Jason Harris (marketer)

Jason Harris
Harris in 2017
Born
Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.
EducationJames Madison University (Bachelor of Business Administration)[1]
OccupationFounder /Entepreneur

Jason Harris is an American entrepreneur. He is the Co-founder / CEO of Mekanism Inc., an award-winning creative advertising agency[2][3], author of The Soulful Art of Persuasion and host of the award-winning podcast, Soul and Science.[4]

Education

He earned his degree in Bachelor of Business Administration from James Madison University.[5]

Career

Harris is the co-founder and CEO of Mekanism, an award-winning creative agency. He began his career in business and strategy roles at agencies like TBWA\Chiat\Day, Leagas Delaney, and Ketchum, where he led major campaigns for clients including PlayStation, Levi’s, and Disney.[6][7] [8]

Harris later founded Plan C, an entertainment company focused on branded TV content, producing work for Adidas and Xbox that aired nationally on Fox Sports.[9] He is the author of The Soulful Art of Persuasion, a Wall Street Journal bestselling book[10] that explores strategies for authentic communication, empathy, and storytelling in business and leadership.[11] The book emphasizes connecting with audiences in a genuine, human-centered way, and has been cited as a resource for marketers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders seeking to build trust and achieve lasting influence.[4]

In addition to his writing, Harris hosts the podcast Soul & Science, an award-winning series in which he interviews prominent chief marketing officers, brand strategists, and cultural leaders. The podcast focuses on the intersection of emotional intelligence and data-driven decision-making in marketing and brand development.[12]

Mekanism

Since joining Mekanism as Cofounder and CEO, Harris has helped grow the agency into one of the top midsize creative shops in the U.S[5], leading campaigns for brands like HBO, The North Face, Muscle Milk, Ben & Jerry’s, and PepsiCo.[13] Under his leadership, Mekanism clients include Alaska Airlines, Quaker, Charles Schwab, Jose Cuervo, Ben & Jerrys, Amtrak, Cupcake Vineyards, and most recently, Custom Ink and Noom.[14][13][15][16][17] [18][19]

During his tenure Mekanism earned spots on Ad Age’s A-List, being named one of the Top 10 Most Effective Agencies in the U.S. by the Effie Index and the agency was also spotlighted leaders in Adweek’s Creative 100: Rising Agency Talent You’ll Want to Remember, (2024) and Campaign Us’s 40 Over 40 List. Notably, in 2014, the agency led the White House’s “It’s On Us” campaign to combat campus sexual assault.[20] In 2015, Harris oversaw the acquisition of Epic Signal, a digital content studio that has partnered with brands like Bud Light and NBC to run campaigns across platforms like YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram.[21] [22] [23]

In 2025, Jason spearheaded the launch of an AI creative studio called the AI Superstudio.[24] In 2026, the studio was shortlisted as AI Studio of the year by Campaign.[25]

Awards

During Harris' time as CEO, the agency has twice been named the "Small Agency of the Year" by Ad Age, won four Effie Awards, three Cannes Lions Awards, three London International Awards, a D&AD Award, and four Webby Awards.[26] Mekanism has also been listed as one of the top 50 most creative companies by Creativity magazine.[27] In January 2015, the company was named to Advertising Age's A List and was named one of the most effective Independent Agencies in America later that year.[28][29]

In 2018, Harris was named to the Top 100 Influencers in 2018 by Creative Pool, an online resource for agencies, brands and individuals.[30]

In 2014, Mekanism created an ad for Pepsi which ran during the Super Bowl and was ranked by USA Today as the tenth best Super Bowl ad that year.[31][32] Mekanism was named as one of Advertising Age's best places to work in 2016.[33]

In 2021, Harris was named CEO of the Year by The Drum, included in Campaign US’s 40 Over 40, and listed on the 4A’s 100 People Who Make Advertising Great— noting his biggest drive is helping people and brands connect in more human, soulful ways. The agency also ranked among the Top 10 Most Effective Independent Agencies in the U.S., according to the Effie Index.[34] At the Signal Awards, he won two Silver Awards and the Listener’s Choice Award in 2023, followed by a Bronze Award and another Listener’s Choice Award in 2024, and a Bronze Award with Listener’s Choice honors in 2025. In addition, he received a Silver Award at the 2023 W3 Awards, acknowledging excellence in digital content and media.[35]

Influence

Harris serves on the board of directors for Advertising Week and is an advising member of the Marketing 50 Group.[36][37] He is also a co-chair and founding member of the Civic Nation Creative Alliance, a partnership with The White House focused on driving social impact through creative initiatives.[24] IIn addition to his professional roles, Harris is a board and chair member of the New York City Zen Center, where he engages in mindfulness and meditation practices that influence his leadership and creative approach. In 2017, the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) named Harris one of the "100 People Who Make Advertising Great."[38] [39][40]

The following year, he delivered the commencement address at his alma mater, James Madison University.[41][42][43][44][11]

