The mood at Party City was far from festive Friday, as CNN reported that the retailer will abruptly shut down its stores and let all employees go at the end of the day, ending a run of nearly 40 years.

Party City specialized in items such as balloons, Halloween costumes, and party goods, and CNN noted that it faced competition from big-box retailers like Amazon, Costco, and Walmart, as well as ecommerce sites and pop-up initiatives like Spirit Halloween.

The company had roughly 6,400 full-time employees and 10,100 part-time workers as of 2021, according to CNN.

Barry Litwin took the reins as president and CEO in August, and Party City emerged from bankruptcy in September, CNN reported, adding that the company declared bankruptcy in January 2023, helping it to cancel nearly $1 billion in debt and keep the doors open at most of its 800-plus locations, but it was still saddled with more than $800 million in debt.

CNN viewed a meeting with Party City employees via videoconference during which Litwin said inflation caused costs to rise and sales to decline and apologized for the lack of communication leading up to Friday’s events, while chief human resources officer Karen McGowan tearfully broke the news that employees would not receive severance pay and their benefits would come to an end.

Rank-and-file employees would not have known that the writing was on the wall, but CNN reported that Party City recalled its product development team from its annual vendor trip earlier this month over safety concerns because the company had halted payments to suppliers, adding that corporate employees were sent home from its headquarters in Woodcliff Lake, N.J., Dec. 10 and told that they were required to provide one day’s notice if they wished to access the building.

Friday’s news capped a tough week for retail, as discount chain Big Lots announced Thursday that a sale of the company was scuttled, and it would close its 963 stores.

Omnicom Media Group (OMG) is bringing on PHD exec Katie Klein as chief investment officer, it shared with ADWEEK.

Klein previously held the same role at subsidiary PHD USA. In her three years there, she built an integrated investment arm serving clients including Burger King, Delta Airlines, Diageo, Priceline, Uber, and Volkswagen Group.

Prior to PHD, she spent more than 16 years at Publicis agency Zenith, rising to senior vice president and business lead, national video investment.

At OMG, Klein will oversee billings of $20 billion in media spend across traditional and digital channels.

“I have hands-on, real-world context for how the group can best empower and accelerate audience-driven investment across our agencies,” she said in a statement. “Bringing that perspective to my new role, my priority will be to bring a relentless approach to driving innovation with our partners to deliver transformative outcomes for our clients.”

Omnicom credited Klein with crafting some of the industry’s first cross-screen upfront deals, creating partnerships that tapped into cultural moments, developing a playbook for leveraging CTV as a performance vehicle and creating a cross-channel training and development program.

Klein will be based in New York and report to OMG North America CEO Ralph Pardo. She succeeds Geoff Calabrese, who is leaving the company next year. Omnicom expects to reveal her replacement at PHD in early January.

Her appointment comes weeks after Omnicom reached an agreement to take over Interpublic Group and form the largest advertising group in the world. COMvergence estimates that combined, the two firms will oversee north of $71 million in media billings.

During a company town hall, Pardo called Klein a “practitioner leader” who can deliver on modern marketers’ most critical priorities—performance and transformation.

“She has a strong track record of value creation, working with media partners and platforms to unlock unique opportunities that create meaningful benefits for our clients across inventory, data, content, commerce, and sponsorships,” he said in a statement. “And she is an effective leader with a unique ability to identify emerging talent and expand opportunities at all levels for her team.”

Former IPG and Amazon Ads exec Amy Armstrong will join Publicis Groupe as chief revenue officer, a new role at the holding company, on March 1.

Armstrong joins from Amazon Ads, where she was director of global customer development since June 2022, following five years as CEO of IPG Mediabrands’ Initiative. Prior to that, she was president of BPN Worldwide for a year after spending 13 years with ID Media, where she ascended to president.

At Publicis Groupe, Armstrong will be tasked with connecting the sales organizations across Publicis Connected Media—which includes its digital experience agencies, martech firm Epsilon, influencer marketing shop Influential, investment arm PMX, and Publicis Media. She will also connect their owned, earned, and paid media capabilities through a shared platform.

Armstrong will sit on the global and U.S. management committees and report to Dave Penski, who was promoted earlier this month to lead Publicis Connected Media.

