Ogilvy’s Colin Mitchell joins McDonald’s as global vice president of brand
Colin Mitchell has joined McDonald’s as global vice president of brand after spending the past 16 years at Ogilvy & Mather.
Colin Mitchell
He most recently served as worldwide head of strategic planning at WPP’s Ogilvy & Mather and served as a member of the agency’s worldwide operating board. During his time at the agency, he worked with brands including Coca-Cola, IBM and BlackRock.
In his new role, he will report to McDonald’s global chief marketing officer Silvia Lagnado and will be tasked with articulating the fast-food chain’s brand vision and positioning. He will also be charged with “impacting major pieces of the McDonald’s brand, including advertising, visual identity and packaging.”
Of his appointment, Lagnado said: “Colin is widely respected as one of the brightest and most talented planners in the advertising industry and we are delighted to welcome him to McDonald’s at such an exciting and important time. His invaluable experience working with major global companies and his passion for brand vision and strategy will have a lasting impact in our business.”
According to McDonald’s, Mitchell will be moving to Chicago with his wife and three children to take on the new role. He is currently based in New York.
His appointment comes as McDonald’s continues to reap the benefits of its turnaround plan, which was implemented by CEO Steve Easterbrook last year after he took on the role to help the chain battle sluggish sales. The plan has included the introduction of all-day breakfast in the US and new offerings like the ‘McPick 2,’ which have helped boost sales for the company. In April, McDonald’s reported that its first quarter same-store sales - locations that have been open more than 13 month - rose 6.2 percent worldwide.
McDonald’s is also in the midst of a creative review of its business in the US. In April, the company announced the review, stating that it is “exploring solutions that will provide us with greater integrated strategic thinking, creativity and brand consistency across all our consumer touch points” in the US. Currently, Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett and Omnicom’s DDB share the account.