Fresh from his split with The Martin Agency, John Norman has accepted a top creative role at TBWA\Chiat\Day, according to sources.
Norman is expected to lead the creative department of TBWA\C\D’s office in Playa del Rey, Calif., with current chief creative officer Rob Schwartz shifting to a global role, sources said. Norman referred questions to the Omnicom Group shop, which had no immediate comment.
Norman was CCO at Martin, which he joined in January 2010. Before that, he was co-executive creative director at Wieden + Kennedy in Amsterdam. Earlier in his career, he was a cd at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.
A trained art director, Norman’s brand experience ranges from Hewlett-Packard, Coca-Cola and Nike to Nokia, Honda and Walmart. For Coke, he helped create the first “Happiness Factory” ad, which broke in 2006 and garnered several awards, including a silver Lion at Cannes.
Top accounts at TBWA\C\D’s office in California include Pepsi, Gatorade and Visa. And just this week, the shop landed a key creative assignment from Southwest Airlines.
Historically, the Los Angeles office has been central to the global agency’s success, both creatively and business-wise. It’s also home to Lee Clow, the shop’s creative godfather and global director of media arts. Clow has stepped back in recent years, however, though he has maintained ties to key accounts, foremost among them Apple.