Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2024 i Adweek

AS FALL FLAVORS began appearing on grocery shelves, Kit Kat was “thrilled” to announce the candy brand had added another flavor to its product line: vanilla. United Airlines was likewise “thrilled” to share that economy passengers now have a choice of canned wines onboard. All American A/C, a Florida-based provider of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning services, was also “thrilled” to reveal its big news: a new website. Companies are thrilled, and they’re letting the public know it at an increasing rate. A scan of distribution hub PR Newswire’s database shows the word “thrilled” appeared 7,704 times in U.S. press releases published in 2017. Last year, it popped up 19,730 times to describe how business leaders felt about their latest achievements, whether it was unveiling a new warranty or hiring…

DOING THE BEST WORK requires an organization that supports your unbound thinking. Abi Evans credits the ambitious leadership of Dentsu Creative U.S. with allowing her to reach for the innovative solutions that have distinguished her at the global branding agency for eight years, including as chief growth officer since January 2023. Her background in client leadership has helped her build a team that won new business and padded the bottom line for Dentsu, while embodying the agency’s new position to use the power of transformative creativity to positively impact people, businesses, and society. Over the past 12 months, Dentsu has won seven new accounts, including T-Mobile, Lowe’s, Santander, and most recently Adobe, leading to over $2 billion in net new billings. Overall revenue is up 11% year over year, according…

WHEN WORKERS THINK AI is preventing them from getting jobs, and employers think AI is making it difficult to fill positions, Upwork faces an uphill climb in its mission to make advanced technologies work for the workforce. As chief marketer, Melissa Waters launched Upwork’s “Work, Smarter” campaign around AI offerings that included a full-page ad in The New York Times. Positing that those tools improve the quality of work for both clients and freelancers, Waters and her team helped boost Upwork’s revenue 15% year-over-year while increasing its number of active clients by 6%. In a recent survey, 90% of freelancers agreed that Upwork creates economic opportunities, and 84% felt their skills were valued on the platform. “Thriving in periods of rapid innovation requires fostering a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and…

AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE, Tamon George integrates DEI across all aspects of Creative Theory Agency’s work. He played an integral role in expanding Google’s Real Tone initiative, which more authentically represents different skin tones, beyond Pixel cameras. He was also indispensable to curating the second class of Google’s Tech Equity Collective Impact Fund, which offered 20 Black innovators grants of up to $50,000 each. As AI becomes more prevalent, George is a leading voice on equitable adoption and unbiased development. Because of George’s work, Creative Theory Agency ran an out-of-home campaign in D.C. this summer called “What Prompted You?” advocating for diverse voices in AI. The work has expanded into an on-going initiative to explore the critical role of inclusivity and accessibility in AI innovation. Key to George’s work is bringing…

EARLIER THIS YEAR, AMC Networks announced a Walking Dead spinoff called The Walking Dogs, featuring Walking Dead stars alongside their canine companions. Without an executive like Kim Kelleher, that amazing idea may have never been paw-sible. Kelleher wears a lot of hats at AMCN, overseeing the company’s advertising and distribution functions, including sales and partnerships, across linear, streaming, and CTV platforms such as AVOD and FAST. And the executive has several major wins under her belt recently, including expanding a Netflix partnership to feature prior seasons of 15 AMC-branded shows, launching programmatic ad buying across three AMCN linear networks, and rolling out ad-supported versions across AMC streamers including AMC+, Shudder, and Acorn TV. However, above all, Kelleher puts fans at the center of the experience, leading to quality projects both…

