Glasgow creative drinks agency hires branding hard-hitter to go big stateside

Glasgow-founded creative agency Thirst is embarking on the next phase of its expansion in the US and beyond after hiring a branding heavyweight who has worked with the likes of Budweiser and Campbell’s Soup.

Bailey James joins the drinks-focused firm from Turner Duckworth, where she was most recently senior vice president and director of client services during a seven-year spell that included work with blue-chip brands such as General Motors, Vitamin Water, BlackRock and Samsung. The former Pearlfisher development director has led accounts for some of the biggest names in food and beverage, with some 15 years at the sharp-end of global branding, including oversight of two Budweiser redesigns and another with Campbell’s Soup, in 2021.

Based out of New York, James will lead Thirst’s North American division and work with director Adam Spriggs, who joined the agency in August and will continue to focus on business development.

James, who visited founders Chris Black and Matt Burns at the agency’s Glasgow HQ last week and is now in post, said: “Consumer behaviour – particularly amongst millennials and Gen Z – is again driving change in the US design landscape. Minimalist and stripped back design has dominated the past decade, and consequently everything started to look the same. We’re starting to emerge from that trend and I’m excited to see how Thirst can capitalise on that.”

Black added: “This is a real coup for Thirst. We have made huge strides in the US working with exciting challengers such as Buzzkill and Loverboy, as well as ongoing projects with our core portfolio of blue-chip brands on both sides of the Atlantic.”