CJRW Hires Shopper Marketing Veterans to Key Leadership Roles

Darin Gray, president of Little Rock-based advertising and marketing agency Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods, announced the hiring April 30 of two shopper marketing veterans for key leadership roles with the company.

Brian Rudisill is the new president of CJRW’s Northwest Arkansas division and Denise Davis is the firm’s director of operations.

They will begin with the company May 5 and work from the firm’s Springdale office. Both are leaving jobs at Inward Strategic Consulting in Bentonville, a brand engagement consulting firm based in Boston. It has offices in Minneapolis, Chicago, San Francisco and Orlando and opened its Bentonville office in 2012.

“We could not be more pleased to have Brian Rudisill and Denise Davis joining our firm,” Gray said in a news release. “They are very well respected in the shopper marketing and CPG industry and have broad and deep experience in Northwest Arkansas. They further strengthen our agency team and the strategic insight and counsel we provide to clients not only here, but across the country.”

Rudisill served as managing director and account director for Inward’s Walmart office in Bentonville. There, he managed the firm’s strategic relationship with Walmart Associate Marketing, including developing branding and integrated marketing plans for associate marketing and engagement programs for multiple Walmart departments.

From 2004-2012, Rudisill was with JWT Action of Rogers where his roles included vice president/director and senior account Supervisor for the firm’s Walmart office. While at JWT, he directed development of all strategic shopper marketing plans for the Nestle and Johnson & Johnson accounts.

Rudisill has previous experience with CJRW, serving in its Northwest Arkansas division as senior account supervisor for agency client Tyson Foods Inc. from 1996 to 2004.

He also helped manage the Subway Restaurants, Uncle Ben’s and Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism accounts.

Davis has spent her entire career working in the Northwest Arkansas marketing and advertising industry. She was director of operations, project management and print production for Inward’s Bentonville office.

Prior to joining Inward, Davis was director of operations and project management for The Mars Advertising agency’s Bentonville office.