt – Executive Creative Director (EVP) Brand Global Lead
​Leo Burnett is a global communications agency that is home to some of the world’s most iconic brands with a commitment to bringing creativity, data and technology to the forefront in advertising. As Executive Creative Director, I was responsible for elevating the creative product for the Chesterfield and L&M brands worldwide.
Key responsibilities
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Oversaw the transfer of the L&M and Chesterfield accounts over to the Frankfurt team from London to ensure local markets maintained Leo Burnett’s world-class level of quality.
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Created a flexible communications platform for the core brand idea ready for launch in a variety of global markets.
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Designed creative body for brands that spanned promotions, events, retail, digital and trade.
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Mapped out the challenges presented by different markets and implemented scalable solutions that could work in both dark and open markets.
05.2011 – 01.2015
Leo Burnett, Chicago – Executive Creative Director (EVP) Brand Global Lead
Coordinated five lead market offices around the world working on the Chesterfield and L&M brands to develop a core creative vision for the accounts while building in pliability for international markets, working ATL and BTL. Drove key new campaigns for Philip Morris International’s other portfolio brands led by strategic insights and pushing beyond the brief.
05.2010 – 04.2011
Leo Burnett, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Spain
Executive Creative Director (EVP) In-Market Communications Plan Innovator
Led a series of three-month long projects in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Spain. Evaluated the local markets and used insights to map out challenges facing the Marlboro brand in all three markets and the L&M brand in Spain. Rebuilt the local creative teams with new strategies for customer relation management and project management which led to an increase in margins in all the markets alongside digital advertising. Significant improvement to productivity and net income throughout.
05.2008 – 01.2010
Leo Burnett, Frankfurt
Executive Creative Director (SVP) Brand Global Lead
Transitioned the Marlboro account from Chicago to Europe (Frankfurt, Germany and Lausanne, Switzerland) and led a new advertising approach for markets outside of the USA, leading to the international ‘Don’t be a Maybe’ campaign. Rebuilt Frankfurt PMI team to create a single agency environment between Chicago, Frankfurt and Lausanne. Developed and managed the transformation of Marlboro from a vertical marketing platform to a horizontal platform of three independent brands - FLAVOR, GOLD, and FRESH. Created new communication strategic platforms for Marlboro FLAVOR, GOLD, FRESH and Marlboro Racing that encompassed CRM, digital, ATL and BTL.
05.2007 – 04.2008
Leo Burnett, Chicago
Senior Creative Director (SVP)
Handled the need for a rapid development of a new advertising approach for Marlboro Lights. Led Marlboro’s transition over to the GOLD brand and incorporated flexibility for international markets for ATL, BTL, CE, trademark and product communication. Transferred creative resources from Chicago over to Frankfurt.
10.2000 – 12.2006
Leo Burnett, Frankfurt
Senior Creative Director (SVP)
Responsible for developing PMI’s international brand plans across Germany and expanded work to encompass Austria, Switzerland, Worldwide Duty Free and Africa regionally. Modernised PMI’s advertising approach for deployment in retail staging, digital advertising, customer experience and consumer engagement. Led a team of 15 and restructured to more effectively deliver excellence internationally.
1991 – 2000
Leo Burnett, Chicago
Senior Art Director
Developed advertising strategies for Marlboro, including the Marlboro Racing and Marlboro Adventure Team to deliver for TV, cinema and ATL platforms. Updated the approach to Marlboro Menthols to produce a worldwide offering and reinvented the Marlboro Man to be more relevant to contemporary audiences.
EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS
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Industry Heroes Program at Miami Ad School Punta Cana, The Dominican Republic: visiting instructor | Brand Seminar and New Business: 2020
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Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Communication at Auburn University: 1977 - 1982