References

  1. ^ "C-Suite Speaker, Jason Harris: Makes Stories, Not Ads". James Madison University. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  2. ^ Patel, Kunur (August 8, 2011). "Small Agency of the Year, 11-75 Employees, Gold: Mekanism". Ad Age.
  3. ^ Shing, David (October 7, 2011). "Jason Harris Advertising Week Interview (VIDEO)". Huffington Post.
  4. ^ a b Lewis (2019-09-11). "The Soulful Art of Persuasion with Jason Harris". Lewis Howes. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  5. ^ a b Borden, Mark (May 1, 2010). "The Mekanism Guarantee: They Engineer Virality". Fast Company.
  6. ^ Heim, Sarah J (February 25, 2002). "Harris Rejoins Leagas Delaney". Ad Week.
  7. ^ "Creativity Cat Profile". Creativity Cat. Archived from the original on 2010-12-30. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  8. ^ Vines, Emily (June 2005). "Plan C Xcelerates Launch Of Xbox's Forza Motorsport Via Car Culture". SHOOT. Archived from the original on 2015-07-09.
  9. ^ "Jason Harris". asia.advertisingweek.com. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  10. ^ Catalyst, Action (2019-10-30). "The Soulful Art of Persuasion, with Jason Harris - Episode 307 of The Action Catalyst Podcast". The Action Catalyst. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
  11. ^ a b "The Soulful Art of Persuasion: The 11 Habits That Will Make Anyone A Master Influencer by Jason Harris - Books". www.hachette.com.au. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  12. ^ "Mekanism Launches Soul & Science Podcast". adage.com. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  13. ^ a b Sanburn, Josh (February 4, 2013). "Testing the Science of Sharing at the Super Bowl: Can Viral Ads Be Manufactured?". TIME.
  14. ^ "October 2021 – Habits and Hustle Podcast". Retrieved 2026-03-17.
  15. ^ Mekanism Signs New York Directorial Duo Dave and Rory. Studio Daily. August 18, 2008.
  16. ^ Mekanism Signs Trifecta of Talent. Studio Daily. July 13, 2009.
  17. ^ Ann-Christine Diaz (7 April 2017). "John Oliver Rants About HBO's New Brand Campaign, and Then the Campaign Devours Him". AdAge. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  18. ^ Katie Richards (15 December 2016). "Alaska Airlines Celebrates Merger With Virgin America by Showcasing Unexpected, Brilliant Pairings". AdAge. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  19. ^ Monllos, Kristina How One Agency's Insight Into Millennials Helped It Win the White House as a Client AdWeek. July 8, 2015
  20. ^ hefferjm. "Master storyteller". www.jmu.edu. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  21. ^ Mekanism - Case Studies Archived 2015-07-09 at the Wayback Machine Mekanism. July 8, 2015
  22. ^ Katie Richards (28 March 2017). "It's On Us Calls on College Students to Re-examine How They Talk About Sexual Assault in Bold New Ad". AdAge. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  23. ^ Johnson, Lauren Mekanism Scoops Up a Social Shop to Bring Influence Marketing in House AdWeek. July 25, 2015
  24. ^ a b "Jason Harris". newyork2025.advertisingweek.com. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  25. ^ September 23 2025, Kyle O’Brien. "Advertising Week New York uses AI to make futuristic films in Tomorrow Needs You campaign". www.campaignlive.com. Retrieved 2026-03-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ Patel, Kunur. "Small Agency of the Year, 11-75 Employees, Silver: Mekanism". Ad Age.
  27. ^ Mekanism - "The 2008 Creativity 50" AdForum. July 8, 2015
  28. ^ Most Effective Independent Agencies April 2015 Effie Effectiveness Index. June 3, 2015
  29. ^ Ad Age's 2015 Agency A-List Standouts: Grey, 180LA, AKQA and More Advertising Age. July 8, 2015
  30. ^ "Creativepool 2018 Annual". creativepool.com. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
  31. ^ Feloni, Richard Pepsi's Super Bowl Halftime Intro Is Awesome Business Insider. July 8, 2015
  32. ^ Siegel, Alan 2014 Ad Meter results: all 57 Super Bowl XLVIII commercials from best to worst USA Today. June 3, 2015
  33. ^ "Best Places to Work 2016". AdAge. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  34. ^ "Jason Harris". New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  35. ^ "Jason Harris". CNBC. 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  36. ^ Work and Life - All Guests Archived 2015-07-09 at the Wayback Machine The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. July 8, 2015
  37. ^ Monllos, Kristina The United Nations Is Working on the 'World's Largest Advertising Campaign' AdWeek. July 7, 2015
  38. ^ "Instructors". Miami Ad School. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  39. ^ "Mekanism Personnel Profiles". AdForum.com.
  40. ^ ""How the F#$% Did They Sell That" Seminar Photo". Yahoo.
  41. ^ "Top 10 Most Influential Media and Communication Executives of 2015 -- Putting Their Skills to Work for the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals". Pvblic Foundation. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  42. ^ "4A's Reveals 100 People Who Make Advertising Great". American Association of Advertising Agencies. 24 July 2017.
  43. ^ "JMU 2018 Commencement Book" (PDF).
  44. ^ DesMarais, Christina (8 August 2019). "Why You Should Never Let Your Relationships Drop to Zero". Inc.com. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
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