Snapchat names former Laundry Service CCO as head of global creative

Ad industry veteran Leo Macias is joining Snapchat to be its head of global creative.

Macias will lead Snap’s creative team, covering brand, consumer and business marketing efforts globally. He will report to Snap’s CMO, Kenny Mitchell, who joined the popular teen/Gen Z social platform from McDonald’s in 2019.

The veteran creative most recently served as chief creative officer for Laundry Service. At Laundry Service, Macias handled creative duties for such brands as Nike, Foot Locker, Ferrero Tic Tac, Belvedere and Amazon Music.

He will be based out of parent Snap Inc’s Santa Monica, CA, headquarters.

Prior to coming to the US, Macias worked for DDB Colombia as chief creative officer. His extensive résumé includes leading creative roles at DDB agencies in Brazil, and both Ogilvy’s and Havas’ São Paulo offices.

His creativity has been well recognised, including gaining 33 Cannes Lions, 25 Effie Awards, including two grand Effies, and recognition from the D&AD, One Show and Clio Awards.

Macias’ in-depth knowledge of both the North and South American markets will be of note to Snapchat, which reaches over 100 million people in the US alone and has a pipeline to the 13- to 24-year-old demographic, where it holds a 90% reach. 

Snapchat identifies the UK, Canada and Australia as its more established international locales, suggesting a possible growth trajectory for Latin and South America.

"Leo is a world-class creative and talent in our industry," said Mitchell in a statement. "We're thrilled to welcome Leo on board to help us showcase the creativity of Snapchat and our platform."

Last summer, Mitchell spearheaded Snapchat’s first ad campaign, "Real Friends", which featured actual friend pairings to underscore the almost tactile nature of Snapchat friendships.