Integrated communications agency opr has promoted John Harding-Easson to head of social, opr, while Cody Desmond (pictured) has been appointed to the newly created role of culture editor, Pulse.
opr chief executive Richard Brett said having the right talent was integral to achieving the agency’s goal of combining growth and innovation, and was vital in maintaining opr’s position as “the largest and most specialised integrated communications agency in Australia”.
“I’m delighted we’re able to support talented professionals with new opportunities within the business,” Brett said. “John’s promotion reflects an increase in demand from our clients for integrated, audience-led campaigns that connect earned with owned and paid media to deliver results.
“His ability to combine great audience insights, a deep knowledge of social platforms with a thoughtful strategic approach and a collaborative and effective method to high-quality content production will help drive growth and deliver innovation in the type of work we do for our clients.”
In his senior role, Harding-Easson will work across a broad range of opr clients, including KFC, BCG, Tourism Australia, American Express as well as some of the agency’s public sector clients.
Award winning communications specialist Cody Desmond joined Pulse—opr’s consumer brand marketing arm—on 1 February in the newly created role of culture editor.
Pulse managing director Jacqui Abbott said Desmond’s appointment was in line with Pulse’s strategic direction to “increase the agency’s focus on culturally relevant creative thinking” and how brands can utilise real time creativity to take advantage of this.
“2020 fundamentally changed the way we ‘internet’ and as a result we saw societal, business, political and pop culture accelerate in surprising ways,” Abbott said.
“This is a strategic hire for us as we continue to transform Pulse into a content-first agency that is solely focused on building culturally relevant creative ideas that drive true clout for brands.
“The role of culture editor will be to look at ways to make, break and shape culture for the brands we represent such as KFC, Tourism Australia and Tinder.
“Cody brings incredible experience in this space and we are delighted he has joined our growing team.”
Most recently heading up the content strategy for Menulog at Connecting Plots, Desmond comes with deep experience garnered from an extensive background in culture and entertainment.
He previously led the social editorial efforts on Netflix ANZ at We Are Social, and prior to that he managed the Red Bull music account and the agency’s electronic music portfolio at Bolster.
Both Harding-Easson’s promotion and Desmond’s appointment are effective immediately.
opr is part of WPP AUNZ.
