Horizon Lands New Why Executive Jared Gruner

Horizon Media has tapped Jared Gruner as vice president/managing director of the Why Group. He will be based at the agency’s Los Angeles office. 

The Why team is Horizon's version of an account planning group, creating strategic communications direction for clients. The Why team has staff at the agency’s New York City and Los Angeles offices.

According to the agency, Gruner's responsibilities include leading strategic and brand planning across its roster of clients and developing creative ideas that intersect  branding and media. He is also tasked with overseeing the development of consumer, category, cultural and brand insights that drive brand behaviors and media strategies. 

Gruner will report to the chief of The Why Group, Sheri Roder, and Serena Duff, executive vice president and GM of in the agency’s Los Angeles office. 

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Roder cited Gruner’s “wonderful combination of creative thinking with an incredibly strategic foundation. I look forward to tapping into his expertise as we continue to uncover innovative insights for our clients.”

Most recently, Gruner consulted for Beats by Dre, the consumer electronics brand acquired by Apple last year. Prior to that, Jared was director of integrated strategy and planning at Ogilvy, where he was responsible for consumer insights on brands including Qualcomm, Cisco, Sony, Covered California, among others. Earlier he held senior positions at Naked Communications.

“I’ve known Serena and Sheri for quite some time now, and I was drawn to their vision for Horizon as well as the agency’s reputation for innovation and invention,” says Gruner. “I see the convergence of strategic planning and content falling to media agencies more frequently and Horizon’s incredible growth in recent years is a testament to that.”

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