Creative 100: Brand Innovators Challenging Their Industries

These individuals are building brands with creativity at the heart, challenging their categories and inspiring other marketers to do the same. Lynsey Atkin, Executive creative director, 4Creative More public art than advertising: Last year, Lynsey Atkin spearheaded the remake of Channel 4’s idents, sweeping numerous industry awards. The project was “a huge undertaking with massive creative pressure, but a total joy—and rarity—to create something that felt much less like advertising and far more like a piece of public video art,” she said. Laying the groundwork: “I spent most of [my childhood] in my bedroom copying Garfield cartoons and glue-gunning glass beads to my carpet, which is almost indistinguishable from my job now,” Atkin recalled. Advice to aspiring creatives: “Taste is everything. Figure out what you like (and why).” —Brittaney Kiefer Tony Billmeyer, Chief marketing officer, Show-Me Organics Can’t stop the music: Buoyant Bob is a hot-selling cannabis brand from Missouri’s Show-Me Organics and, through Tony Billmeyer’s deft maneuvering, a verified artist on Spotify with several versions of a groovy song called “The Man Who Got So High.” The project, part of Billmeyer’s goal to “make brands famous,” is one way the former ad agency creative (BBDO, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Erich & Kallman) has muscled into places normally off-limits to weed marketers. Gift of ganja: For the 2023 holidays, Billmeyer positioned the Vivid brand like top-shelf booze, packaged in a handsome gift box meant to bust lingering stigmas and invite weed to the party. Accompanying advertising from Bandits & Friends leaned into classic Americana with Yule log videos and Norman Rockwell-esque artwork. The campaign came as a follow-up to a faux Big Pharma spot called “Ask Your Doctor” that jabbed at the medical establishment as the opioid epidemic raged in the state. Making noise: With heavy restrictions in the space—cannabis is still federally illegal—Billmeyer searches for nontraditional ways to break into the mainstream, namely via earned media and public relations, “because in cannabis marketing, there are lots of trees falling in the woods with no one to hear a sound.” —T.L. Stanley Will Carsola, Creative director, Liquid Death Jack of all trades: With a background that includes music videos, sketch comedy and the animated TV series Mr. Pickles for Adult Swim, Will Carsola wears many hats these days at the canned water startup. He designed its skull logo and created Murder Man, blending a few of his favorite genres, comedy and horror, into the ultimate on-brand mascot. “One day I might be helping to write an original concept or script,” Carsola told ADWEEK, “and the next day I might be drawing a deer wearing a gimp suit.” Key creative: Carsola was behind the massively popular Liquid Death collaboration with e.l.f. Cosmetics called “Corpse Paint” this spring and the Tom Segura, mostly-SFW, sustainability-minded project dubbed the “Recycling Glory Hole.” He designs most of the brand’s swag, including some “dream-come-true” Metallica merchandise. Next up is an animated show called The Adventures of Murder Man, co-written with Liquid Death’s CEO Mike Cessario and produced by Titmouse, exploring the character’s bizarre origin story. Words to live by: “Be nice to people, make mistakes and learn from them, and be weird.” —T.L. Stanley Arinze Emeagwali, Instagram brand marketing lead, Meta Checks over stripes: Prior to leading brand marketing efforts at Instagram, Arinze Emeagwali worked at Nike as North America brand marketing lifestyle manager. Notable work included co-founding the Nike Yardrunners campaign that celebrates the legacy of historically Black colleges and universities. About that campaign that broke the internet: Emeagwali helped lead the launch of Instagram’s Close Friends feature in a campaign targeted to Gen Z. Lil Yachty’s 11.3 million followers were added to his Close Friends group, propelling the campaign to virality for 72 hours. Origin story for love of consumer insights: “[I was] the last stop on the A train but always went to school in Brooklyn so I spent many hours on the train people-watching to entertain myself,” Emeagwali told ADWEEK. “Paying close attention to what people were wearing helped really sharpen my observation skills. These skills gave me an appreciation for people and human behavior.” —Luz Corona Brianda Gonzalez, Founder, CEO, The New Bar Giddyup, cowgirl: After becoming the first official nonalcoholic partner for Coachella 2023, earning it the nickname Soberchella, Brianda Gonzalez's The New Bar doubled down on the alliance with festival organizer AEG’s Goldenvoice this spring. She expanded the presence of her Venice, Calif.