MATTEL’S BARBIE WENT from classic toy to Hollywood blockbuster last summer, and Silverman is responsible for keeping the brand’s momentum going. He’s in charge of bringing Mattel’s brands, which also include Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price, to life through products, experiences, promotions, and licensing. He’s also tasked with developing, producing, and distributing content for the toymaker’s media arm, Mattel Television Studios. Having come to the brand from The Walt Disney Company and Marvel Entertainment, Silverman knew the power of licensing. Since stepping into the job in June 2022, Silverman has ensured Mattel was everywhere: From pink-themed Barbie Cafes and a life-sized Malibu Dreamhouse, the Barbie brand alone has spanned 165 product and retail partnerships. Elsewhere in the Mattel catalog, Silverman spearheaded the nationwide touring show Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live. He…

AS CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER at Le Truc, Publicis Groupe’s center of creative excellence for clients, Andy Bird is the driving force behind many of the holding company’s biggest initiatives. He has a deep passion for design and collaboration, and has driven growth at the agency: Under his leadership, Le Truc has contributed to many new business wins—most notably Pfizer, a contract valued at over $1 billion—and delivered the highest growth in its sector for nine consecutive quarters (5.3% since 2024). Le Truc has also elevated Publicis’ creative offerings with key campaigns for brands such as Samsung, L’Oréal, Pop-Tarts, and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Bird, who learned his craft at BBH London under the mentorship of Sir John Hegarty, was the creative lead on Publicis’ Working With Cancer initiative. He…

IN 2022, Mary J. Blige won an Emmy for her Super Bowl halftime concert. The routine was dazzling—but it was another of Blige’s performances that proved inspiring. In a spot for Hologic, Blige visits her doctor’s office for the results of her latest medical screening. “I chose to do this ad with Hologic because it spoke to me authentically,” Blige told Variety. The ad was the work of CHÉ Creative, helmed by Gabrielle Shirdan. For Shirdan—also the founder and CCO of agency Kitchen Table—authenticity is the essential ingredient for “creating work for the culture from within it,” as she put it. Shirdan led the creation of “Respect Due” for grooming brand Bevel, a cinematic exploration of the nexus between Black hairstyles and the emergence of hip-hop. For Sienna Naturals, Shirdan…

AT ROBLOX, Christina Wootton is reimagining how brands and people interact in shared, immersive 3D experiences and engage with Gen Z. Having logged 10 years at the company, she was promoted last year to chief partnerships officer. Wootton has established strategic partnerships across industries like fashion, entertainment, music, and sports to build awareness and engagement for the gaming platform’s 80 million mainly Gen Z users. As of November 2023, she and her team have facilitated over 400 brand activations within Roblox’s walls. These experiences drew in 1.8 billion visits and 185 million hours of engagement. Now, Wootton is also focused on growing Roblox’s virtual economy and ads business through in-game commerce activations with partners like Walmart and Fandango, aiding in the company’s Q2 2024 revenue increase to $893.5 million, up…

WHILE WEARING TWO weighty hats at once—as president and interim chief creative officer of Colle McVoy—Jessica Henrichs has juggled the overall direction of her midsized ad agency with campaign development for a growing roster of brands. From convincing food conglomerate Perdue to turn chicken feed into a human snack to touting an AI-powered plan-canceling La-Z-Boy chair called “The Decliner,” Henrichs has embraced her “joyful restlessness,” she said. “My job is all about looking ahead to capture growth for clients, proud of the present while being eager to push brands toward where the puck’s going.” Henrichs stepped in for a last-minute save early this year when new client Frank’s RedHot needed a Super Bowl campaign in 48 hours, helping to corral NFL star Jason Kelce and 35 additional brand partners. The…

INJECTING SOME HOLLYWOOD-STYLE sizzle into an often dry-as-toast B2B marketing space, Regan Przybyl frequently calls on MNTN chief creative officer Ryan Reynolds to promote the connected TV ad platform. Reynolds starred in a clutter-busting spot that aired during Shark Tank’s Season 15 premiere last fall and, more recently, tortured Steve-O with Carolina Reaper peppers to hype MNTN. Przybyl again tapped Reynolds for the launch of MNTN Matched, an AI-enabled audience targeting service, pairing the actor-entrepreneur with Bulova watches. The nostalgia-rich video used the first-ever TV advertiser as a way to showcase MNTN’s 2024 advancements to the industry. As the company’s most successful work to date, the ad snagged more than 185 million earned press impression and 20 million views, while tripling MNTN’s brand searches. With roots in both tech and…

