Campaign Chemistry

Being older than 50 isn’t what it used to be.  Today, the population is aging, people are living and working longer and being a certain age doesn’t necessarily equate to a specific life stage. As chief marketing and communications officer of the AARP , Martha Boudreau aims to portray these nuances in how the organization engages with its 38 million members. The organization, which is turning 65 th...

David DeMuth began his career in advertising at Detroit-based creative agency Doner in 1989. Fast forward to 2023, and he’s been CEO of the 85-year-old creative agency for 14 years.  Over the years, Doner has evolved along with the industry, but its positioning, “where modern meets mainstreet,” has remained relevant. Doner has a knack for modernizing legacy brands while resonating with everyday co...

As Andrew Robertson approaches his 20th anniversary as president and CEO of BBDO Worldwide , the world is changing faster than ever.  When he took on the role in 2004, Mark Zuckerberg was creating Facebook in his Harvard dorm room. Fast forward to today, and the ad industry is contending with the rise of generative AI, ongoing media fragmentation and ever-changing consumer habits.  But for Roberts...

Geno Schellenberger, senior communications manager at Havas Chicago, sat on the Campaign US BIG Awards jury last year evaluating the consumer packaged goods, entertainment and experiential/hybrid categories as an early career professional.  At the time, he was a communications manager at Havas Chicago, having joined agency life only a few months prior. Evaluating and helping to award some of the b...

Streaming is in the spotlight, and for good reason: Advertising spend on Connected TV is growing rapidly as more viewers ditch their cable subscriptions. Still, with growth always comes growing pains — and CTV is no exception. In this episode, Amanda Fell, VP, business operations at Wurl , discusses the current state of streaming, the biggest challenges facing the market and the role AI might play...

It’s been three months since Amy Lanzi took on the CEO role at Digitas North America . She stepped in for longtime Digitas vet Jodi Robinson, who had been with the agency for 22 years.  Lanzi, who has a background in commerce, is focused on helping marketers show up seamlessly at every touchpoint a consumer might encounter their brand — whether that’s online, via email or inside of a store. She ai...

Judy John left a career at creative agencies in 2019 to build a global creative department at PR giant Edelman. After nearly two decades at Leo Burnett, where she led the agency as CCO for North America and CEO for Canada, moving to a PR firm was a bit of a culture shock. But it was also an opportunity to use the platforms, tools and strategies available in the earned media space that creative age...

Campaign US editor, Alison Weissbrot, speaks to Havas to discuss how the Creative Network is building its reputation as a force for driving meaningful change, and amplifying its health and wellness equity to deliver more relevant connections for its clients.   For expert insight from Donna Murphy Global CEO — Havas Health & You and Havas Creative Network; Mark Sinnock, Global Chief Strategy, Data...

New research found that 68% of respondents worry that when companies speak out it is a marketing ploy; 60% insist a company speaking out must be living the same values; and 71% of Americans believe a company's history on social values are important.   As more and more consumers seek out brands with shared values backed by a commitment to social, political, or environmental justice, advocacy can qu...

With more than 50 clients, Initiative is a New York City-based global media agency that brings ‘Fame and Flow’ to major brands like Amazon, Liberty Mutual, and T-Mobile. The company has been on a tear over the last year, with double-digit revenue and organic growth – and earning a trifecta of Agency of the Year honors. Here at Cannes, US CEO Stacy DeRiso talks about what she’s doing to keep Initia...

Day One Agency , Campaign US’ Independent Agency of the Year and PRWeek’s Outstanding Midsize Agency of the Year 2023, is hyperinterested in reaching and influencing the next generation: Gen Z. In wanting to delve deeper into how (and why) Gen Z consumes media, the agency recently partnered with USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations on a mobile ethnographic “Ask Gen Z: A Deep Dive into Gen Z’s...

At Cannes Lions 2023, AI is the talk of the Croisette — and Yannick Bolloré is ready to embrace it.  The Havas global CEO sees potential not just in the efficiencies the technology can create, but how it can transform creativity. Those who don’t learn how to use it will become irrelevant, which is why Havas has instituted mandatory training for its 20,000-plus employees on generative AI tools.  Bo...

With over 71 million active accounts and a presence in nearly half of US broadband homes, the Roku platform enables advertisers to reach millions of engaged viewers through their streaming journey. Not only does Roku have the large scale, but also the innovation and creativity brands are looking for to stand out in the crowded streaming era.     As we approach the Cannes Lions International Festiv...

