Arnold Worldwide Hires Digital Creative Powerhouse from Goodby

Jose Luis Martinez Joins the Agency at a Time of Creative Resurgence

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Feb 02, 2011, 11:07 ET

BOSTON, Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Arnold Worldwide, one of the top five most creatively awarded agencies of the past decade, has appointed Jose Luis Martinez as Vice President, Creative Director. Martinez joins Arnold's Boston office after five years at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, where he honed his skills as a multidisciplinary creative with extensive digital experience for clients, including Haagen Dazs, Hewlett-Packard, Hyundai and Sprint, among others. He officially starts on February 28 and will report to Chief Creative Officer Pete Favat.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110202/NE41151 )

"In our continuous effort to up the level of work, we are pleased to welcome Jose Luis to Arnold. We've already hired an impressive and ambitious group of top creative talent that is infusing fresh thinking into our client's brands. Jose Luis is the latest example of the high caliber of talent that's attracted to Arnold as we amp up our integrated offering, particularly in digital," said Pete Favat, Chief Creative Officer of Arnold Worldwide's Boston office.

Heavily investing in digital is part of Arnold Worldwide's ongoing commitment to harness technology innovations and deliver on all client-marketing needs. Arnold offers a full range of digital services, from research and development to strategy, creative technology and analytics. The agency currently partners with 75 percent of its clients on digital projects and executes 80 percent of the work in house. Arnold has been recognized with over 250 digital awards over the last 12 years, including Webby's, SXSW Interactive Awards, Andy's, One Show Interactive, a Grand CLIO and a Cannes Lion.

"Arnold's legacy includes developing some of the most celebrated and inspiring digital creative ideas of all time. Whether it was being the first agency to sell a Volkswagen online or developing some of the most highly awarded digital work for Truth's anti-smoking campaign, there's a lot of amazing digital thinking that has come out of this agency," said Andrew Benett, Global CEO of Arnold Worldwide and Global Chief Strategy Officer of Havas Worldwide. "The recent work we've created for clients like Carnival, as well as the great talent that's coming through our doors, is setting the stage for more great things to come."

Martinez spent five years at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, rising up the ranks to associate creative director and developing a rare balance between digital and traditional marketing. Among his duties, he was part of a team that created the digital work for Sprint, including the launch of the "Now Network." The campaign won an Integrated Campaign Gold Lion at Cannes in 2009 and has been recognized by the Clios, the One Show, D&AD and the Andy's. He was also a part of the "Essential Five" campaign for Haagen Dazs, which was awarded a Grand Kelly. In addition, he worked on the successful launch of the Hyundai Genesis, the first luxury sedan for the carmaker in the U.S.; was part of the lead team that repositioned Cheetos into an adult-targeted brand; and worked on campaigns for HP, Adobe and "Got Milk?"

Prior to GS&P, Martinez worked at EVB, where he led creative teams on Wrigley's Orbit and Winterfresh gum, as well as Adidas, Hitachi and Gallo Wineries. While there, he was recognized by the FWA, Communication Arts and the London International Advertising Awards. Martinez's work has been featured in numerous publications, including Creativity, Ad Age, Creative Review, Communication Arts and Taschen's Internet Case Study Book.

In the past year, Arnold has hired over 60 experienced digital people across all levels and disciplines. Martinez is the third senior creative recently hired at the Vice President, Creative Director level. Steve Caputo joined from digital agency R/GA, where he concepted, wrote and directed digital experiences for over seven years for clients including Nokia, Nike, Sharp, Intel, Subaru and Chanel. His experience is being leveraged on several accounts, including New Balance.

In addition, Tom Morhous joined from AKQA, where he spent five years and split his time between the digital agency's New York and London offices. While in New York, he was part of the team that created the Coca-Cola "Happiness Factory," which won a Cannes Cyber Lion, as well as numerous other awards. Since joining Arnold, Tom has been a creative force behind Carnival Cruise Line's latest digital campaign, called "Hey America, Didja Ever?," which invites audiences to participate with the brand through a robust Facebook application that celebrates the fun of first-time experiences.

On joining Arnold, Martinez says, "I consider Goodby, Silverstein & Partners to be part of my family and leaving your family is not easy. However, Arnold made a big impression on me. Seeing the depth of talent, as well as the passion and hunger that exists there, made me realize that it's a place well positioned to do groundbreaking work and I want to be part of that."

About Arnold Worldwide

Arnold is a global communications company and one of the top five most creatively awarded agencies of the past decade. We are proud to represent a diverse portfolio of clients, including Aetna, Alberto Culver, Amtrak, Carnival Cruise Lines, CVS/pharmacy, Fidelity Investments, The Hershey Company, Huntington Bank, Lee Jeans, McDonald's, Mederma, Mike's Hard Lemonade Co., New Balance, Ocean Spray, Panasonic, Progressive, Titleist, truth®, Tyson, Volvo and many other great brands. Arnold delivers services across all communication touch points – advertising, digital, promotions, direct, design, branded content – and is part of Havas Worldwide with offices in Boston, New York, Washington DC, Toronto, London, Amsterdam, Prague, Milan, Madrid, Moscow, Lisbon, Sydney, Sao Paulo and Shanghai.