CHRIS VILLARREAL HAS a difficult task: Make smart glasses cool. While wearable technology, like smartwatches, has become more prevalent over the years, the public has yet to embrace the kind that sits on your face. To encourage mainstream acceptance, Villarreal and his team have turned to creators, who have helped the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses go viral on TikTok. “Creator content helps us reach new audiences and makes us a part of important cultural conversations,” Villarreal said. At the same time, he hasn’t shied away from offline marketing activity. Partnerships with Ferrari and Red Bull have also helped get the word out. The results have been positive: For the quarter ending June 30, Meta’s Reality Labs, which includes its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and Quest family of VR headsets, generated…

THE SPORTS MEDIA landscape has become saturated in recent years, with dozens of new entrants looking to capitalize on the growing attention and ad budget being devoted to professional athletics. And while Boardroom has a clear point of differentiation—the media company’s co-founder is basketball legend Kevin Durant, after all—chief operating officer Rachel Fleitell has tried to rely as little as possible on that asset in building out the business of the company. Instead, in the last three years, Fleitell has expanded the Boardroom business by signing key experiential partnerships, including a sports business partnership with CNBC and content deals with partners like Meta, 2K, Visa, and Verizon. After prioritizing events, this year the company sold its largest event sponsorship to date and nearly doubled its events revenue year-over-year. Within the…

DURING THE 76TH Emmy Awards last month, actress Jean Smart joked about confusing HBO and its rebranded streaming service Max. Though the jab was meant to be funny, there’s some truth to it. At ADWEEK’s recent Brandweek conference, Stephanie Fried, chief marketing officer of UGC entertainment and gaming platform Fandom, made a point about how difficult it is to know which streamers have certain programming and when shows are released. Other experts agree that fragmentation is a major issue across the TV and streaming industry. “The move away from pay TV does give consumers that choice. You’re not locked into a contract,” said Jennifer Kent, vice president of research at market intelligence firm Park Associates. “Unfortunately, where we’ve landed is not necessarily painless. That freedom to access content everywhere is…

DANY GARCIA is dancing in her living room. As she poses, a group of young women who have helped develop her social media presence chant: “Killer heels and a Bodycon dress. Killer heels and a Bodycon dress.” It’s Garcia’s spin on the “Boots and a Slicked-Back Bun” meme that flashed briefly during midsummer before becoming a memory. Garcia is also quick to move on. Minutes later, she’s sitting on her couch as she and her team film another bit, based on former Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s viral testimony from 2019. How many times has Garcia stared at her husband and professional bodybuilder Dave Rienzi’s butt? “Quite a few times,” she says. Fifty times? “More,” she says. A hundred times? “More.” They do a few takes. And Garcia is on to…

THE NEW YORK TIMES might be the only news publisher whose advertising business has its own advertising business. Called New York Times Advertising, the division acts as a standalone brand, complete with its own signature identity, website, and assets. And since the launch of NYTA in 2020, Bari Komitee has been responsible for trumpeting its achievements. As vice president of business-to-business marketing for NYTA, Komitee led the integrated press plan for a partnership between NYT Cooking and Instacart in June, garnering admiring reviews from the trade press for its blend of content and commerce. Komitee also orchestrated the marketing rollout of BrandMatch, an ad-targeting solution that uses generative AI to match brand messages with the most relevant articles. Komitee is an active mentor within the Times as well, leading career…

