Imagine if Coke bought Pepsi. Then imagine one agency managing all their brands to keep them from swerving into each other’s lanes. When I was hired by Publicis Chicago as art director on the sleepy Whirlpool account, I could never have imagined this scenario. The home appliance category wasn’t glamorous or exciting. Not the kind of thing a young creative dreams about. But something unexpected happened. I grew to love the appliance business and Whirlpool in particular. When Publicis closed the Chicago office, I was asked by agency and clients to relocate to NYC. And when Whirlpool acquired Maytag, it ended an almost century-long rivalry, putting me in a position to manage Whirlpool’s entire portfolio. Each brand had its own unique set of challenges. Fortunately, we had already completed the work on Whirlpool’s new brand strategy. I had faith we could do the same for the others.