Jan Jacobs

Jan Jacobs believes that as creators we must protect the power of a brand at all costs. Through deep collaboration with client partners there is a powerful opportunity to create long-term brand platforms that transform organizations.

In 2007 he formed Johannes Leonardo in partnership with fellow creative Leo Premutico. The independent agency was founded out of the belief that brands had to fundamentally change their relationships with consumers, and to inspire courageous acts that lead to true advertising effectiveness.

Over the course of his 25+ year career in advertising, Jacobs’ ideas have helped transform some of the world’s most iconic and influential companies. The agency’s “Drive Bigger” platform for Volkswagen is helping to lead a turnaround for the world’s largest automaker. MassMutual’s “Live Mutual" platform is helping to modernize the 165 year old insurance company into a category leader. While their repositioning of adidas Originals into challengers of the status quo with their “Strikethrough” campaign, has contributed to an unprecedented turnaround for the company and was awarded multiple effectiveness and creative awards, including the 2017 Entertainment for Music Grand Prix.

Johannes Leonardo has also repeatedly been called upon by the world’s leading technology companies - Amazon and Google. Helping to move their advertising industry toward a more modern form of storytelling for the latter, resulting in the mobile Grand Prix at the Cannes Advertising Festival for their Google Re:Brief campaign.

Most recently, the agency was named Adweek’s Breaththrough Agency of the Year in 2019 and #3 AdAge’s Top Ten ‘A-List’ in 2020.

Jacobs fervently believes it’s the job of the agency to instill courage in their clients. And doing so requires deep collaboration, valued partnership, and listening.

Jacobs’ work has been recognized at every major international award show including, the One Show, D&AD, Effies, the Clios and Cannes Lions. He previously held a jury chair of the South African award show, The Loeries, and twice has been featured in Creativity's 50 Most Influential People. Finally, Jacobs’ and Premutico’s Tide ‘Talking Stain’ commercial was nominated as one of the top twenty Super Bowl ads of all time.

In the early days of his career, Jacobs was closely involved with the advertising industry in South Africa starting at Y&R Cape Town followed by stints at Ogilvy and later at TBWA Hunt Lascaris. During this time his work contributed to the latter two agencies becoming Ad Age’s International Agency of the year. He won four Loerie Grands Prix in his last three years in SA, and the country’s first Gold Cyber Lion at Cannes. Jacobs was lured overseas to Bozell New York in 2011, where he oversaw the 9/11 New York Times print campaign. At Bozell he twice won the Newspaper Association’s award for the best press advertising in America, as well as third place in Agency of the Year at Cannes.

Jacobs and his wife Amber have three kids ages 15, 13 and 10. When he is not helping his agency create great work, he’s most likely off surfing.