-based retailer on both 2024 Coachella weekends and added its country cousin, Stagecoach, to the mix, serving booze-free wine, beer and cocktails to concert-goers. The former tech executive also reached further into on-site collabs in related deals with Postmates and American Express. Brick and mortar: Gonzalez, a native of Guadalajara who grew up on touristy Catalina Island, tripled the size of her store’s physical footprint this year, opening locations in West Hollywood and San Francisco. She split her time between building the brand’s ecommerce platform and online presence while bulking up experiential activations, like a recent Danny Trejo in-store appearance to sample his zero-proof tipples. Words to live by: “You don’t need a revolutionary business model,” she said. “So much of what sets a brand apart is how you do what you do and how you make your customers feel.” —T.L. Stanley Firdaous El Honsali, Global vice president, Dove Masterbrand and external communications, Unilever Keeping it real: Even before Firdaous El Honsali joined Dove, its groundbreaking “Real Beauty” campaign challenging unrealistic beauty standards inspired her career. A veteran of L’Oréal, Garnier and The Body Shop, she got the call to join Dove and immediately recalled seeing Dove’s ads as a university student. “[‘Real Beauty’] made me want to join this iconic brand immediately.” she said. “Since then I wake up every day having the feeling I can bring my skills and creativity to the table to give a voice to a strong purpose, one that delivers social impact for the world and growth for the business.” Pushing for progress: This year marked 20 years of “Real Beauty,” and Dove recommitted to its purpose with "The Code," pledging to never use AI to showcase people in its ads. Another highlight was partnering with Drew Barrymore and numerous creators for #TheFaceof10 campaign, which highlighted the absurdity of girls feeling the pressure to apply anti-aging creams on their skin at the age of 10. —Brittaney Kiefer Adam Kornblum, Global chief creative, U.S. brands, L’Oréal Winning the Big Game: Adam Kornblum oversaw L’Oréal’s first national Super Bowl ad for skin care brand CeraVe, which ADWEEK ranked the No. 1 campaign of the game. Its ingenuity came from CeraVe building hype weeks before the Big Game with an influencer-led strategy that pranked people into thinking actor Michael Cera was the brand’s founder—with many onlookers not even realizing it was a marketing stunt. The campaign “beat every KPI we set at the start,” Kornblum told ADWEEK. Finding love: The brand’s next unexpected move was to spoof a romantic comedy, but in this love story, the matchmaker is a dermatologist and “the one” is a bottle of moisturizer. “CeraVe is a playful yet serious brand [whose] tone of voice and personality lend itself” to the rom-com genre, said Kornblum. Tapping into the zeitgeist: Kornblum is aware that “consumers are skipping ads now more than ever,” he said. As such, he’s intent on helping the brand become part of culture, “transcending traditional advertising while tapping into the zeitgeist.” —Brittaney Kiefer James Kuczynski, Creative director, brand and marketing, Duolingo Speaking the same language: Having honed his creative chops at BBDO, Zocdoc and VaynerMedia, James Kuczynski became global creative director of brand and marketing at Duolingo during the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020. He’s spent the last four years leading the brand’s creative team and spearheading its in-house marketing studio. ‘WTF' moments: In the past 12 months, Kuczynski has helped Duolingo scoop a gold Cannes Lions trophy and taken its “unhinged” green owl mascot Duo to Super Bowl 57, the Barbie premiere and The Eras Tour—all to generate what he describes as “WTF” moments for audiences. On creative content that resonates: “I’ve seen lots of time wasted taking [an] algorithm-first approach [to content],” he said. “At Duolingo, we aim to reach new subcultures, create authentic connections with those audiences and create content they want to share. My goal is to design content that connects, resonates and transforms fans into brand ambassadors.” —Rebecca Stewart Kory Marchisotto, CMO, e.l.f. Beauty; President, Keys Soulcare Bold moves: Under Kory Marchisotto’s leadership, e.l.f. sets a new playbook for the beauty industry with humor and real talk. Recent highlights include serving order with Judge Judy in its first national Super Bowl ad and reuniting with Jennifer Coolidge to design a lipstick shade. Marchisotto also helped e.l.f. go viral for a goth-themed collaboration with beverage brand Liquid Death—“a fellow bold disrupter that I have admired for some time now,” she said. Championing diversity: With “Change the Board Game,” e.l.f. and partners like tennis legend Billie Jean King are calling on U.S. business leaders to put more women and diverse candidates on corporate boards. Marchisotto oversaw the creative execution, which she called “one of the most important campaigns in my career.” Advice to the next generation: “Our strongest limitations are the ones we create for ourselves. Own your power, reimagine the box and welcome all circumstances as a catalyst for change.” —Brittaney Kiefer Faye McLeod, Visual image director, Louis Vuitton Creating street theater: Faye McLeod has garnered global attention for creating Louis Vuitton’s windows and special displays, ranging from a giant Yayoi Kusama sculpture on the roof of the fashion house’s flagship store in Paris to whimsical animals and circus acrobats. Her displays often transcend storefronts and use 3D technology. “Windows are street theater,” she told ADWEEK in 2023. “It’s not always about attracting customers. It’s about captivating the public.” Windows to the brand: The Glasgow, Scotland, native started by creating window displays for a local boutique before landing design jobs in London and New York. “I look at windows like the billboards to your brand,” she said. “For some people, it’s the first interaction they’ll have with your brand.” —Brittaney Kiefer Zac Posen, Executive vice president, creative director, Gap Inc. A statement-making designer: Zac Posen is the creative behind some of the most memorable looks in red carpet history. He’s dressed everyone from Michelle Obama to Sarah Jessica Parker to Rihanna. So it was a big get for Gap Inc. to secure him at the start of 2024 to help revive its sales. Closing the Gap: In the few months