Wunderman New York Expands Creative Offering With Two New Hires From Facebook & Google

These hires are part of Thessman's plan to expand Wunderman NY's creative offering. Arriving from Facebook and Google, where both served as creative directors, Gates and Castellano were recruited specifically for their expertise in mobile and experiential marketing, digital, data and UX.

In their previous roles, Gates managed the development of digital brand experiences for Facebook and played a key role in the rebrand of Facebook for Business. Castellano specialized in interactive experiences, product design and branding for Google.

"Kat and Jeffrey both have a deep understanding of social media, mobile UX and technology and are motivated by big, insight-driven ideas," said Thessman. "These qualities are very much aligned with the future of Wunderman and our industry generally."

A savvy brand strategist with extensive global experience, Gates was previously a regional creative director for Pampers and Iams at Saatchi & Saatchi in Germany. Prior to that Gates was a global creative director on Always at Leo Burnett, where she was part of the team behind the multi award-winning 'Like A Girl' campaign.

Prior to Google, Castellano was J. Walter Thompson's director of creative technology in New York where he managed the agency's digital creative studio and lead multidisciplinary teams in UX, technology and production for clients including Rolex, J&J, Energizer and Nestle. An advocate for greater technical exploration within the creative community, Castellano also develops new digital products such as Empath, an artificial intelligence storytelling framework that utilizes data to generate consumer profiles and deliver personalized experiences in real-time. He has served on the 4A's Creative Technology Committee and is the digital chair for the Global Fine Arts Awards.

"Data is a fundamental part of today's creative process," Castellano said. "Wunderman excels at delivering creative ideas and strategies fueled by data and I'm excited to help this team develop the kind of meaningful experiences that drive our clients' businesses forward."

Gates added, "My passion is helping brands create deeper relationships with their customers. Wunderman in uniquely able to educate and inspire brands about their consumers and then bring them to life on the platforms that make the most sense for their audience. I'm excited to help further their data-driven approach."

The appointments follow Wunderman New York's significant business wins. The flagship recently became direct agency of record for E*TRADE, responsible for creative strategy, direct mail and data & analytics. In September, Wunderman New York also became responsible for all of Isle of Capri's direct marketing and is leading digital and branding initiatives for the Major League Baseball Players Association as well as branding, tools and services for USTA. As part of WPP's Global Team Danone, Wunderman is also responsible for creative, branding and strategy for Oikos, Activia, Light & Fit®, Danimals® and YoCrunch.

About Wunderman 
Wunderman is Creatively Driven. Data Inspired. A leading global digital agency, Wunderman combines creativity and data into work that inspires people to take action and delivers results for brands. In 2015, industry analysts named Wunderman a leader in marketing database operations as well as a strong performer in customer engagement strategy. Headquartered in New York, the agency brings together 7,000 creatives, data scientists, strategists and technologists in 175 offices in 60 markets. Wunderman is a WPP company (NASDAQ: WPPGY). For more information, please visit www.wunderman.com and follow us @Wunderman.

Contact
Martina Suess
+1 (212) 210-3859
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