'Creative SAS' Ian Haworth signs for McCann Enterprise

Former Wunderman and Rapp global creative chief Ian Haworth has joined McCann Enterprise, the corporate and B2B division of McCann Worldgroup, as creative director, two years after opening his own consultancy, Haworth House.

One of the most respected creatives in the industry, Haworth’s career took off when he co-founded Pearson Paul Haworth Nolan in 1989, an agency which was described as well ahead of its time.

However, like many of that first generation of agencies, it all went tits up and by 1997 had taken up the role of creative director at Option One before moving to New Zealand for two years at Saatchi & Saatchi Direct NZ.

He returned to the UK in 1999 for his first spell at Rapp (then WWAV Rapp Collins) but 18 months later had switched to Tequila as executive creative director.

Within a year he was back at Rapp for a second spell, joining as ECD to succeed George Boyter, a move which, in his own words, meant he had to help “transform Rapp from a traditional DM/CRM business to a ‘customer obsessed’ precision marketing network, leading the integration of data, technology and creativity”.

Haworth certainly made his mark and was promoted to UK chairman in 2005 and then took on the worldwide role of global chief creative officer.

But by 2015 Haworth had joined WPP as executive creative director to lead Wunderman UK’s creative department, as well as oversee the creative output across the agency’s EMEA region.

He was promoted to chief creative officer in 2017 and, following the 2018 Wunderman merger with JWT, Haworth was appointed global creative lead on WPP’s Team GSK, the unit solely dedicated to the pharmaceutical company’s advertising and marketing account.

He left in 2020 to go it alone.

McCann Enterprise ECD Brad Reilly said: “I feel exceptionally lucky to have the opportunity to work with Ian. His experience and knowledge are matched only by his optimism and love of creativity — qualities that have not been dulled in the slightest by the many complex challenges he has taken on and conquered in his career.

“We’re on a continuous mission to be creatively ambitious and having Ian in the squad is basically like having the creative SAS.”

McCann insists Haworth’s global outlook and worldwide experience will further the agency’s global track record and reach as a creative agency for global corporate brands. He is set to deliver fully integrated work across all clients.”

Haworth said: “It’s fantastic to join Brad and the team at such an exciting time in the evolution of the McCann Enterprise offering.”

Once perceived as the less glamorous end of the market, the major marketing groups now view B2B as a key revenue stream, with the likes of Havas, MSQ, Merkle and Gyro all ramping up their activities in recent months.

According to a Statista survey of chief marketing officers from B2B companies in the UK, North America, Germany and France, 68% of respondents planned to increase digital advertising budgets, and in the US alone, B2B ad spend is set to pass $30bn (£25bn) in 2023.