Chobani first big account win for Benjamin, Canning and Antill at Leo Burnett New York

Chobani – the best-selling yogurt in America – has named Leo Burnett New York its new advertising agency of record. The rapidly growing brand chose Leo Burnett New York after a creative review process.

It’s the first big win for chief creative officer Jay Benjamin (above left) and his Aussie creative group head/creative team Michael Canning (middle) and Kieran Antill (creative director, right) who departed Leo Burnett Sydney in late 2010 to open Leo Burnett in New York earlier this year. They were joined by managing director Tom Flanagan and director of strategy Jumana Abu-Ghazaleh.

“From the first time we met the Chobani team, we felt a strong connection,” says Benjamin. “We both embrace a similar entrepreneurial spirit, culture and way of thinking. Their story is very inspiring. We’re really looking forward to this relationship.”

Since opening its doors, Leo Burnett New York began working with Dewar’s Scotch Whisky and recently launched New York Writes Itself, an ongoing series of creative productions fueled by the real people of New York.

“In such a short time, we’ve seen Chobani grow to lead the entire yogurt category thanks to our amazing fans,” said Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO and founder of Chobani. “We chose Leo Burnett New York because they understand the importance of authentic engagement and the necessity to constantly evolve a brand while keeping it true to its roots.”

Created in 2007, the Chobani brand has experienced swift growth and has formed a passionate following. Together, Chobani and Leo Burnett New York will create an integrated national campaign including TV, out-of-home, social and digital among other elements.

“We came into this creative review knowing we needed to find an agency that brought us strong creative ideas and thoroughly understood our brand and our customers,” said Doron Stern, VP of Marketing, Chobani. “We picked Leo Burnett because they presented us with compelling and genuine ways to tell the Chobani story and engage with our customers.”