Swirl Adds Digital Leadership

San Francisco-based independent agency Swirl has welcomed 20-year digital veteran Greg Johnson in the newly created position of EVP, director of digital.

Johnson has held top positions at agencies including McCann WorldGroup, William Morris Endeavor and Digitas. He also founded Magnet Studios and was Interpublic Emerging Lab’s first executive director. In the new position, Johnson will report to co-CEOs John Berg and Tom Sebastian while playing a digital leadership role on accounts including Walmart, Microsoft, Clorox and eBay.

“Swirl was born in San Francisco, the epicenter of the digital revolution,” said Johnson, “They are a perfect fit for what I’ve done and where I want to go. The agency’s innovation team is unparalleled and we share a relentless desire to be a part of building great companies. I can’t wait to get started.”

“Greg’s extensive expertise complements our team” added Berg. “He has built his career being a half-step ahead of the marketplace and adds an extraordinary set of skills and a background characterized by independent thinking and innovation. It is a rare and amazing opportunity to add someone of Greg’s caliber to the team.”

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W+K Takes Over on TurboTax

Suffice it to say that it’s been a busy day on the account front. We first started hearing about this last Friday and though the Wieden + Kennedy camp confirmed that its Portland HQ was still in the pitch for tax preparation/filing service TurboTax, the agency referred any other inquiries to the brand’s parent company, Intuit. Well, we didn’t hear back from the latter but it’s now hit the wire that W+K has indeed been named AOR for TurboTax following a three-month review. Beginning August 1, W+K will take over on creative and media planning duties for TT, which were previously handled by L.A.-based agency, Dailey. According to earlier reports, W+K beat out the likes of CP+B, goodness Mfg. and Campbell Ewald for the TurboTax business.

In a statement, TurboTax VP of marketing Greg Johnson says, “From our first meeting, the chemistry between our two teams was clear. The Wieden+Kennedy team understands that TurboTax is central to the financial lives of millions of Americans. They share our belief that TurboTax exists to empower people to do their taxes and get their biggest refund. With their long history of developing great work that transforms brands, we are thrilled about the prospects for this partnership.”

Now, one can only wonder if W+K continues with the tax prep ad war between TurboTax and H&R Block in their upcoming efforts.

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