Imogen Watson, work and inspiration editor of Campaign UK, Alison Weissbrot editor of Campaign US, and Robert Sawatzky, editorial director of Haymarket Business Media in Asia, representing Campaign Asia, join Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign , to report on the award wins from the second night of Cannes Lions. Nike and AKQA won the Grand Prix for digital craft for “Never Done Evolving...

Raahil Chopra, editor of Campaign India, Robert Sawatzky, editorial director of Haymarket Business Media Asia, representing Campaign Asia, Gurjit Degun, creativity and culture editor of Campaign in the UK, Maisie McCabe, UK editor of Campaign, and join Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, to discuss the first night of awards.  The Grand Prix Lions wins included British Airways and Uncom...

Alison Weissbrot, editor of Campaign US , Maisie McCabe, UK editor of Campaign , and Robert Sawatzky, editorial director of Haymarket Business Media Asia, representing Campaign Asia , join Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign , to discuss why Cannes Lions matters and make their predictions for the 2023 festival. We also speak to Simon Cook, chief executive of Cannes Lions, about  a 6% an...

A little over a year ago, Havas merged its creative agency business under the global leadership of Havas Health & You CEO Donna Murphy. Since then, the synergy has allowed access to talent and expertise to flow more seamlessly between the two groups.  As CEO of Havas North America and CCO and president of Havas Chicago, respectively, Stephanie Nerlich and Myra Nussbaum are a dynamic female leaders...

Independent agency Chemistry has a philosophy that’s all about “blowing shit up.” For clients, this means dissecting a problem to its core and creating something new and unexpected — whatever that might mean for a particular brand or category.  President Tim Smith started the agency in 2009 with his creative partner Chris Breen. Since then it has scaled into a full-service agency with offices in A...

Each spring, ahead of the Cannes Lions festival, a debate crops up in the industry about whether purpose-driven work should dominate industry award shows versus effective commercial work. But for Kwame Taylor-Hayford and Sophie Ozoux, cofounders at purpose-driven creative agency Kin, purpose and effectiveness don’t have to be at odds.  The pair launched Kin in 2019 with a commitment to driving lon...

From the wedding bust of 2020 to the wedding boom of 2022, the business of getting hitched has nothing but a wild ride. Now, as 2023 promises a return to normalcy, Jenny Lewis, chief marketing officer at The Knot Worldwide faces a new challenge:reaching a younger generation of couples and adapting to a risky economic climate.  Joining from Uber, where she served as the head of marketing for the U....

Nearly two years ago, Rob Reilly joined WPP as its first chief creative officer with a remit to make it the most creative company in the world. Since then, the agency has been named the most creative company of the year at Cannes twice.  How has he done it? In part by poaching top talent, such as global Ogilvy CCO Liz Taylor and global director of creative excellence Eric Monnet. Also, by meeting...

Sustainable advertising is now a vibrant, active movement. And that’s important because for the first time, success extends far beyond our ecosystem. We’re striving to build a better ad ecosystem to not only improve advertising but also to create a healthy planet and a decarbonised economy.   With all this momentum around building a sustainable future, the question we must now answer is evident: c...

The biggest barriers to adopting teeth aligners like Invisalign is inertia among dentists and orthodontists, who default to braces as the go-to fix for crooked teeth. As chief marketing and product officer at Invisalign , it’s Raj Pudipeddi’s job to change that. Since taking on the role, he’s pushed the medtech company into the metaverse, ramped up its work with creators and developed a new brand...

PJ Pereira began his celebrated career as an advertising creative and a programmer in Brazil. As a right- and left-brained thinker who enjoyed writing and drawing as much as computers, he was a pioneer in the rise of digital advertising. This year, his agency, Pereira O’Dell, turns 15. After German independent network Serviceplan bought a 30% stake in the agency in 2021, Pereira O’Dell is moving f...

With the Upfronts season just around the corner Julian Mintz, Roku ’s Head of US Brand Sales, takes some time to discuss where current market trends are headed and where advertisers should turn their attention towards this year. As more consumers shift to TV streaming Roku holds a unique position to make brands unmissable in the crowded TV ecosystem. From power on to purchase complete, Roku guides...