In a statement, Penski said that Armstrong’s “leadership, drive, and unrivaled knowledge of the global media, commerce, and marketing landscape will be invaluable as we accelerate even further on connecting paid, owned, and shared media in a single platform, powered by best-in-class data.”

“At a time when at Publicis we are looking to build the future of outcomes-based marketing to help our clients grow in an increasingly fragmented media landscape, we couldn’t be happier to have Amy join the team,” he continued.

Armstrong said joining Publicis is an opportunity to be part of a team “at the forefront of industry transformation.”

“Throughout my career, I’ve consistently gravitated toward pioneering challenges that push the boundaries of what’s achievable in our industry,” she said.

In this episode of the Marketing Vanguard podcast, Jenny Rooney connects with Linda Boff, CEO of Said Differently, and Tony Wells, a former marketer at Verizon, for a compelling discussion about how CMOs can build successful board careers. This special episode comes to you live from Brandweek 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Our guests share invaluable insights about the right time to pursue board positions, how to position yourself effectively, and what companies look for in CMO board members. They also discuss the delicate balance between full-time executive roles and board service, and why board work can be both challenging and rewarding.

As experienced board members themselves, Linda and Tony offer practical advice for marketers aspiring to board positions, emphasizing the importance of building a strong track record of success and understanding board dynamics before pursuing these roles. They discuss the evolving landscape of board composition, the unique value CMOs bring to boards, and strategies for effectively managing board responsibilities alongside executive careers.

“When you’re on a board, you’re not there to tell people what to do,” Linda said on the podcast. “You’re there to hopefully ask questions, be provocative in a productive way so that you’re helping members of the management team think about things differently.”

Key takeaways:

[01:41] The Right Time for Board Service — Tony and Linda emphasize that board service requires a substantial body of work and experience. They advise against rushing into board positions too early in one’s career, suggesting that demonstrated results, boardroom navigation skills, and experience working with C-suite executives are crucial prerequisites. Linda notes that board members need to bring experience and wisdom, focusing on asking productive questions rather than telling management what to do.

[06:27] Why Companies Want CMOs on Their Boards — The discussion explores the evolution of board composition, noting a shift from traditional CEO/CFO dominance to include more diverse perspectives. Tony observes that while marketing enters into many board conversations, there aren’t many marketers present. Both guests emphasize that CMOs bring unique value through their understanding of growth, customer acquisition, and the ability to bring outside perspectives into the boardroom.

[12:31] The Value and Benefits of Board Service — The speakers discuss what board service affords individuals beyond compensation. Tony emphasizes the opportunity to stay connected, continue learning, and help companies succeed. Linda shares how being on a public board made her a better executive and allowed her to learn about new industries. Both highlight the importance of choosing the right opportunities and ensuring good board dynamics.

This month, The Weber Shandwick Collective (TWSC) got a new CEO—but it seems like there won’t be much of an adjustment period.

Susan Howe stepped into the chief executive role at the communications agency on Dec. 2, and since joining nearly 29 years ago, she has held successive leadership roles running the gamut from regional general manager to global head of consumer marketing. She succeeds Gail Heimann, a marketing legend in her own right, who announced her retirement earlier this year.

With a tenure approximately equal to Heimann’s, Howe entered the C-suite in 2017, holding two less commonly seen C-suite titles—those of chief collaboration officer and chief growth officer—before ascending to agency president in 2021. Throughout her growth at the agency, she has adhered to a tenet of optimism, using joy and laughter as tools in her problem-solving arsenal.

Howe sat down with ADWEEK to discuss the through lines and particularities of her career journey, the staying power of TWSC, and her thoughts on what’s energizing about the state of communications today.

Her words have been edited for length and clarity.

Picking up pieces 

I have chosen to build my career at Weber because it has always afforded me the chance to zig and zag, learn and grow. I think to some people, it might look quite linear because I’m so long tenured in one agency, but in truth, [I] was picking up skills and opportunities every step of the way. You don’t know what piece you’re picking up until you get it all together and you need it for the next thing.

When I was earlier in my career and partnering with clients, I learned how to give and take, push back, and develop ideas. When I ran a couple offices, it was about how to put people in the right role at the right time. When I was able to take on some global experiences, it was all about the context around me, and how local context and culture influences the work we do so fundamentally. 

