Independent creative agency Madwell, which employs over 100 staffers in New York and Denver, is facing mounting pressure as employees report delayed paychecks, missed vendor payments, a culture of fear akin to “a dictatorship,” and increasingly aggressive messages from leadership in response to voicing their concerns. CEO Chris Sojka has attributed ongoing financial struggles to…
The CEO of Brooklyn-based creative shop Madwell, Christopher Sojka, is lashing out against distressed employees–according to internal communications obtained by ADWEEK–for pushing back against the agency’s in-office policies after not being paid in time, and for speaking to the press about the company’s financial woes. The indie shop, which has serviced major brands including Verizon…
Publicis Groupe has snagged The Coca-Cola Company’s U.S. media and data business from incumbent WPP, two sources with knowledge of the matter told ADWEEK. The result came after the beverage company held a competitive closed door review with both holding companies, which ADWEEK reported on last week. It means a crucial piece of The Coca-Cola…
Independent agency Quality Experience will no longer be operational after founder Ari Weiss’ death last month, its founders confirmed. Weiss launched Quality Experience in January 2024 with partners Colleen Leddy (chief strategy officer), Cristina Reina (chief creative officer), and Dan Gonda (chief executive officer). He served as founder and creative chairman. “Following the profound loss…
According to global CEO Andrew Noel, Gale is setting the standard for modern marketing by blending “the strategic prowess of consultancies with the creative excellence of agencies.” Since its founding in 2014, the agency has grown from seven employees to more than 750, offering full-service capabilities across creative, digital, public relations, data, and technology. It…
The odds seemed stacked against Scale by Zambezi, the media agency under creative shop Zambezi, at the start of 2024. After a few projects had ended and certain clients reduced budgets, Scale faced a 26% drop in revenue compared to 2023. But business turned around, and over the course of the year, Scale was able…
The Coca-Cola company has selected incumbent WPP and Publicis Groupe as finalists in a closed door review of its U.S. media business, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ADWEEK. WPP has held the account since 2021, when it won The Coca-Cola Company’s global business and launched a bespoke team called OpenX to…
Omnicom Media Group (OMG) agency OMD has announced two new additions to its C-suite: Dan Rolli as chief investment officer (CIO) and Kim Einan as chief strategy officer (CSO). Both execs join from long tenures at Publicis Group, where Rolli most recently served as evp and head of partnerships at Zenith and Einan previously held…
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store named three new agencies of record on Monday: Blue Engine, Prophet, and Viral Nation. Communications firm Blue Engine will be Cracker Barrel’s AOR for public relations, experiential marketing, and partnerships. Prophet will work on Cracker Barrel’s brand marketing efforts, such as brand communication, restaurant redesigns, brand marketing campaigns, and a…
Electronic Arts (EA) has selected GroupM as its media agency of record (AOR). The media buying network replaces its subsidiary agency T&Pm, as EA looks to revamp its global media buying approach. EA did not disclose the size of its account in billings, however, COMvergence estimates its total media spend at $120 million. The review…
Interpublic Group (IPG) has sold R/GA to a group led by private equity firm Truelink Capital and the agency’s global leaders. Los Angeles-based Truelink will own a majority stake in R/GA. R/GA’s management, including global CEO Robin Forbes and chair and global chief creative officer Tiffany Rolfe, will also take a stake in the business….
Buoyed by AI investments, an “aggressive” M&A strategy, increased spending from Big Tech clients, and the U.S. election, Stagwell grew its net revenues by 7% year-on-year. The numbers $2.3 billion: Stagwell’s net revenue for 2024, up 7% from 2023. $630 million: The group’s Q4 net revenue, up 14% versus the prior year period. 8%: Net…
Longtime WPP executive Lindsay Pattison is leaving the business, ADWEEK has learned. Per an all-staff memo sent by WPP CEO Mark Read, seen by ADWEEK, Pattison will leave at the end of May after 16 years with the business. She will help recruit her successor in the interim. Her next move has not yet been…
Bob Evans Farms has hired Colle McVoy as its first media agency of record. The appointment covers the Bob Evans namesake brands, as well as Egg Beaters, Owens Sausage, and Simply Potatoes. The manufacturer of quick-to-table, farm-inspired food said the competitive pitch process kicked off last July and was led by its internal marketing procurement…
Big Ideas is ADWEEK’s series in which we talk to the industry’s top creative minds. If Amy Ferguson, partner and chief creative officer of Special New York, had a mantra for her creative style, it might be: “responsibly unhinged.” Ferguson jokingly coined the phrase when talking about her ambitions for the agency: creating work that…
Publicis Groupe has acquired Brazil-based influencer and content agency BR Media for an undisclosed sum. The purchase gives the French holding group a stronger foothold in the Latin American (LATAM) market, which delivered double-digit growth for Publicis Groupe in 2024. Founded in 2012, BR Media Group counts more than 500 brands among its clients, including…
Ari Weiss, a decorated ad industry veteran with a reputation for breakthrough creative ideas, has died after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 46. Weiss–whose CV includes storied agencies such as BBH, DDB, Wieden+Kennedy, and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners–was the founder and creative chairman of independent agency Quality Experience. Previously, he served at DDB…
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday under which the U.S. would increase tariffs to match those that other countries charge on imports, the Associated Press reported. “I’ve decided for purposes of fairness that I will charge a reciprocal tariff,” Trump said at the proclamation signing in the Oval Office, as reported by the…
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is consolidating its global integrated account with Publicis Groupe as agency of record. Goodyear will be serviced by a bespoke Power of One solution, called “P1T Crew,” with BBH USA leading creative. Publicis declined to disclose which other agencies are involved. Colle McVoy had been Goodyear’s media and creative…
The marketing and media agency North & Warren acquired the experiential agency Interluxe on Thursday, creating a combined firm designed to serve the marketing needs of luxury brands, co-chief executive Nick Van Sicklen told ADWEEK. North & Warren financed the acquisition with an unspecified amount of investment from the private equity firm Mountaingate, which closed…
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