DURING HER TIME at TelevisaUnivision, Donna Speciale has been integral in positioning the Spanish-language network as a top media and content leader in the market. Within the last year, her team delivered an inventory sellout for two of the year’s biggest sporting events: Super Bowl 58 and the Conmebol Copa America title game. Some of the features introduced by Speciale’s team included a second-screen shopping experience with Shopsense AI; retail media partnerships with United, Amazon and Home Depot; a vertical video feature for integrating creator-driven social content across OTT platforms; and Sistema Uforia, an audio platform for brands to plug into the company’s over 500 music touch points at the national and local levels. Speciale also led the launch of TelevisaUnivision Household Graph to help solve for underrepresentation of Hispanic…

NIKKI BAKER LEADS creative at agency Fallon alongside Leslie Shaffer, and heads up creativity for the Walmart account on Publicis Groupe’s Power of One team, made up of individuals across five agencies. She and her team created the brand’s epic Mean Girls reunion, Walmart’s TikTok-driven RomCommerce series with shoppable episodes, plus carts curated by the likes of Barbie, Patrick Mahomes, Becky G, and the Grinch. Together with the Publicis Groupe Walmart team this year, Baker enhanced the team culture, launched a new brand campaign platform, and partnered with The Community and Contender to infuse a multicultural narrative into all of Walmart’s work. With Shaffer, the duo prioritizes diverse storytelling, and the creative department is over 50% female and almost 20% BIPOC. “World-class creatives and true business partners,” said Kathy Collins,…

EVERY MARKETER REMEMBERS where they were the day Skims announced its partnership with the NBA, and for that the world has Elizabeth Lindsey to thank. The deal, announced at the Wasserman office in Brooklyn by NBA commissioner Adam Silver and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian, marked Skims’ first foray into sports. It also introduced Skims’ menswear line to over 10 million NBA fans on social media, which led to a surge in sales and attracted a new audience of Skims loyalists to basketball. Lindsey also spearheaded the AT&T Annihilator Cup 3.0, a gaming tournament that featured 20 top Twitch and YouTube streamers and showcased AT&T as a key player in the gaming industry. The brand even introduced a custom Fortnite map. Within Wasserman, Lindsey has worked to advance gender equity through her…

ADTECH FIRM OGURY has been evolving to meet the needs of the ever-changing advertising landscape, and chief technology officer Wilifried Schobeiri has been leading that transformation. The 10-year-old firm started in the in-app space, but over the last few years has been diversifying to other channels—like mobile web and desktop—and helping advertisers target without personally identifiable information. Schobeiri, who joined Ogury later that year, has accelerated these transformation efforts, overhauling the company’s engineering operations, introducing a new architectural review process, establishing a standards team and expanding direct demand integrations. He leads a team of 30 that is transforming Ogury’s offering from managed-service to self-service through the launch of Ogury One, slated for release in early 2025. Ogury has grown headcount by 13.5% between 2024 and 2022, and opened seven new…

IF MARKETERS STOP learning, their company is destined to stop growing. This line of thinking is why Stacy Poritzky and her team created Amex Marketing U, an educational program designed to keep the financial giant’s marketers up to date on the latest technology and issues facing today’s consumers. “In an ever-changing world, it’s so important to constantly stay at the forefront of both customer needs and the role of marketing in helping to reach them effectively,” Poritzky said. Amex Marketing U, which debuted in 2022, offers collaborative forums and online tutorials, among other resources. The initiative has also held more than 65 live events and hosted external experts to discuss everything from marketing strategy to their personal career trajectory. Poritzky’s push to cultivate a culture of curiosity has had irrefutably…

THE ‘GENERAL MARKET’ terminology is soon to be a thing of the past: As of 2023, non-white people account for over 40% of the U.S. population. Traditional strategies will become outdated, ushering in an era of highly nuanced marketing. But Ana Bermudez has successfully prepared her agency to do anything but execute a generic, one-size-fits-all marketing approach. Earlier this year, Bermudez led Alma to its new positioning as “the ungeneral agency,” a creative platform that embraces the complex ways people engage with brands. Alma has long been known as a multicultural agency, and the repositioning bridges the gap between the “multicultural” and “general” ad markets seen on media plans, sparking a new way of looking at the changing demographics of U.S. consumers. Since the rebrand, Alma has seen a 200%…

