CHICAGO, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Cramer-Krasselt, the third-largest
independent agency in the U.S., has added three well-known advertising
talents to its ranks: VP/Group Creative Director Ken Erke, SVP/Group
Account Director Michael Baer and SVP/Group Account Director Brian
Nienhaus.
Erke joins C-K from Young & Rubicam Chicago where he served as vice
president/creative director, and DDB Needham, where he was associate
creative director. He is best known for award-winning work on the
MillerAuditions.com campaign that picked up two Cannes Lions and two One
Show Pencils. His previous experience also includes work on brands such as
Hilton, NASCAR, Sears, The Great Indoors and networks including Comedy
Central, E! and ESPN.
"C-K is the agency with the most momentum in Chicago right now," said
Erke. "I have been very impressed with their creative work and I'm excited
to join their team."
Michael Baer is the second high-level Madison-Avenue recruit for C-K's
Chicago office this year, joining from Lowe & Partners New York where he
served as executive vice president/managing director. For six years, he
worked on the Unilever brands and directed a team of more than 40 staffers
in support of $120 million in billings and annual revenue in excess of $10
million. He has won numerous industry awards for creative excellence as
well as in-market campaign effectiveness.
"C-K is exactly what I was looking for -- a perfect combination of
award- winning, 360-degree creative expertise, a strong strategic
foundation, and terrific, smart people," said Baer. "And the fact that it's
still celebrating its independence was a big draw, as well."
Brian Nienhaus joins the C-K ranks from Euro RSCG Chicago where he was
group account director for the agency's Citigroup account. Nienhaus had
previously been senior VP-group account director at Grey San Francisco
where he led the agency's work for Gateway's sponsorship of the 2004
Olympic Games and Nokia's first global business-to-business campaign. While
at McCann- Erickson, Brian led Microsoft's first global brand campaign with
the tagline, "Your potential. Our passion." Earlier, he was a founding
member of Foote, Cone & Belding's Digital Branding Practice in Chicago.
"I'm very excited to join C-K at time of tremendous growth and as we
are being viewed as a major creative force on the national advertising
stage," said Nienhaus. "I joined C-K because of the reel, the people and
the mission."
"With a growth rate of nearly 40 percent in two years, we are expanding
rapidly and recruiting some of the industry's most dynamic talent to drive
us to our goal of being the largest independent agency in the U.S.," said
Karen Seamen, EVP/general manager of C-K Chicago. "Ken, Michael and Brian
are a fantastic addition to our winning team."
About Cramer-Krasselt
Rapidly growing Cramer-Krasselt is the third-largest independent agency
in the United States, with billings nearing $800 million in 2006. Several
major new business wins contributed to a 22 percent growth rate in 2006.
Frequently featured for its creativity, the agency is headquartered in
Chicago, with offices in New York, Milwaukee and Phoenix. The agency is on
a creative winning streak that has notched two Gold and one silver Effie,
two Bronze Lions, the 2005 Athena campaign of the year, recognition as one
of three finalists for the O'Toole Award, the 2006 ADWEEK BUZZ Award for
Best Overall "Buzz" Campaign of the Year and recognition from The Wall
Street Journal for creating one of the best ads of 2006:
CareerBuilder.com's Monk-e-Mail. C-K's client list is representative of
major brands across virtually every industry. They include: AirTran
Airways, Benjamin Moore, Brookstone, CareerBuilder.com, Cellular South,
Corona Beer, EFFEN Vodka, H. J. Heinz Co., Hyatt Hotels, KeyBank Corp.,
Master Lock, R.H. Donnelley Yellow Pages, Spice Islands, Ski- Doo, Takeda
Pharmaceuticals' Rozerem, WellCare Health Plans and [yellow tail] wine.
Cramer-Krasselt's public relations subsidiary, CKPR, is ranked among the
nation's top 15 agencies. For more information, visit Cramer-Krasselt at
http://www.c-k.com .
SOURCE Cramer-Krasselt
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Related links:
http://www.c-k.com
CONTACT:
Susanna Homan, Cramer-Krasselt,
+1-312-616-2371, or shoman@c-k.com
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