On recently made an interesting new marketing hire, signaling that the running brand may be looking to beef up its internal agency.
Thiago Cruz, former chief creative officer at Grey New York, joined Swiss running shoe brand On as its global head of brand and creative in September.
Cruz leads On’s internal creative studio, overseeing a team of art directors, graphic designers, and copywriters developing assets for On’s marketing campaigns, according to a spokesperson.
He doesn’t report directly to CMO Alex Griffin, but his team falls under On’s marketing organization, the spokesperson said.
Cruz is based in Switzerland, where On is headquartered, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Brazilian-born Cruz was most recently at Grey, where he was chief creative officer of the New York office. Before that he worked in creative leadership roles at agencies across Europe and the U.S.
His departure from Grey came months after the agency was folded under Ogilvy Group, moving it from its previous home under AKQA. Earlier in December, Grey announced a new leadership team for the U.S., bringing its New York and Cincinnati offices together under the leadership of U.S. CEO Agnes Fischer and U.S. CCO Samira Ansari, who previously worked at Ogilvy.
“Before being one of the most talented creative leaders in the industry, Thiago is a longtime dear friend. He has the perfect sensibility to help On realize its creative potential. We are sincerely thrilled for both him and them,” said Gabriel Schmitt, global chief creative officer of Grey in a statement.
Grey and Ogilvy’s reorganization comes as parent WPP undergoes a strategic review led by McKinsey under newly installed CEO Cindy Rose.
On has broken through as a challenger to legacy running brands like Nike and Puma, in part thanks to buzzy marketing that taps into celebrity, lifestyle, and fashion.
In 2024, On signed a multiyear partnership with Zendaya that lends her influence across product development and creative campaigns, leading to work such as her April launch into space. Much of this work has been developed in-house by On’s marketing team.
The Swiss running brand drove record net sales and profit in the third quarter of 2025, with sales increasing nearly 25% year-over-year driven by “exceptional global momentum.”