Get marketing news you'll actually want to read
Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.
Each week, Marketing Brew recaps the agency world’s biggest leadership changes, account wins and losses, reviews, acquisitions, and more.
Hires and departures
Gut tapped Katherine O’Brien, formerly group creative director at 72andSunny, as its ECD.
Speaking of 72andSunny, its New York arm hired Ali Cornford as managing director. She’s worked at shops including Convicts, BBH New York, BBDO, and Droga5.
IPG’s Huge hired Chidi Achara as its new chief product officer. Achara comes from a tech background; he was president of AI company Brain.ai.
Stagwell elevated Shannon Pruitt to global CMO of its Brand Performance Network. She was the agency’s former global chief content and partnership innovation officer.
WPP’s EssenceMediacom North America head Jill Kelly is exiting her role, and GroupM COO JiYoung Kim will take over as interim CEO.
Publicis’s Saatchi & Saatchi tapped Sarah Jenkins as its first COO. She’s an internal hire, having joined the agency as managing director in 2019.
Account wins, losses, and reviews
Newell, which operates brands like Yankee Candle, Sharpie, and Rubbermaid, chose Crossmedia as its global media AOR. It previously worked with independent shop Empower.
Polaroid tapped Brainlabs as its media planning and buying AOR.
Toyota’s Gulf States dealer tapped Erich & Kallman as its creative AOR. Toyota also works with Saatchi & Saatchi on its national account
New divisions, offices, acquisitions, etc.
Stagwell bought UK agency collective Sidekick to complement its consultancy, Allison.
Stagwell has one more European acquisition up its sleeve: The network’s Anomaly Alliance is snapping up French consultancy What’s Next Partners.
Wieden+Kennedy laid off 20% of its Portland staffers. While the shop recently won accounts like DoorDash and Eli Lilly, it also severed ties with Fisher Price and TurboTax.