Crispin
An American creative advertising agency known for culturally prominent, digitally oriented campaigns.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Crispin, historically known as Crispin Porter + Bogusky or CP+B, is an American advertising agency founded in Miami, Florida, in 1965 by Sam Crispin. The agency later developed its best-known identity through the partnership of Crispin with Chuck Porter and Alex Bogusky. Its work has been associated with a highly creative, unconventional style that combines television advertising, digital experiences, social participation, experiential marketing, public relations, and brand strategy. The agency grew particularly quickly during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Its reputation was strengthened by campaigns for Burger King, BMW MINI, and the anti-smoking initiative TheTruth.com. Rather than treating advertising as a conventional sequence of print, broadcast, and outdoor placements, CP+B became associated with ideas designed to attract public attention and generate discussion across multiple media. Viral mechanics, interactive websites, humorous brand characters, and deliberately unusual brand behavior became recurring elements of its work. Burger King was one of the agency’s most visible relationships. The Subservient Chicken campaign created an interactive online character that responded to users’ commands, while Whopper Sacrifice encouraged Facebook users to remove friends in exchange for a food reward. These campaigns helped demonstrate how a fast-food brand could use participatory digital entertainment to generate earned media and direct consumer interaction. The agency also worked on BMW MINI communications, helping establish the small-car brand through irreverent and visually distinctive advertising. Its work for TheTruth.com contributed to the broader use of confrontational, youth-oriented communications in public-health advertising. CP+B also became involved in major technology and consumer brands. In 2008 it produced a Microsoft television advertisement featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates that drew negative media attention. Microsoft and CP+B subsequently developed the “I'm a PC” campaign, which responded to Apple’s “Mac versus PC” positioning by presenting Windows users as diverse, ordinary, and identifiable people. The campaign became one of the agency’s prominent technology assignments and was associated in contemporary coverage with the commercial success of Windows 7. The agency expanded internationally through acquisitions and new offices. CP+B Europe began operating in 2009 after the acquisition of Swedish agency Daddy, based in Gothenburg. In 2010, CP+B Canada opened after the acquisition of Toronto-based agency Zig. Its office network has included locations in the United States, Europe, Brazil, and China. The organization was founded and initially headquartered in Miami, later moved to Boulder, Colorado, and relocated its headquarters to Denver in 2021. As of 2024, the agency was reported to employ approximately 150 people. Its client roster has included Domino’s Pizza, Infiniti, American Airlines, PayPal, Hotels.com, Hulu, Goose Island Brewery, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Burger King, BMW MINI, Microsoft, and TheTruth.com. The agency has received extensive trade-press recognition, including repeated Agency of the Year honors. It was named Creativity’s Agency of the Year and Adweek’s U.S. Agency of the Year in 2008, Advertising Age’s Agency of the Decade in 2009, and Interactive Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions in 2010. The modern Crispin organization remains positioned as a creative agency with capabilities spanning brand communications, advertising, digital work, and integrated marketing.
