About Jeff Graham
President & CMO at Cactus
Jeff Graham is President & CMO of Cactus, a strategically-led creative agency specializing in consumer behavior change. Prior to Cactus, Jeff was SVP, Managing Director at Barkley, and co-founder, Managing Director of Boulder creative boutique Grenadier. Jeff brings 30 years of agency experience leading account teams in some of the country’s most creatively-driven agencies including Crispin Porter Bogusky, Arnold Worldwide, TBWA\Chiat\Day, and CORE. Jeff's account experience spans some of the world’s most iconic brands—Microsoft, Volkswagen, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Best Buy, NFL, Gibson Guitar, Virgin Mobile, Bass Pro Shops, Indian Motorcycle, Under Armour, and Old Navy (as interim CMO).
For decades, Jeff has taught university students and mentored young account services professionals on the art of 'Creative Account Leadership'. By creating the conditions on every project and every account where bold, culture-changing creative ideas can thrive, the account function can play a crucial role in improving creative output and driving brand growth. He's been an adjunct professor at both the University of Colorado-Boulder and the University of Missouri-Columbia; and he's a frequent guest speaker for ad clubs nationwide.
A native of St. Louis, Jeff is a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism (BJ) and St. Louis University’s Chaifetz School of Business (MBA). He's a classic car enthusiast, cancer survivor, lucky husband who outkicked his coverage, proud dad to 4 amazing girls, volunteer/board member for several non-profit and charitable organizations, a board member for the One Club-Denver, and past president of AdClub Colorado (AAF).
Follow:
Jeff Graham
Cactus x Jeff Graham: In Service of the Work
Episode Summary
This week, we’re joined by President & CMO at Cactus, Jeff Graham. With extensive agency experience, Jeff brings an incredible perspective of the true role of the account service department and how their work can drastically improve the creative quality and output of any agency. Jeff shares stories from his previous life at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, as well as insights into the incredibly meaningful work he’s leading at Denver-based Cactus. We dive into how mission driven marketing comes to life in the agency world, fabulous advice that Jeff has for others in the industry and so much more!
Key Takeaways:
Did you know that men are 4x more likely than women to die by suicide? Jeff shares the work him and his team are doing to help solve this difficult problem.
Jeff shares how deep his passion is for one of the agencies he previously worked for – which may or may not have resulted in a tattoo!
We discuss how account reps can best support their creative counterparts in the agency world.
Jeff speaks to the importance of work that focuses on behavior change.