JWT BOOM principals have made the knowledge of, insights about and persuasion of Boomers and the mature market their passion, as well as their profession. Just as important, they're the kind of people you always hope to meet at parties, but never do. Good to know if your future together includes days of focus groups.
Lori, a recognized thought leader in the Boomer category, has more than 25 years of advertising, public relations and strategic planning experience, working for clients such as AOL, Listerine, Sunsweet, AARP, IBM, Subway and Blue Cross Blue Shield. She is frequently called upon for expert commentary by publications ranging from The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal to Fast Company.
Formerly Senior Vice President/Director of Client Services for Age Wave Impact (Age Wave), Lori has worked as a copywriter, account planner and account director—and has owned two advertising agencies.
Long before achieving her Boomer market stature, Lori captured the Miss Teen Missouri crown—an apt showcase for her fire-baton twirling. Her reign was marked by a noteworthy performance in which she set fire to her own very big bangs.
Mary spearheads strategy development for key JWT BOOM clients. She has more than 20 years of experience as a brand champion, most recently as President and Founder of Imago Creative, the only marketing firm in the U.S. specializing exclusively in marketing to Boomer women.
Her extensive agency experience has included work on top brands including: Trilogy by Shea Homes, Clearblue Easy, Celebrity Cruises, Affinia Hotels, Esprit, Liz Claiborne, Timex, and Cole-Haan, among others.
She, her husband and teenage daughter recently returned to the Bay Area after 18 years in Portland, Maine, which she claims was about 17 years too many. She is grateful every day for California sunshine and the fact that she can now bicycle more that one month of the year.
Jim Hallock
Executive Creative Director
"A brand creates a relationship that makes the purchase decision easier and more rewarding".
That simple observation is what Jim says is one of the most important lessons of his 25-plus years in advertising.
Jim started his career as an art director at McCann-Erickson, San Francisco, where he produced award-winning campaigns for Wells Fargo Bank, AT&T Wireless, Safeway and Microsoft. His Clio-winning "Stagecoach" campaign for Wells Fargo outperformed Bank of America in consumer recruitment and retention, even though BOA outspent Wells by 4 to 1. This campaign supported Wells Fargo's climb from the number-seven- to the number-three-retail bank in California.
Jim later served as Creative Director at Age Wave Impact, specializing in marketing to the 50-plus segment. Most recently, he served as Creative Director in-house at Shaklee. Jim is a graduate of the University of San Francisco, where he received a BFA in advertising through the Academy of Art College. In the mid-eighties he taught an evening class of funk dance aerobics at the San Francisco YMCA. There, he met a fellow instructor, Lauren, who accepted his proposal of marriage despite his Spandex aerobic pants. He is the proud dad of a teenage daughter and is an accomplished African drummer.
Chuck Hurst
Director of Research
Chuck directs and manages client and agency research, both qualitative and quantitative. In this role he oversees marketing research design, methodology and quantitative analysis. He is also an expert in advanced segmentation and response modeling techniques.
He has guided mature-consumer-focused marketing research on behalf of clients such as Sunsweet, Pfizer, Pharmacia, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Kemper Financial, SCI, GTE Wireless, Kellogg's, GM Corporate, Charles Schwab and Miracle Ear. Through his experience, Chuck has acquired an impressive depth of knowledge of the Boomer and mature markets, and is able to offer keen insight and perspective on the trends affecting today's marketplace.
Chuck is the former Vice President, Director of Research and Database Marketing for Age Wave Impact. He is a lapsed ultra runner (distances over 26 miles). His proudest achievement was the Vermont 100, a hundred-mile run that lasted 26 hours. Almost as long as some focus groups.
Sherry Bennett
SVP Media Director
With over 20 years of media experience, Sherry leads JWT BOOM's media practice, developing strategies, managing execution and tracking performance in traditional, digital and emerging media.
Sherry brings guidance to clients navigating the transition from a linear media world to a fragmented digital, interactive media world. Her strategic approach incorporates use of qualitative and quantitative analyses to build plans that effectively reach consumers when and where they are most receptive to the message in play.
Her experience ranges from start-ups to F1000 companies, among them: Wine Growers of California, Gurlani Fine Foods, Home.Gain.com, Hewlett Packard, Symantec and Motorola.
Sherry is an accomplished chef and jumps on her racing bike from time to time. As a mother of two teens, her life is a 24/7 focus group on the subject of new media; she notes that her daughter does homework on her laptop while instant messaging her friends, checking her Facebook page, listening to her iPod, watching music videos and yelling at her brother to turn down his video game. She gets straight A's.
Jim Hallock
Chuck Hurst
Sherry Bennett