History
Crispin began in Miami in 1965, founded by Sam Crispin. The agency’s later identity and growth were shaped by the partnership involving Crispin, Chuck Porter, and Alex Bogusky, and it became widely known as Crispin Porter + Bogusky, often abbreviated CP+B. The firm developed a reputation for disruptive creative work rather than conventional category advertising, using humor, unusual characters, interactive websites, public participation, and earned-media potential. The agency’s most significant expansion occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Work for Burger King, BMW MINI, and TheTruth.com brought the agency extensive industry and public attention. Burger King assignments in particular demonstrated CP+B’s approach to interactive brand behavior. The Subservient Chicken website invited users to issue commands to a costumed character, turning a fast-food promotion into an online entertainment property. Whopper Sacrifice used Facebook participation and a reward mechanism to encourage users to remove friends, generating considerable discussion about the relationship between social networks, loyalty, and promotion. CP+B’s creative model also extended to public-health communications. TheTruth.com anti-smoking work used direct, confrontational messaging aimed at younger audiences. The campaign helped establish the agency as a practitioner of communications that sought not merely to describe a product but to create a recognizable cultural presence around it. BMW MINI work similarly used irreverent presentation and distinctive creative formats to differentiate the automobile brand. International development followed through acquisitions and office creation. In June 2009, CP+B Europe began operations after the acquisition of Daddy, a Swedish agency headquartered in Gothenburg. In July 2010, the agency established CP+B Canada after acquiring Toronto-based Zig. The broader network later included offices in Coconut Grove, Los Angeles, London, São Paulo, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, and Beijing. The original Miami headquarters was later moved to Boulder, Colorado, and the headquarters relocated again to Denver in 2021. Technology advertising became another important part of the agency’s history. In 2008, CP+B created a Microsoft commercial starring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates that received negative media coverage. Microsoft and the agency then developed the “I'm a PC” campaign, which positioned Windows users as a broad and varied community in response to Apple’s “Mac versus PC” advertising. The campaign became one of CP+B’s most recognizable technology assignments and was linked in contemporary accounts to the strong market reception of Windows 7. Leadership evolved as the agency expanded. Andrew Keller, Rob Reilly, and Jeff Benjamin were promoted to chief creative officer positions in 2010. A leadership listing from August 2017 identified Chuck Porter as chairman, Lori Senecal and Erik Sollenberg as co-global chief executives, Linus Karlsson as global chief creative officer, Danielle Aldrich as president of CP+B West, Ralph Watson as chief creative officer in Boulder, and Kevin Jones as chief creative officer in Los Angeles. The agency’s trade recognition reflected its influence in creative and interactive advertising. It was named Creativity’s Agency of the Year and Adweek’s U.S. Agency of the Year in 2008, Advertising Age’s Agency of the Decade in 2009, and Interactive Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions in 2010. As of 2024, Crispin was reported to employ about 150 people. Its listed clients have included Domino’s Pizza, Infiniti, American Airlines, PayPal, Hotels.com, Hulu, Goose Island Brewery, and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, alongside earlier major relationships such as Burger King, BMW MINI, Microsoft, and TheTruth.com.
- 2024
Reported workforce reaches approximately 150 employees
[1]The agency was reported to employ around 150 people.
- 2021
Headquarters relocate to Denver
[1]After previously moving from Miami to Boulder, the agency relocated its headquarters to Denver, Colorado.
- 2010
Canadian expansion
[1]CP+B Canada opened following the acquisition of Toronto agency Zig.
- 2010
Creative leadership promotions
[1]Andrew Keller, Rob Reilly, and Jeff Benjamin were promoted to chief creative officer roles.
- 2009
European expansion
[1]CP+B Europe opened after the acquisition of Swedish agency Daddy in Gothenburg.
- 2002
Mark Simmons serves as Los Angeles managing director
[1]Mark Simmons held the managing director role in the Los Angeles office from 2002 to 2004.
- 1965
Agency founded in Miami
[1]Sam Crispin founded the advertising agency in Miami, Florida.
Products and positioning
A creatively led, culturally provocative advertising agency that uses humor, participation, digital interaction, and integrated media to make brand communications distinctive and shareable.
Advertising service
Integrated advertising campaigns
CP+B develops integrated campaigns that combine creative strategy, television, digital media, social platforms, experiential activity, and earned-media mechanisms. Its historical work is characterized by concepts designed to operate across channels rather than remain limited to a single advertisement.
Digital marketing service
Interactive and viral marketing
The agency is particularly associated with interactive concepts that invite users to participate, share content, or influence a brand experience. The Burger King Subservient Chicken and Whopper Sacrifice campaigns are representative examples of this approach.