AS A 17-YEAR veteran of Publicis Groupe and with more than 20 years of experience in the media agency business, Helen Lin is a trailblazer in the digital space. In her current role, she leads digital investment, strategy, and partnerships across Publicis’ biggest media clients. Lin is also instrumental in Publicis’ approach to brand safety, representing the holding company in industry initiatives to improve online brand safety standards. In addition to her work guiding clients through the complex world of digital media buying, Lin is a DEI advocate, with her influence felt far beyond client work. She is the founding executive sponsor of Publicis Media’s business resource group, Power of Women!, a member for Asians in Adcolor and the new ANA Asian American Agency Leadership group, and board member for…

NOT MANY PEOPLE in the advertising industry can claim to be actual brand safety warriors, but Nandini Jammi is one of them. The co-founder of Check My Ads Institute, along with Claire Atkin, has spent nearly a decade in the transparency trenches, fighting for accountability in adtech. As the only nonprofit adtech industry watchdog, Check My Ads’ core belief is that advertisers have a right to free speech, and an important part of that is knowing where their money is going. Despite being a $700 billion industry, adtech is frustratingly opaque, and clunky workarounds like keyword block lists are starving legitimate publishers of ad revenue. So Check My Ads is holding ad exchanges, platforms, and brands accountable for where their ads end up through bombshell reporting. And its work is…

SINCE 2017, Norris-Jones has helped UFC deliver a flurry of revenue through a potent combination of partnerships with DraftKings, Monster, Modelo, Jose Cuervo, Kraft Heinz, Timex, and Anheuser-Busch. After the mixed martial arts promoter joined sports entertainment giant WWE within Endeavor-led holding company TKO, Norris-Jones and his new 75-member team kept applying pressure through partnership sales, activations, revenue strategy, marketing solutions, and operations in New York, Las Vegas, Connecticut, London, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Shanghai, and Toronto. Norris-Jones expanded Prime Hydration’s UFC sponsorship into the WWE and put its brand in the center of the wrestling ring, with his team setting the sponsor revenue record for WWE SummerSlam. At UFC, meanwhile, he helped bring in Riyadh Season for a title sponsorship of UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas. TKO’s share…

WITH TWO DECADES at CarMax under her belt, CMO Sarah Lane is a rarity in the industry for her long and diverse tenure at one brand. She climbed the ranks from media planner to marketing analytics, taking the lead role in 2024. In that time, CarMax has grown from a small company with 18 stores to the nation’s largest used-car retailer with 245 locations. Amid that growth, Lane is on a mission to help CarMax become a culturally relevant brand. Over the past few years, that has included a collaboration with Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt and an activation on the New York City High Line with 3,000 mini cars. She’s also increased CarMax’s investment in women’s sports more than tenfold, forming more than a dozen partnerships with women’s leagues and…

SINCE JOINING VOX Media in 2021, Ray Chao has turned up the volume on the media company’s podcast division. Under his guidance, not only has Vox Media climbed to the top 10 in podcast publishing, according to Podtrac—it’s become the home for household names like Esther Perel, Brené Brown, NFL star Cameron Heyward, and athletes Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe. While other media companies might focus their podcasting efforts on audio alone, Chao has expanded Vox’s podcast network to YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and more. Podcasting is now a key part of Vox’s business, with nearly 30 million downloads monthly and big-name brand clients. This year, Vox Media took center stage at SXSW’s live podcast event, sponsored by software company Atlassian, and built a space for attendees to connect directly with…

