Mike Costello named ACD at Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Having your campaign go viral in a huge way will get you noticed. That was certainly the case for Mike Costello and his “Van Gogh BnB” effort for the Art Institute of Chicago. That success, along with Costello’s work on Allstate’s “DIY Mayhem” and Firestone’s “Pick Up” campaign and his inclusion prominent industry creative lists, compelled Goodby Silverstein & Partners to name him the agency’s latest associate creative director.
“Throughout his career, Mike has created edgy work that touches culture, from the ‘truth’ campaign to ‘Van Gogh BnB,’” said Margaret Johnson, partner and CCO at Goodby Silverstein & Partners. “This is the kind of work we admire and look forward to seeing more of with his arrival.”
Costello co-led the Van Gough campaign with his team at Leo Burnett Chicago and recreated the artist’s bedroom, complete with broad brush strokes and a very detailed actual bedroom people could book and stay in to promote the Van Gogh exhibit.
The campaign created serious buzz, being covered by nearly every major news outlet and winning 14 Cannes Lions, including the Grand Clio in Branded Entertainment and Content, and a D&AD Yellow Pencil, and it led to the museum’s highest attendance in 15 years.
Costello spent four years at Leo Burnett Chicago before taking the position at GS&P and before that was at Arnold Boston as art director and ACD, producing award-winning work for ESPN, Carnival Cruise Lines, Volvo and McDonald’s, as well as being an integral part of the interactive team on the “truth” anti-smoking campaign. He is a graduate of VCU Brandcenter and the University of Colorado.
At GS&P Costello joins new creative directors Jens Waernes (formerly of BBDO NY) and Jeff Gillette (formerly of Wieden+Kennedy), along with 11 new hires the agency has made in its creative and design departments over the summer.