American advertising executive
Andrew O'Dell (born 1969) is an American advertising executive, entrepreneur, co-founder, and CEO Pereira O'Dell.
Early life and education.
Andrew O'Dell was born in 1969 in Alabama and grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He later attended the University of Tennessee, graduating in 1994. O'Dell moved to San Francisco in 1997.
Career.
In 2008, amid the financial crisis, O'Dell co-founded Pereira O'Dell, a creative agency headquartered in San Francisco, with Brazilian advertising executive PJ Pereira. The agency has worked with clients such as LEGO, Airbnb, Mattel, Skype, Coca-Cola, and Intel, producing award-winning campaigns that have garnered industry-wide recognition. Pereira O'Dell was originally backed by Brazilian ad group ABC, but in 2015, O'Dell and his partner PJ Pereira broke away from their Brazilian parent company, allowing the agency to operate independently. In 2023, the agency was named the creative agency partner for IHOP, producing their first campaign together.
O'Dell has also been involved with Serviceplan Americas and Silverside AI.
On authentic storytelling and advertising agencies.
In a 2017 interview, O'Dell discussed the evolving challenges faced by advertising agencies, acknowledging the growing competition from tech giants like Facebook, Google, and Snapchat. He expressed concerns about agencies' declining relevance as these platforms increasingly offer direct creative solutions to clients. O'Dell emphasized the need for agencies to resist devaluing their services and focus on adding value to clients' businesses. He also shared insights on Pereira &amp; O'Dell's journey to regain its independent status after buying back a majority stake from Grupo ABC in 2015.