hi there.
My name is Marianne Besch and my advertising career has taken me from New York to Chicago to Amsterdam and now to San Francisco. I have worked on everything from M&M’S to intel. Diving into brands and making work that not only moves products but moves hearts and minds is my mission. Being able to distill a complicated brief into a simple yet effective outcome is one of my greatest strengths. Managing teams and shaping work that works is one of my greatest joys.
After attending Art Center in Pasadena, I moved to New York where I garnered a lot of experience from a great pedigree of agencies big and small. I learned how to be bold from Richard Kirshenbaum and how to “go with your gut” from Donny Deutsch, how to craft everything from Absolut Vodka ads at ChiatDay/TBWA to giant celebrity campaigns at BBDO.
After winning the intel account at mcgarrybowenNY it was time to tackle the tech industry.
Four years ago, I moved to San Francisco to start the mcgarrybowenSF office as managing director, Global ECD. The proximity to our tech partners has been invaluable. With a shared vision, we were able to take a brand that fell out of relevance and turn it into one of the most dynamic brands in the world.
I enjoy working with an internal agency, collaborating with strategists, partnering with media, retail partners and tactical channel planners. Partnering with the great thinkers at intel has led to many a great collaboration, including twice brainstorming with Lady Gaga (she kissed me on the cheek). These partnerships have led to many awards in the industry but most rewarding was the Emmy nomination in 2018 for The Women’s March. Although it did not win the Emmy it did help women share their voice leading to the largest march in history.
But the most rewarding thing of all is showing up to work every day and leading a department of not only extremely nice but extremely talented people. Being able to cultivate a positive atmosphere makes for getting to the best ideas. (need last sentence.)