Thinking Outside the Box: Jarrod Walpert

We are excited to announce that Jarrod Walpert has been promoted to Havas Formula's Chief Creative Officer (CCO). In this new role, he will be responsible for overseeing research, insights, strategy, creative, and design, as well as the agency’s creative and strategy team.?

With over 24 years of expertise in integrative marketing strategy, plus a Masters in Strategic Communications from Columbia University, we are confident in Walpert’s leadership.?

Throughout the past 12 years he has spent at Formula, Walpert has proven his ability to think outside the box and from the headline out for his client’s marketing and PR efforts. He has driven an impressive amount of successful brand marketing programs for numerous brands in a wide range of industries including food and beverage, spirits, consumer packaged goods, tech, travel, hospitality, luxury, and automotive.

He is proud of building the agency’s creative and strategy team from the ground up and working with clients to produce award-winning campaigns.

We’ve asked Jarrod a few questions to learn more about his background, inspirations, and the creative work that he is most proud of.

Q&A:

Where did you grow up and how has that shaped the person you are today?

• I grew up in the suburbs of Maryland, within walking distance to a lot of family which was a great way to spend my childhood. My parents had the foresight to buy a house in a not yet overdeveloped town—my friends called it the boondocks. Our house was surrounded by lots of land, giving my brother, our cousins and me endless opportunities to explore the woods, ride our bikes and play outside as much as possible. That experience taught me that being outdoors is essential for creativity and that exploring and forever being curious was a way of life.

When did you first realize you were creative?

• Around the age of 10. When my mom would tire of hearing my little brother and I play loudly, she’d send us to our rooms to play solo for an hour. My brother would bust out his Legos and build forts and spaceships. I’d take magazines from the house, tear out the ads and rewrite them. Instead of thinking it was weird, my super proud mom encouraged it; she always told me I’d have a career in advertising.

Who is your idol (creative or general)?

• My grandparents on my mom’s side - both of them, equally! My grandparents came to the States with nothing. My grandfather was a door-to-door salesman and my grandmother a stay-at-home mother to their four daughters. Money was never how they defined wealth. Instead, they instilled in us all that “our riches” are determined by who we have in our life, not what we have. They were very special, loving people.?

Is there a moment from college or your early career that changed your life??

• I graduated college with the intention of joining an ad agency as a copywriter. After my senior year, the job market wasn’t strong, and I was offered two roles: one paid (at a non profit) and one senior internship (at the largest PR firm in Maryland, at the time). Being 21, I wanted to take the paid opportunity. My parents urged (ok forced) me to take the paid internship. So, I fell into PR which ultimately defined my career. As earning has become a more impactful, integral part of the marketing mix, had I not grown up on this side of the industry I wouldn’t be able to navigate creative through the right lens. It’s helped shape me as a well-rounded, strategic, creative mind that subscribes to the notion that earning impressions is a lot more fun and rewarding than paying for them. I am forever grateful for that advice (and forced internship!)

What advice would you give yourself at the beginning of your career?

• Never lose sight of curiosity or a desire to learn every day. It’s still the same advice I’d give to myself in 2023. No matter how large or small the learning lesson, if you’re learning you’re growing.?

What was your favorite project you’ve ever worked on?

• Before joining Havas Formula I had my own small consulting agency and one of my clients was a retail/entertainment brand that asked me to create and produce an event that would put them on the map. As a result, I built the World’s largest Shoo Fly Pie eating contest from the ground up. It ran for three years, became the third largest eating contest in the world endorsed by Major League Eating, and netted millions of nationwide media impressions including USA Today, Rolling Stone, Parade, and even a segment on MTV. It was a pretty sticky labor of love, but also a ton of fun!