• by Larissa Faw , June 5, 2019

CEO Steve Dapper is retiring from Publicis Hawkeye, the Dallas-based agency that was formed a few years back with the merger of Hawkeye and Publicis Dallas.

Dapper, a 50-year industry veteran, founded Hawkeye 20 years ago. It was acquired by Publicis Groupe in 2014. 

W. Joe DeMiero will assume Dapper’s duties, but with the title of president. He reports to Andrew Bruce, CEO, Publicis Communications North America.

"Hawkeye has been one of the few agencies founded on data-driven customer experiences and advertising, thanks to Steve’s visionary leadership,” said DeMiero. “He’s an icon in our industry and leaves a legacy of creativity and innovation."

Bruce adds: "Steve Dapper leaves some big shoes to fill and a rich legacy of client-centricity that Joe will use as a springboard to drive the agency forward.”

DeMiero is a familiar face within the Groupe network.

He previously served at Team One, the luxury-focused brand agency that’s part of Publicis Groupe’s Saatchi & Saatchi, where he served as head of digital. He helped lead the Lexus digital transformation initiative, including rolling-out use of first- and third-party customer data across paid and owned channels, as well as the auto maker's cloud migration, website redesigns, and development of dealer digital retailing tools.

In 2017, DeMiero founded TiltShift, Publicis Groupe’s immersive reality capability, which has created XR experiences for brands like Lexus, Procter & Gamble, and Whirlpool.

Before joining Team One, DeMiero led Razorfish's pitch to land digital AOR duties for  Honda/Acura, and then opened and led the Groupe-owned agency's Los Angeles office in support of the account. He also managed the T-Mobile digital business and was responsible for the agency's client relationships with Visa, Amazon, and Qualcomm.