Johannes Leonardo
| Industry | Advertising, Marketing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, , United States |
Area served | World Wide |
Key people | Jan Jacobs, Co-Founder & Creative Chairman, Leo Premutico, Co-Founder & Creative Chairman. |
| Website | johannesleonardo |
Johannes Leonardo is an independent advertising agency, established in 2007 by Jan Jacobs and Leo Premutico. Founded on the belief that The Consumer Is the Medium™, the agency creates brand ideas that earn consumer participation. The company is best-known for its innovation in pursuit of participation, winning the inaugural Mobile Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival of Creativity for its work for Google.
Johannes Leonardo has continued to break new ground for its clients (including Volkswagen, adidas, Kraft Heinz, and Meta) from its office in New York. The agency is regularly recognized at award shows for its creativity (Cannes Lions and Clio festivals), Innovation (Fast Company), and Effectiveness (Effie Awards).
History
Johannes Leonardo was founded in 2007 by Jan Jacobs and Leo Premutico, former Executive Creative Directors at Saatchi & Saatchi.[1]
The firm quadrupled its revenue between 2007 and 2010 growing from 4 to 50 employees.[2] In 2011, the firm expected revenue to be up 120% from 2010 and was honored as the "creme de la creme" across the WPP network for its work with WNYC Radio.[3]
In 2014, the firm moved its headquarters to new offices in SoHo, Manhattan.[2][4]
From 2015 to 2016, Johannes Leonardo saw a 40% increase in revenue and 27% increase in headcount.[5]
In 2016, the firm hired former Droga5 Global Business Director Bryan Yasko as president.[6]
Since 2016, the agency more than doubled in size to 104 people and saw revenue soar 82 percent from $14 million in 2016 to $26 million.[7]
Notable campaigns and clients
In 2010, Johannes Leonardo's Google “Demo Slam” campaign invited consumers to create their own Google tech demonstrations to showcase Google's latest product innovations and received nearly one billion impressions.[8]
In 2012, the firm collaborated again with Google for its "Project Re:Brief" campaign, reconceptualizing classic ads from Volvo, Alka-Seltzer, Avis, and Coca-Cola.[9][10] The campaign was awarded the inaugural Mobile Grand Prix in 2012.[11]
In 2017, the “Original is Never Finished” campaign for Adidas Originals, led by a 90-second spot reimagining the Frank Sinatra song “My Way” and featuring Snoop Dogg, Petra Collins, Dev Hynes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and others was awarded the top prize at the Cannes Lions Festival in the Entertainment for Music category.[12][13] The agency's work for adidas Originals garnered over 30 awards in 2017 across Cannes, D&AD and The One Show.[14]
Johannes Leonardo's other clients include The Coca-Cola Company, Vroom.com, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, Amazon Fire TV, New York City FC, Alexander Wang (designer), and Bleacher Report.
Awards and recognition
Since its founding, Johannes Leonardo has received numerous industry accolades. In 2011, the agency was named "Agency to Watch" by both Ad Age and Creativity,[15] and was awarded Silver in Ad Age’s Small Agency of the Year awards.[3] The firm was again highlighted by Ad Age in 2016 on its A-List of Agencies to Watch.[16]
In 2018, Johannes Leonardo was ranked No. 4 on Ad Age’s Agency A-List, a compilation of the top ten advertising agencies in the United States. The following year, in 2019, the agency was recognized by the Effie Awards as the second most effective independent agency in North America.[17]
In 2020, the agency rose to No. 3 on Ad Age’s Agency A-List, and co-founders Jan Jacobs and Leo Premutico were featured on Adweek’s Creative 100 list.[18]
Johannes Leonardo continued its presence on Ad Age’s A-List as a standout agency in both 2021[19] and 2022.[20]
In 2023[21] and again in 2025,[22] the agency was recognized by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies.
Since 2007, Johannes Leonardo has earned multiple Cannes Lions awards, including the inaugural Cannes Mobile Grand Prix for Google’s Project Re: Brief, and the 2017 Grand Prix in the Entertainment for Music category for adidas Originals’ “Original is Never Finished.[13]
References
- ^ "Jan And Leo Become Johannes and Leonardo". AdAge. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "Inside the agency: Johannes Leonardo". Digiday. 26 May 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "Johannes Leonardo Is Ad Age Small Agency of the Year, Silver". AdAge. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Johannes and Leonardo Office". Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Johannes Leonardo Brings on Droga's Bryan Yasko as President". AdAge. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Johannes Leonardo Appoints Bryan Yasko as President". AdWeek. 14 March 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Adweek 50: These Media, Marketing and Tech Execs Are Leading the Charge Toward Transformation". AdWeek. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Google Creative Lab Debuts 'Demo Slam'". AdWeek. 20 October 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Google In Review: A Look Back On The Innovations of Cannes Lions' Creative Marketer of The Year". AdAge. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Leonardo Premutico & Johannes Jacobs Co-Founders Johannes Leonardo". Forbes. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Google Wins Inaugural Mobile Grand Prix". AdAge. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Johannes Leonardo and Adidas Originals Win Grand Prix at Cannes". Marketing Communication News. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "Johannes Leonardo's Reimagining of Sinatra's 'My Way' for Adidas Takes Top Prize at Cannes". AdWeek. 21 June 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Johannes Leonardo NYC ranked #4 on Ad Age's 2018 A-List of America's Best Creative Agencies". Campaign Brief. 22 February 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "AdAge A-List 10 to Watch". AdAge. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "AdAge A-List Agencies to Watch". AdAge. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "AdAge A-List". AdAge. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "A-List Awards 2020". Ad Age. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- ^ "Johannes Leonardo landed Kraft Heinz and endured through CMO changes at a major client". Ad Age. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Johannes Leonardo led major rebrands for major brands". Ad Age. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ "The 10 most innovative companies in advertising of 2023". Fast Company. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ "Each of the 15 most innovative companies in advertising and marketing built strong campaigns using cultural cachet". Fast Company. Retrieved March 3, 2025.