Creative

Cases

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  We Don't Make Sense. We Make Chicken.

  Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

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  Prepare for Misuse

  The Ad Council

News

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  McKinney’s new president, influencer strategy and health and wellness practice | Ad Age Agency News

  Gretchen Walsh, who joined McKinney in 2004, was just named McKinney’s first female President in its 54-year history. She will report to McKinney CEO Joe Maglio, who said the move was necessary to help manage the agency, which has grown 3x since he joined in 2018. Part of McKinney’s growth is attributed to the launch of its new health and wellness practice and its influencer expertise, which was added after the acquisition of influencer agency August United in January along with performance media company Tailwind. Maglio’s focus for McKinney is to position it as more than a core creative agency by integrating influencer marketing across the agency beyond content creation. Another big win for the agency was being named creative agency of record for Popeyes at the beginning of 2023. Jeff Klein, who joined Popeyes as its chief marketing officer in 2022 and helped the brand pick McKinney, was previously the CMO of Little Caesars when McKinney won that account. And though winning Little Caesars helped open doors for the agency and debunk the perception of being a regional agency, Maglio said he is cognizant of not losing the agency’s Durham identity as it grows. “It’s still our biggest office, I would never want to lose that foundation.”

  Ad Age, 06/08/2023

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  New Popeyes Ads Are Authentically New Orleans

  To kick off our new partnership with, Popeyes®, we launched “We Don’t Make Sense, We Make Chicken.” The campaign – launching next month – celebrates the magic of New Orleans, starring New Orleans-based actors that capture the nostalgia of homemade, slow Southern cooking. It’s not just about great-tasting chicken, it’s about history and long time-honored traditions. Taking 12 hours to marinate fried chicken doesn’t make a lot of sense — so let’s throw logic out the window and enjoy the crunch, the Cajun spice, and the culture of the brand.

  Adweek, 04/26/2023

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  Popeyes hires McKinney as creative AOR | Ad Age

  Popeyes® selected McKinney as Creative Agency of Record. McKinney brings a deep knowledge of and passion for the food and beverage category, a keen understanding of the franchise landscape, and a knack for connecting culture and iconic brands while driving business goals. The first campaign from McKinney and Popeyes is set to break in late spring. “McKinney comes to us with an incredible depth of restaurant experience and a reputation for producing creative that helps drive the business,” said Jeff Klein, chief marketing officer at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome them to the Popeyes family as our partner handling all things creative, marketing, and advertising. We’re excited to embark on this next chapter and welcome the fresh set of eyes on our iconic brand. We believe this change will help us accelerate the next stage of growth and create a world-class experience for our guests.”

  Ad Age, 04/05/2023

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  McKinney Named Creative AOR for Puma Run/Train Business

  McKinney has been selected by global sports company PUMA as their global Agency-of-Record (AOR) for all strategy & creative work across the PUMA Run/Train business unit. PUMA has 75 years of history of moving sports and culture forward and has worked with some of the greatest athletes of all time such as Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man. With the re-launch of PUMA Running in 2021, including the completely redesigned line of NITRO running shoes, McKinney has an opportunity to cement PUMA as a premier shoe for a new generation of runners worldwide. The opportunity was brought to McKinney by search consultant Pile and Company. McKinney participated in a highly competitive pitch process which lasted several months. Ultimately, McKinney won the business based on their ability to develop creative ideas – born from simple human insights – that span across digital and social, coupled with their unique expertise in the category (the agency has worked with Columbia, Skechers, Shoe Show, and Crocs). Making this win even more personal, McKinney’s team is full of passionate runners who were able to road test the shoes during the pitch process, which ignited their enthusiasm for the brand. “Partnering with an iconic brand that has the ability to empower the next generation of runners is going to be very rewarding,” said Joe Maglio, CEO of McKinney. “Over the years, PUMA has shaped the culture around sport and they have been instrumental in driving social change in the space. We’re excited to partner with them.”

  Agency Spy, 03/03/2023

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  McKinney Acquired Influencer Marketing Agency August United

  McKinney acquired August United, a top 10 influencer marketing agency. Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ they provide full-service influencer marketing with an emphasis on activating micro and mid-tier creators at scale. August United capabilities include: influencer strategy, partnership management, content development, and implementation. McKinney also absorbed the digital performance media agency, Tailwind, to bolster its integrated media offering. The move allows McKinney to continue delivering a modern ecosystem for clients and help their partners realize their untapped potential.

  Adweek, 01/25/2023

Clients

About

McKinney is a creative, media and influencer agency that gets attention for brands. In 2024, McKinney was named to Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators list, as well as Ad Age’s A-List and its list of Best Places to Work, reinforcing the agency's commitment to providing an exceptional workplace culture where employees thrive and creativity flourishes. McKinney Health, the agency’s Pharma and Wellness practice launched in 2022, was named to MM+M Magazine’s 2024 Agency 100 list. A Certified B Corporation, McKinney is part of the Cheil Worldwide network and has offices across the country, including Durham, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and New York. McKinney has been recognized by Cannes Lions, Effies, The One Show, D&AD, ANDY, CLIO, LIA, the Shortys, and The Webby Awards, among others. Client partners include brands such as Popeyes, Blue Diamond Growers, Little Caesars, Pampers, Henkel, Samsung, Indivior, Sherwin-Williams, Biogen and the Ad Council. For more information, visit mckinney.com.

People

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  Joe Maglio

  CEO

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  Gretchen Walsh

  President

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  Jasmine Dadlani

  Chief Strategy Officer

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  Michael McNamara

  Managing Director, McKinney Health

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  Bill Mattis

  Managing Director

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  Swapnil Patel

  Managing Director

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  Chandra Guinn

  Executive Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion