Leading brand experience firm adds seasoned design business executives to run San Francisco and New York studios.
San Francisco, CA and New York, NY — August 19, 2008 — Method, the leading brand experience agency, today announced the appointment of Valerie Hoecke as GM of Method’s San Francisco studio, and Vince Santo as GM of its New York studio. The latest additions to Method’s expanding executive team, Hoecke and Santo will drive Method’s growth by streamlining operations, recruiting top-level talent, creating sustainable client relationships, and ensuring consistent delivery of award-winning, design-led, brand-centric strategic services.
“Valerie and Vince are two key strategic hires for Method,” said Robbie Vann-Adibé, co-CEO of Method. “We now have the business operations and vertical market expertise we need to take us to the next level of global growth. With Valerie and Vince focused on running Method’s U.S. studios, our multidisciplinary teams are now free to focus 100% of their energy on continuing to create the best brand experiences the industry has seen to date.”
Valerie Hoecke, Method’s new GM in San Francisco, brings to the table a unique mix of experience-based pragmatism and an innovative design sensibility that is rare in this or any industry. Her primary focus will be to oversee Method's growing teams while providing corporate direction and strategy as part of Method's executive management team. With a background in management at organizations ranging from large, multinational corporations to small aggressive start-ups, Valerie combines discipline and structure with flexibility, determination, and energy.
“Method’s approach to design, experience, and brand is the most rigorous and thorough I’ve ever encountered,” said Valerie Hoecke, GM of Method’s San Francisco studio. “I’m proud to join a firm that has such an impressive track record when it comes to creating design systems that are compelling and simultaneously scalable and totally focused on user experience.”
Prior to joining Method, Valerie held senior management positions at well-known Portland interactive agency Pop Art and San Francisco-based Rare Medium. She was Co-Founder and VP, Operations at the Bay Area boutique firm Fire Engine Red, where she ran all business operations and client management. As a leader of the company, she helped build the firm into a successful, profitable consulting firm. For more information, please visit method.com.
Vince Santo, Method’s new GM in New York, brings over 20 years of global experience working at the intersection of strategy, experience design, and technology. He has extensive experience advising CxOs on building trusted relationships with clients across multiple touchpoints as well as global sourcing and monetization strategies. “Having worked in the Management & Technology Consulting, Systems Integration and Web Agency space for many years I recognized a significant gap in the services marketplace…and Method’s design-led, Brand Experience offering uniquely fills this gap” said Vince Santo, GM of Method’s New York studio. “Method truly leverages the latest platforms — be it the web, virtual worlds, set top boxes, mobile devices, etc. — and creates immersive and compelling brand experiences for our clients. As GM for our NY studio, my primary role is to create an environment where our designers are inspired to do the most innovative work they can for our clients and, at the same time, ensure the firm’s long-term growth and profitability."
Prior to Method, Vince was Vice President and Managing Director, New York for Molecular, a digital agency that is part of the Isobar / Aegis network. Vince has also held senior leadership positions with Rare Medium as Senior Vice President of the Eastern Region and Cambridge Technology Partners as Global Director of Network Solutions. For more information, please visit method.com.
About Method
Method is a brand experience agency that helps business leaders harness the competitive power of design. With deep expertise in research, strategy, design and technology, Method offers a rigorous, intelligent approach to solving increasingly complex brand problems in the physical and digital realms. Method has enabled over 150 businesses to outperform competitors through unified branding and communications, compelling user experiences, and successful product and service development wherever customers can be found: On the web, mobile, print, advanced television, and within immersive environments. The firm has a blue-chip client roster that features brands such as Sony, Gucci, Microsoft, Visa, Comcast, Nike, Adobe, and Yahoo!, among others. Method has offices in San Francisco, New York and London.