ON MAY 21, 2018, a fledging, direct-to-consumer soap brand called Dr. Squatch gambled $18,000 on a YouTube video. Starring comedian James Schrader, the three-minute spot was more of an explainer than an ad, and the writing was more manifesto than marketing. “Listen up! The soap you shower with? It’s sh*t,” barked Schrader, standing in front of a rubber duckie shower curtain. “Most guys … are still using whatever bar their mommy bought for her little man. Is that what you want? To smell like mama’s little man?” OK, so it’s not the sort of monologue Procter & Gamble would put out there. But that was the point. Envisioned as a disruptive brand from the start, Dr. Squatch sells a distinctive core product—all-natural, cold process soaps—with an ambitious objective: getting everyday…

FOUR DECADES AGO, it looked like the words “American” and “car” might not be paired much longer. After decades of turning out land yachts, Detroit was caught napping when the 1979 Iranian revolution sent gas prices soaring and car buyers rushing to buy Datsuns and Toyotas. Facing extinction, Chrysler poached Ford executive Lee Iacocca, who drove his designers to produce the fuel-efficient K-car (41 mpg on the highway; 25 in the city) in record time. But it wasn’t Chrysler’s draftsman who lured Americans back into showrooms—it was the marketing department. In the fall of 1980, ADWEEK (which marks its 45th anniversary this year) rang up Chrysler’s advertising director Frank Hoag to ask how things were going. “American consumers still believe Chrysler builds gas guzzlers,” he lamented. Unbowed, Hoag hired ad…

THE MARKETING LANDSCAPE got a serious shake-up 2024. Navigating the shifting sands of AI, retail media, streaming, and influencers takes standout leaders who know their craft, while always keeping an eye on the future. Each year, ADWEEK 50 honors behind-the-scenes changemakers in advertising, marketing, technology, and media who were essential growth drivers for their companies, keeping things running efficiently and, crucially, profitably. CEOs and founders get no shortage of recognition, so this award puts the spotlight on the people delivering customer engagement, driving revenue, and raising the bar for innovation. The class of 2024 includes the CMO of UScellular who’s promoting the telecom provider by encouraging people to use their phones less; the sponsorship director driving growth for banking brand Ally by not sidelining DEI commitments; the Disney Entertainment marketing…

CODIE ELAINE OLIVER has turned a hit TV show into a media empire. Black Love, a docuseries on relationships, premiered in 2017 on The Oprah Winfrey Network and garnered some of the highest ratings for the network at the time. It aired for six seasons and is now part of a larger media company by the same name, which spans shows, an app, a podcast network, and hosts the annual Black Love Summit. This year, Black Love launched a free, ad-supported channel on Amazon’s Freevee, featuring programs like the fifth season of Couch Conversations with rapper Ace Hood and his wife Shelah Marie, which has more than 3 million views on the Black Love YouTube channel and 14 million impressions across digital platforms. Also this year, motherhood-themed podcast The Mama’s…

WHEN COLLABORATING WITH someone to convey your message, it’s important to ensure they are willing to go the extra mile, ask the right questions, and help bring it to fruition. That’s what Ashley Walters is all about, and why she loves being part of the Curiosity team. In her role, Walters has made it her mission to maintain a healthy agency culture so people don’t burn out as the company takes on more work, such as the Dude Wipes’ Super Bowl 58 takeover of the Resorts World Las Vegas hotel, using a series of digital billboards to tout its superiority over toilet paper. “Our wins, vibes, and visibility in the culture department have attracted some incredible people,” she said. “The passion of our 80 people inspires me, and our culture…

SINCE 2007, Sweetgreen has been dishing up a fresh and healthy quick service option that isn’t expensive. Since joining in 2023, Michael Kotick has aimed “to reignite the brand’s magic through exciting menu innovations and dynamic campaigns.” After months of testing and incorporating customer feedback on the menu, he and his team successfully launched the Caramelized Garlic Steak in under a year. This was paired with a dynamic marketing campaign and influencer-driven social integration, which led to the company achieving the highest-ever sales in its history. Caramelized Garlic Steak, which launched in May, represented 40% of Sweetgreen dinner sales in Q2, and Kotick believes it signifies the start of a long-term brand innovation pipeline and relevancy strategy. “We’ve demonstrated that combining authentic storytelling with a deep understanding of the customer…

