Margaret Johnson
Chief Creative Officer
Margaret Johnson, Chief Creative Officer and Partner at Goodby Silverstein & Partners, is the creative force who has redefined what modern leadership looks like. The first woman to hold the CCO title in the agency’s 42-year history, she has built her career on a simple belief: Ideas should reach millions yet make each person feel something deeply personal. This philosophy, Mass Intimacy, now fuels GS&P’s creative, cultural, and business momentum.
Her impact is unmatched. Mountain Dew’s “Kiss from a Lime,” starring SEAL, became YouTube’s #1-searched Super Bowl ad, driving a double-digit increase in sales. Cheetos’ “Other Hand” inspired a typeface drawn with the nondominant hand and a summer takeover starring Thing from “Wednesday” that drove +9% YOY sales. Doritos’ “Telethon for Hawkins” activated fandom at scale, generating nearly 400,000 calls and 68,000 voicemails, and surpassing sales objectives by 113%. Pillsbury reignited affection for the beloved Doughboy, which contributed to a three-point increase in share growth. Her leadership is equally defining. CEO Sarah Thompson said, “Margaret makes ideas more emotional, more human, and more culturally resonant. She leads with empathy and conviction, empowering teams to take creative risks and fail forward.”
Founders Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein echoed this impact. “She lifts her teams up, and in doing so, she lifts the entire agency,” Jeff noted. “Her combination of vision, fearlessness, and heart has changed GS&P, and the industry.” Rich added, “She’s tough as nails and amazingly personable. She can’t be riled, and clients feel that instantly. She makes everyone around her better.”
Margaret’s commitment to expanding access to creative careers led to GS&P’s tuition-free portfolio school, The Academy, preventing over $3.5 million in potential student debt and opening doors for new voices.
Margaret is unstoppable in new business. This year, GS&P won American Express, NBA 2K, major assignments across Comcast Corporation, Maruchan Ramen Noodles, and General Mills—growth driven by Margaret’s creative rigor and emotional bravery.
Margaret is truly shaping the next era of creative leadership.
Her impact is unmatched. Mountain Dew’s “Kiss from a Lime,” starring SEAL, became YouTube’s #1-searched Super Bowl ad, driving a double-digit increase in sales. Cheetos’ “Other Hand” inspired a typeface drawn with the nondominant hand and a summer takeover starring Thing from “Wednesday” that drove +9% YOY sales. Doritos’ “Telethon for Hawkins” activated fandom at scale, generating nearly 400,000 calls and 68,000 voicemails, and surpassing sales objectives by 113%. Pillsbury reignited affection for the beloved Doughboy, which contributed to a three-point increase in share growth. Her leadership is equally defining. CEO Sarah Thompson said, “Margaret makes ideas more emotional, more human, and more culturally resonant. She leads with empathy and conviction, empowering teams to take creative risks and fail forward.”
Founders Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein echoed this impact. “She lifts her teams up, and in doing so, she lifts the entire agency,” Jeff noted. “Her combination of vision, fearlessness, and heart has changed GS&P, and the industry.” Rich added, “She’s tough as nails and amazingly personable. She can’t be riled, and clients feel that instantly. She makes everyone around her better.”
Margaret’s commitment to expanding access to creative careers led to GS&P’s tuition-free portfolio school, The Academy, preventing over $3.5 million in potential student debt and opening doors for new voices.
Margaret is unstoppable in new business. This year, GS&P won American Express, NBA 2K, major assignments across Comcast Corporation, Maruchan Ramen Noodles, and General Mills—growth driven by Margaret’s creative rigor and emotional bravery.
Margaret is truly shaping the next era of creative leadership.