Professional service
Brand strategy and creative services
The agency provides strategic and creative support for consumer, technology, automotive, food, travel, financial, and public-health brands. Its positioning emphasizes distinctive ideas, cultural relevance, and creative differentiation.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009Burger King Whopper Sacrifice
United States · Facebook markets
The campaign used a Facebook application to offer a Whopper reward to users who removed friends from their networks. Its deliberately provocative mechanic generated discussion about social relationships and brand promotion.
Outcome. Generated substantial attention as an unconventional social-media promotion.
- 2008I'm a PC
United States
Following an initially criticized Microsoft commercial featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates, CP+B developed the I'm a PC campaign. It responded to Apple’s Mac-versus-PC positioning by portraying Windows users as a broad and diverse group.
Outcome. Became a prominent Microsoft campaign and was associated in contemporary accounts with the strong sales performance of Windows 7.
- 2004Burger King Subservient Chicken
United States
CP+B created an interactive Burger King experience centered on a costumed chicken that responded to users’ typed commands. The campaign turned a promotional website into a participatory entertainment experience and became one of the agency’s signature examples of viral marketing.
Outcome. High public and trade visibility; established a landmark example of interactive fast-food advertising.
- 2000TheTruth.com anti-smoking campaign
United States
CP+B worked on the anti-smoking campaign TheTruth.com, using direct and youth-oriented messaging to challenge tobacco-industry behavior and discourage smoking.
Outcome. Helped make the agency prominent in public-health advertising.
- 2000BMW MINI advertising
United States
CP+B created distinctive, irreverent communications for BMW MINI during the agency’s rapid-growth period, helping reinforce the vehicle’s unconventional small-car identity.
Outcome. Contributed to the agency’s reputation for inventive automotive advertising.
Brand decisions
2021
Relocate headquarters from Boulder to DenverStrategyBackground
The agency had previously moved its headquarters from Miami to Boulder, Colorado.
Action taken
Crispin relocated its headquarters to Denver, Colorado.
Aftermath
Denver became the agency’s headquarters location.
2010
Acquire Toronto agency ZigM&ABackground
CP+B planned to establish a Canadian operation.
Action taken
The agency acquired Toronto-based Zig and opened CP+B Canada.
Aftermath
The acquisition extended the agency’s network into Canada.
2010
Broaden creative leadershipStrategyBackground
The agency was expanding across offices and international markets.
Action taken
Andrew Keller, Rob Reilly, and Jeff Benjamin were promoted to chief creative officer positions.
Aftermath
The appointments created a broader senior creative leadership structure.
2009
Acquire Swedish agency DaddyM&ABackground
CP+B sought to establish a European operating presence.
Action taken
The agency acquired Daddy, a Gothenburg-based Swedish agency, and opened CP+B Europe.
Aftermath
The transaction created a European platform and expanded the agency’s international office network.
Recent events
- 2010
CP+B Canada launches after acquisition of Zig[1]
M&A
The agency entered the Canadian market through the acquisition of Toronto-based agency Zig.
- 2010
CP+B promotes Andrew Keller, Rob Reilly, and Jeff Benjamin to chief creative officer roles[1]
Leadership change
The agency announced a senior creative leadership expansion involving three promotions.
- 2010
CP+B receives Cannes Lions Interactive Agency of the Year recognition[1]
Other
The agency was recognized as Interactive Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions, its third win in that category since 2005.
- 2009
CP+B opens European operation through acquisition of Daddy[1]
M&A
The agency expanded into Europe by acquiring Swedish agency Daddy in Gothenburg and establishing CP+B Europe.
- 2009
CP+B named Advertising Age Agency of the Decade[1]
Other
Advertising Age honored the agency for its performance and influence during the 2000s.
- 2008
CP+B receives major 2008 agency-of-the-year honors[1]
Other
The agency was recognized by Creativity and Adweek as Agency of the Year in 2008.
- 2008
Microsoft advertising featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates attracts negative attention[1]
Other
A CP+B-created Microsoft television spot featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates received unfavorable media attention before the subsequent I'm a PC campaign.
Sources2 sources
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