It's Simple
It's clear. It's immediately felt. In your heart. In your mind. On your balance sheet. Good or bad, the truth of your brand is the truth of your customers and the culture in which they interact. To identify the truth takes insight, creativity, engagement, guts and metrics. Like all things worth finding, we pursue the truth with ravenous persistence. Once found, it is power. The power to connect. To influence. To inform. To humor. Incite. Engage. Convert. Like your mother always said, tell the truth and good things happen.
Who is Vladimir Jones?
Vladimir Jones is a fully integrated agency.
We believe that there is a fundamental truth behind each success story, and our ability to discover and leverage that truth makes us a valuable partner. So we never do anything without knowing why. We never stop measuring, innovating and improving. We make our clients relevant to the people who matter most. Because the truth is, that’s the way to create ROI.
Our expertise includes both business and consumer categories including energy, entertainment, enthusiast brands, food & beverage, healthcare, home improvement, hospitality, QSR/fast-casual, retail, technology, travel & tourism and more.
As partners in the agency, our executive team is involved in each and every account we service. When you work with VJ, you are getting some of the brightest minds in the industry, with both national and international brand experience. Our staff includes over 80 professionals across insight, brand communications, creative, account service, media and digital.
Our passionate team exudes a dedication that extends into the community, where we engage with leading associations including the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's), American Marketing Association (AMA), Business Marketing Association (BMA), Denver Ad Club/Ad2, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and more. Our President, Meredith Vaughan, is a guest columnist for AdAge and our leadership is heavily involved in public-speaking engagements nationwide.
Services
Leadership
Meredith Vaughan, President
Since joining Vladimir Jones in 1999, Meredith founded the account planning (now insight) department, helped the agency expand to a national and international arena, and grow billings by more than 600%. In 2008, she was named president of the agency. Meredith has over 18 years of experience in designing and implementing unique and effective consumer research studies for some of the world's most respected brands, including Nissan Motor Corporation, Coca-Cola and Sony. Meredith's experience spans many industries and methodologies and her approach is always geared toward garnering the most insightful and on-target understanding of the population under study. Prior to VJ, Meredith held account planning and business development roles at TBWA\Chiat\Day and Goldberg Moser O'Neill in California.
George Olson, EVP/Chief Creative Officer
A partner in Vladimir Jones, George joined the agency in 1983 as a copywriter and was named creative director two years later. Since then, he has guided the agency's creative output and strategic direction for clients including The Broadmoor, Colorado Tourism Office, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Stop Family Violence Coalition and Xcel Energy. George's work has been recognized by hundreds of industry awards including ADDYs, Emmys, Tellys and CLIOs. A frequent speaker on the subject of advertising, George is first and foremost a writer; he has won two international screenwriting competitions and his short film "Killing Kevin" was an official selection at 18 international film festivals. He also contributes as writer-at-large for FADE-IN magazine.
Joe Hodas, EVP Channels
Joe is a partner in Vladimir Jones and brings nearly 20 years of experience in consumer marketing tactics and a cross-functional approach to brand leadership. Prior to joining the agency, Joe served as VP, communications for private equity firm Consumer Capital Partners (CCP), where he oversaw communications for emerging brands like Smashburger, as well as established names like Quiznos. Before CCP, Joe was senior director of corporate communications for Frontier Airlines. As Frontier's primary spokesperson, he was the public face for the airline, coordinating all of Frontier's unpaid or "earned" media efforts, internal communications, investor relations, government relations and community relations efforts. Joe holds a bachelor of arts in English from University of Texas and a master of sciences in Mass Communications and Public Relations from the University of Denver.
Debbie Frickey, EVP Engagement
Debbie is a partner in the agency and is a team leader responsible for the oversight of all client engagement, account services and insight. In her time with VJ, she has helped acquire national and international clients such as the Colorado Tourism Office, Comex Group, Western Union and Xcel Energy. Prior to joining VJ, Debbie spent over 10 years at Ackerman-McQueen Advertising working in numerous offices until relocating to Colorado to open their Colorado Springs branch. There she specialized in working with tourism clients, specifically Six Flags, Inc.'s 13 western region parks.
Mimi Wheeler, Director of Insight
Mimi joined Vladimir Jones in 2007 to lead client-specific research projects. She has over 20 years of experience in consumer products marketing management. Her career has focused on brand-building initiatives, with specific expertise in new product introductions, brand repositioning strategies and joint venture relationships. Her experience provides a unique insight into the consumer. Mimi has spent the majority of her career working on major packaged goods businesses, most notably Ocean Spray Cranberries, Reebok and H.J. Heinz. She has a bachelor of arts from Trinity College in Connecticut and a master's from Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Ryan Johnson, Digital Creative Director
Ryan has a passion for what's next. What's the next idea? What's the next platform? What's the next way to create an idea that connects with another human being? It's this passion for seeking, coupled with a single-minded dedication to improving and evolving client results that led to his rise through the ranks at Vladimir Jones. Ryan was named creative director of Vladimir Jones in December 2010 and has recently been appointed to the role of Digital Creative Director. His work has garnered national and regional awards including ADDYs, Effies, OBIEs, Adrian Awards, Best in Show honors, and more. With a big-agency background in both Minneapolis and Detroit, Ryan's experience includes blue-chip clients like Verizon Wireless, General Mills, Sirius Satellite Radio, Great Wolf Lodge, Six Flags, Inc., Shell Oil Company, The UPS Store and Polartec.
Jon Bross, Media Director
With over 20 years of strategic planning experience, Jon brings thorough insight to Vladimir Jones and leads a team consisting of traditional and digital media planners and buyers. Jon began his career at Hoffman York Advertising (Saatchi & Saatchi) on accounts such as KFC, The Dow Chemical Company, Wisconsin Lottery and Yamaha water vehicles. His passion for the Rocky Mountains lured him to Colorado and Ackerman McQueen Advertising, where Jon spent several years working on Leap Frog, The Williams Companies and Six Flags amusement parks. Jon is a graduate from the University of Wisconsin.
Tony Felice, Senior Digital Strategist
Tony is the senior digital strategist at Vladimir Jones, and has worked with such brands as Centura Health, Xcel Energy, Charles Schwab, Molson Coors, Univision, Eagle Creek and Shea Homes. His areas of expertise include consumer insights, data analysis and visualization, user research, experience-based design, emergent technologies and innovative strategic planning. Although Tony is definitely grounded in the tech space, he has over 16 years of experience across all aspects of digital marketing, ranging from creative to strategy, from database design to project management, and all points in between. Tony's many awards and honors include multiple AMYs and a national Silver ADDY. He is also a well-respected expert on digital marketing, technology and strategy. He is a regular contributor for iMedia Connection and stays busy hitting the digital thought-leadership speaker rotation both regionally and nationally.
