EAW has appointed John Speck to the position of marketing director. He has a long history with the company, having served on the marketing team from 1995-2000 and as an outside consultant in the years since.
“It’s very rare in our industry to find a person who can both understand an innovation at the technical level and also communicate that innovation in a compelling, non-technical way,” says Jeff Rocha, EAW president. “John is such a person, as he proved over and over during the 1990s. Because John was such an important part of our marketing team in the 1990s, he already understands what works for us. In fact, he already has shared some great ideas.
“Specifically, we look forward to a revitalized mission to educate the market about the innovations we develop here. As John says, ‘If you’re not teaching, you’re not selling.’ And he understands the balance between EAW’s high-powered, scientific aspects and the fun-loving, approachable side that makes us unique.”
Speck began his career in 1993 with the Providence, Rhode Island-based advertising firm Mariani, Hurley and Chandler. He joined EAW’s marketing department in 1995.
In 2000, he left EAW to serve as director of marketing for Mediaspace Solutions, and the following year, he founded Real Advertising, which counted both EAW and Mediaspace Solutions among its clients.
Real Advertising merged with the Providence-based New Commons think tank in 2009, and there Speck worked with such organizations as Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, OSHEAN and Providence College.
Speck states, “My approach is very simple: dig down into the brand to find its core values, concepts that apply to any aspect of any project the brand might develop. What’s great about EAW is that those core values are, in fact, values. The brand has a very high level of integrity, and I will continue to bring that message to the market in very clear terms.”
