DDB Chicago

Last Modified: 08-08-2025

https://www.ddb.com/
Ownership: Holding Company
Size: 101-200

Overview

Company Summary

DDB is The Emotional Advantage Agency.   “Unless you feel it, nothing will happen” – Bill Bernbach, DDB co-founder. DDB is built on the foundation that emotion is the last unfair advantage in business. Science proves action is fueled by the heart, which triggers the brain’s response to move. By unlocking emotionally charged creativity, we deliver intimacy at scale and craft ideas that move people, culture and business. At 150 people in Chicago, we bring the hunger and energy of a start-up and are backed by a powerful global network with a 75-year legacy of leveraging best-in-class expertise from across our network to gives brands a competitive advantage wherever they are connecting with people. Ideas that perform in the real world – from 360 creative platforms to bespoke, highly responsive digital, social and retail campaigns, we activate ideas that elevate brands out of categories and into the hearts and minds of customers.

Contact

225 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60601
P: (31-2).-552.
F: (31-2).-552.

Laura Cona
Chief Growth & Marketing Officer, NA
[email protected]
(978).886.3084

Offices

DDB Chicago
225 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60601
312-552-6000

Global Service Capabilities

Caribbean;South America;Central America;Asia (except China);Australia;Eastern Europe;Mexico;China;Worldwide;South Pacific;Western Europe;Canada

Staff

Total Number of Employees

Office Employees: 101-200
Total US: 201-500
Total Worldwide: 500+

Caroline Winterton
CEO
As CEO and leader of DDB’s North American agencies, Caroline is recognized as the network’s most trusted transformation agent, renowned for her creative vision and strategic leadership in guiding diverse talent to drive marketing effectiveness.

Colin Selikow
Chief Creative Officer
Ranked the #1 Most Awarded Executive Creative Director in The Drum World Creative Rankings (2024), the #1 Executive Creative Director in the world by The One Club (2023), and listed among the Top 10 ECDs at the 2023 D&AD Awards, Colin has established a consistent track record of award-winning, brand-building success across a wide range of global clients.

From Samsung to Coors Light to Wrigley Mars (Skittles, Starburst, and Twix), he has led multiple global brands across diverse markets, delivering integrated, targeted, and highly effective work. His creative leadership has been recognized with over 300 international awards from Cannes, D&AD, Effies, Andys, One Show, ADC, and more — including being ranked the #1 Most Awarded Executive Creative Director in the world in the 2019 Drum Rankings.

Throughout his career, Colin has built, developed, and managed large, multidisciplinary creative teams and agency partners, bringing together diverse skill sets to craft consistent, purposeful brand platforms for a wide array of products and clients.

He has also played a key role in driving both new business wins and organic growth. Recent successes include securing the Campari Espolon, Bimbo Bakeries, and Twix accounts, as well as leading growth on the Mars Wrigley social business.

Kyle Jones
Head of Social
Kyle draws on over 15 years of experience building culturally fluent, performance-driven digital ecosystems for top global brands. With a decade at Twitter (pre-X) and expertise at the intersection of platform-native insight, storytelling, and agile execution, he develops multi-platform content systems that drive both attention and action for clients.

Chris Pultorak
President, Team DDB
Chris Pultorak is the President and Director of Team DDB at DDB Chicago, where he leads integrated marketing efforts in support of the U.S. Army's recruitment and brand strategy. With over two decades of experience in advertising and brand leadership, Chris brings a strategic mindset and deep passion for purpose-driven campaigns. Prior to taking the helm at Team DDB, he held senior roles at multiple Omnicom agencies, including FleishmanHillard and DDB, where he oversaw major accounts across government, technology, and consumer sectors.

Chris has been instrumental in shaping innovative, data-informed campaigns that resonate with diverse audiences. Under his leadership, Team DDB launched the U.S. Army's bold rebrand, including the high-profile "Be All You Can Be" campaign, which marked a transformative moment for Army marketing.

Known for his collaborative leadership style and strategic rigor, Chris continues to champion creativity, inclusion, and measurable impact in modern marketing. He holds a strong belief in the power of storytelling to inspire action and bring about change.

Jaime McGill
Head of Strategy
Jaime has 20 years of experience from agencies such as Leo Burnett, Ogilvy, and FCB. She’s passionate about creativity’s role in helping solve business challenges and specializes in deconstructing a brand’s DNA to find new relevance in today’s cultural context. Jaime brings with her a diverse breadth of experience in both driving large, complex businesses and building small brands from the ground up.

Over the course of her career, she has worked across a range of interesting categories such as CPG, retail, insurance, and tourism where she transformed the way brands show up in modern culture. Most recently, she developed powerful new creative platforms and campaigns to bring the element of surprise to life for Marshalls.

John Carstens
Chief Creative Officer, Team DDB
John Carstens is the creative lead of Team DDB, the 11-agency entity he helped build to serve the U.S. Army. With almost three decades of experience, he has worked across multiple marketing disciplines and almost every imaginable category, from luxury cars to software to ketchup. John began his career at TBWA\Chiat\Day in L.A. Other stints include Cramer-Krasselt, Publicis Sapient, and Apple. He's a graduate of the University of Virginia, and is originally from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. AWARDS & RECOGNITION: Cannes, One Show, Communication Arts, Athena (Best of Show), Red Dot (Grand Prix), Mobius (Best of Show), OMMA (Best of Category), WebAwards (Best of Category), Webby, Effie, Jay Chiat Awards, W3, Addies, Print, and other shows with Lucite trophies and off-white certificates. Press mentions include The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, BBC, The Guardian, Asia Times, Vice, BuzzFeed, Vanity Fair, Business Insider, Hollywood Reporter, AdAge, Adweek, Creativity, and TBS’s “America’s Funniest Commercials.”

Clients and Brands

Client & Brands	Start Date
McDonald's	N/A
U.S. Army	N/A
Molson Coors Brewing Company	N/A
Bimbo	N/A
Orkin Pest Control	N/A
Mars	N/A

Billings & Revenue

Billing / Revenue Ranges Number of Clients

Total Gross Media Placed by this Office

Allocation Percent of Media Placed by this Office

Types of Services

Service Offering Revenue
Advertising - General Market/ Traditional 55
Business-to-Business 14
Brand Consulting 10
Digital/Interactive | Website Development, Hosting, Monitoring 8
Direct Marketing 5
Health Care 5
Recruitment Advertising 1
Sales Promotion 1
New Product Development 1
Creative Strategy & Development 0
Data & Analytics 0
Multicultural | Hispanic/Latino 0
Shopper Marketing 0
Social Media 0
Corporate Communications 0
Influencer Marketing 0
Experiential 0
Content stategy & development 0

Service Offering	Revenue
Advertising - General Market/ Traditional	55
Business-to-Business	14
Brand Consulting	10
Digital/Interactive \| Website Development, Hosting, Monitoring	8
Direct Marketing	5
Health Care	5
Recruitment Advertising	1
Sales Promotion	1
New Product Development	1
Creative Strategy & Development	0
Data & Analytics	0
Multicultural \| Hispanic/Latino	0
Shopper Marketing	0
Social Media	0
Corporate Communications	0
Influencer Marketing	0
Experiential	0
Content stategy & development	0

Industry Experience

Agency Profile