CHALLENGER BRANDS NEED challenger agency partners. For American Family Insurance, Jindai Joseph is that partner. The executive creative director of Elite Media is the driving force behind the brand’s Effie award-winning “Life’s Better” campaign, which increased brand linkage among the company’s core growth audiences by an average of 18% despite hefty competition from the likes of Allstate and Progressive. Joseph’s creative leadership blends human truth, passion, and out-of-the-box thinking. Before she was ecd of Elite Media—a Black-owned, female-led, independent creative agency based in Harlem—Joseph was already challenging the norm. Her career path spans industries from music to hedge fund marketing, and she rose through the ranks in various roles before being named Elite Media’s sole ecd in 2023. Today, she continues leaving her mark on the ad industry through her…

OSHIYA SAVUR IS a truly global marketer. Having lived in five different countries and worked across seven categories in the past 15 years, she can flex across any marketing role. Savur has an extensive background in beauty at brands like Charlotte Tilbury, Revlon, and Unilever. As chief brand officer of beauty incubator Maesa, she focuses on building awareness and driving connection for brands like Sally Beauty, Elizabeth Arden, and Rebecca Minkoff. Savur oversees everything from product development to creative, brand and trade marketing, communications, and social and influencer marketing. An innovator at heart, she thrives in fast-paced environments ripe for change. Over the years, she has been instrumental in many brand turnarounds, from launching Unilever’s Suave brand and building it to a $120 million business, to leading Juicy Couture’s fragrance…

BY HER OWN admission, Tisha Thompson took an unstructured path to find success. Early in her career, while working as an accountant during the day, she did makeup on the side to satisfy her passion for beauty. She eventually found her way into the makeup business and climbed the corporate ladder, getting enough experience and confidence after 18 years to launch her own brand. LYS Beauty is a place for makeup and skin care products that cater to all skin types, textures, and tones. Thompson’s mission is to debunk the myth that clean formulas, wide shade ranges, and high-performance products cannot coexist at affordable prices. During the pandemic, Thompson’s dogged determination caught the attention of beauty retail giant Sephora. Today, LYS is the first Black-owned clean makeup brand sold at…

ACCORDING TO 2023 survey data from RSW/US, 58% of agencies are finding it significantly tougher to land new business. The reasons are many, but the biggest one—cited by 61% of respondents—was “fewer opportunities out there.” Maybe so, but don’t tell Jessica Kingsbery. Despite the keen competitive climate, Kingbery has landed a who’s who of major clients for Droga5. In the last 12 months alone, the list has included heavies like JPMorgan Chase, Molson Coors, Meta and Paramount+. How? Well, it helps to be part of Accenture (valued at $65 billion), and it can’t hurt that Droga5 won its first Emmy this year, either. But Kingsbery will tell you that new business acquisitions are less about size and glitz, and more about simply building relationships. And maintaining them. Back in 2018,…

STRATEGY IS ALL about finding the best solution for clients. Kate Rush Sheehy helped develop one on social media that cemented Stanley as a culturally relevant brand. After a devastating car fire, a woman posted on TikTok that her Stanley Quencher cup had survived the fire. Stanley president Terence Reilly’s response video gave the brand a 220% increase in TikTok followers and a $43 million estimated media value. Rush Sheehy had the team focus on creating a strategy that felt true to the brand while still focusing on the wellbeing of the user, and her efforts earned Stanley and the agency a silver Lion for Creative Strategy at Cannes this year. Rush Sheehy’s strategy prowess has been crucial to growing GSD&M’s business and building client brands, including Southwest Airlines, Fruit…