In-House Excellence Awards
Grand Jury

MAEVE DOHOGNE

Director, Edward Jones Agency
Edward Jones

BIO

Maeve Dohogne leads the in-house agency at Edward Jones, which has grown over the last four years into a team that handles everything from national brand work to social content to local marketing support for financial advisors. She credits their growth to one core belief: earn respect through exceptional work and genuine collaboration. Before Edward Jones, Maeve spent nearly 15 years on the ad agency side as a writer and creative director. She lives in St. Louis with her husband, their 6-year-old son, and their rescue pup who thinks everyone visits their home just for him. 

Q&A with Maeve Dohogne

Provide one word that defines "In-House Excellence" in 2026.

Ignited. 

What is one trend in creative operations or in-housing you are watching most closely?

How AI can alleviate the administrative burden that gets in the way of talented people doing more of the strategic, creative, actual-problem-solving work.   

In one sentence—what is the single most important element that moves an entry from "Good" to "Grand Prix”?

It's when the work shows big-picture vision, calculated risk-taking, and exceptional command of the many choices that go into excellent craftsmanship. 

What is the #1 mistake teams should avoid when telling their campaign’s "story" in a submission?

Talking about the work in a way that their internal audiences are used to hearing it, instead of telling a clear, convincing story to someone who doesn’t have (or need to know) all the inside baseball.   

Why is it critical for in-house agencies to have their own dedicated stage for recognition?

There are different challenges and pressures to making boundary-pushing work in an in-house environment. We’ve earned our own spotlight!

How have your expectations of great marketing evolved over the past few years—and how does that shape how you evaluate work today? 

I’m no longer impressed by amazing ads made in a vacuum. Don’t get me wrong, I love the craft. But great marketing is truly connected and extensible.   

When reviewing submissions, what signals tell you that a program is driving real, sustainable business growth? 

When teams can articulate not just what they made, but why it mattered to the business and measurement beyond just surface level metrics. You can see the work having longevity, not just being a flash in the pan. And it’s inspired by a durable audience need, not just a cultural trend.     

In an era of rapid automation, what "human-only" quality are you looking for most in this year's submissions? 

The feeling that the team is obsessed with understanding the audience, not just who they are demographically or the business value they could provide to the company, but what drives them, challenges them, makes them tick.  

Get to know the 2026 In-House Excellence Grand Jurors.