since joining Gap Inc., he’s already made his mark on culture, dressing The Holdovers actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph in a denim gown for the Met Gala. Advice to budding designers: "Live and breathe [your brand],” Posen recently told Fashionista. “It will help you form your identity, [then] live that identity on every possible platform you can—from how you walk down the street to all the different social media platforms possible; and think about how it adapts to it beyond just the clothing, but the whole world you want to create in it." —Rebecca Stewart Ditte Reffstrup, Creative director, Ganni Scandi influence: Ditte Reffstrup has been creative director at Ganni since 2009. Having spent 15 years at the helm of a brand responsible for making effortless, Scandinavian minimalism a fashion must-have, over the last year Reffstrup has been working on innovations to make sure Ganni stays relevant for the next decade. Cult collaborations: The cult brand has teamed up with Juicy Couture, Barbour, New Balance, Dr. Martens and U.S. model Paloma Elsesser for successful limited collections targeting millennials and Gen Z. It’s also doubled down on its commitment to be a “responsible” fashion brand, sitting out of Copenhagen Fashion Week to support and consult with a group of sustainable Nordic designers instead.Street style: “For me, creativity isn’t something that you switch on and off. It’s just always on … I get inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. I probably feel most inspired when I’m on the streets. I love people-watching and tapping into other people’s energy,” Reffstrup told Browns. —Rebecca Stewart Ron Robinson, Creative director, Sphere Entertainment The sky’s the limit: Since July 2023, Ron Robinson has been one of the creative directors charged with crafting artistic experiences for outer shell of the Las Vegas Sphere, the 580,000-square-foot LED globe and venue that dominates the city skyline. Multisensory creative: Robinson is part of Sphere Entertainment’s multidisciplinary design and creative team. He is focused on artistic and promotional content. An immersive medium: Robinson creative and art directed the Sphere's big unveiling "Hello World" as well as its fantastical Lunar New Year display. He also produced promotional content for the Sphere debut of director Darren Aronofsky's "Postcard from Earth". In last 10 months, the wider creative team has (literally) put Microsoft, Sony, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and McDonald's names in lights, blending advertising with art. —Rebecca Stewart Kelly Schoeffel, Chief marketing officer, Meow Wolf Self-discovery: As the first CMO of art collective Meow Wolf, Kelly Schoeffel described the gig as “part archaeologist, part architect, part community-builder, part ticket-seller.” After 20 years in the ad agency business, most recently as executive strategy director at 72andSunny, she was drawn to her first client-side job by the group’s “pure artistic expression.” And as a longtime Meow Wolf fan, she “loved being around the messy ambition of it all,” she told ADWEEK. Weird and wonderful: During her 18 months with the brand, Schoeffel helped launch the Dallas exhibit called The Real Unreal, working with agency Preacher on a surreal campaign that featured quirky pop-ups, ’90s-inspired ads and track-suited mall walkers. She also prepped for the second Texas location, opening later this year in Houston, and a Los Angeles debut in 2026 as the brand continues to expand its presence and position itself as a major player in entertainment. This month she announced a sabbatical during which she’ll plot her next move. Pearl of wisdom: “Have a point of view—you can always change it—but nothing is less motivating or confidence-building than interrogating a heap of ideas that no one can or wants to fight for.” —T.L. Stanley Jennifer Stojkovic, Founder, Vegan Women Summit; general partner, Joyful Ventures Like minds: After a year in which her venture capital group raised $23 million to invest in plant-based startups, Jennifer Stojkovic engineered her largest Vegan Women Summit to date this spring in Los Angeles. The group champions female professionals across plant-based food, fashion, wellness and other categories. For the event’s third outing, she drew more than 1,000 participants, along with heavyweight brand sponsors such as Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat, Nature’s Fynd, Dr. Bronner’s, Violife, Oatly and Meati. Spice up your life: For her first product collaboration as creative director, Stojkovic married VWS with clean beauty brand Chella for an eyeshadow palette with a ‘90s vibe. She and four other multihyphenate industry leaders starred in its promo campaign, reenvisioning the Spice Girls as “Plant Girls” with a spot-on recreation of the pop group’s debut album cover. Tagline: “The future of beauty is diverse, sustainable and plant-powered.” Pushing forward: The native Canadian, animal lover and rescue diver who authored a bestselling book, The Future of Food Is Female, says she will continue to lean into her social and environmental advocacy with the mantra, “Do no harm, but take no shit.” —T.L. Stanley Check out Adweek’s full Creative 100 list for 2024 here.

The Creative 100

Creative 100: Brand Innovators Who Are Challenging Their Industries

These 2024 winners are tapping into the zeitgeist

Lynsey Atkin, Executive creative director, 4Creative

Adweek Staff

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Lynsey Atkin, Executive creative director, 4Creative

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