A vital part of our story—and I think this is true for my story as well—is this collaboration “muscle” that is so intrinsic to how we operate. When they named me chief collaboration officer, I think it was a first-of-its-kind C-suite role. It was the recognition that we needed to change the kinds of teams we brought together.

I knew that I wanted to be somewhere that was always changing and challenging. I don’t think I ever mapped what those steps would look like, but I knew if I could keep finding experiences that kept my curiosity alive and enabled me to deploy my optimism, I would stay and try to do what’s next. 

Success in the era of earned 

When I think about Weber and who we are in the industry, we have these incredible roots in PR, but we’ve evolved so much to be about earned ideas. I believe that we are firmly in the era of earned, and that means there needs to be new solutions for what marketing delivers. 

Susan will characterize herself as optimistic—but I think you don’t get to be optimistic unless you have the intellect, strength, resilience, and strategic acumen to lead through change and complexity, which she has done and will continue to do. I am thrilled for her—and I will be excited to watch TWSC continue to soar under her leadership.

—Gail Heimann, former CEO, The Weber Shandwick Collective

This is a moment [when] what we do in communications is all the more important. When you think about all of the seismic changes that are happening in society—in terms of media fragmentation, politicized conversations, complexity of delivering a message—being the team, the agency, the partner that is able to tap into culture and help a story move into the zeitgeist is incredibly powerful. Earned is needed on both sides of the coin more than ever: We have to protect the reputation because of all that complexity, but we also have to promote the reputation, and that is equally complex. You need optimism and resilience to get through both of those. 

The edible mascot at the Pop-Tarts Bowl, that’s communications—knowing what’s happening in culture, knowing what people are going to find joyful and take on [to] tell the story themselves. That is just such a brave client. I remember when we talked about the idea, before we presented it, how we had to gear ourselves up for that conversation. We’re like, “Do we really want to take this to the client? We’re going to eat the mascot.” And they said, “You scared us. Let’s go.” That’s the kind of partnership that really is just precious. 

Building the agency of the future 

I am so lucky to be born with this sense of optimism. In many ways, it’s a gift, not a skill. I wake up most days this way, seeing the potential. That’s me as a person. But also, I think [about] our role in the industry—how do we continue to make communications better? And for our clients, how do we help them solve some of the most challenging, business-critical issues in the world? All of that is energizing, which becomes the cycle of goodness to fuel more optimism. My side hustle is that I’m a yoga teacher, so [I have] that desire to embrace a beginner’s mindset and just take it back down to the human form. 

What’s on the horizon that I need to continue to learn and develop? In many ways, it’s the unknown. I have been here my career, but what will the next chapter bring as CEO, and what do I need to pick up? 

When you know that others believe in you, it makes you stronger and more willing to make that leap forward. And that’s something I also try to apply myself: How can I be supportive for the teams I partner with and give them the energy and the understanding that we can do it?

Part of my passion has been the development of people here—in particular, supporting women leaders. In an industry that has so many women participating, there are not enough women in the rock star jobs: the C-suite roles in general, or the jobs that make them feel like rock stars in whatever way they would define that. A lot of those jobs are held disproportionately by men. How do we support getting more women into the rock star jobs? That’s part of my mission … [and that means] sponsorship, mentorship, access, experiences, travel—the things that spark their curiosity to continue to grow. 

The agency we are today is not the agency we need to be in six months or 12 months or even two months. The future is always imminent. So this focus on continuous reinvention and being the agency of the future, whatever that future looks like, has been very, very critical.

Asian-fusion restaurant chain P.F. Chang’s has appointed Sonika Patel as its new chief marketing officer, it announced today (Dec. 17). 

As CMO, Patel fills a position that has been vacant since Tana Davila left in 2022. She will lead P.F. Chang’s global marketing strategy, executing a strategic vision around brand loyalty and customer engagement in an effort to strengthen its market position. 

She will report to chief executive officer and president Eduardo Luz.

“I’ve always been passionate about building meaningful connections, whether it’s between brands and their audiences or internally with high-performing teams,” Patel told ADWEEK.

Patel joins P.F. Chang’s from Ticketmaster, where she has served as svp and head of marketing since 2022. While there, she focused on brand and product marketing, content, creative, and strategic partnerships across sports, music, and entertainment. Patel has also held marketing leadership roles at DoorDash, Danone, and PepsiCo.

“Sonika Patel’s extensive expertise in marketing strategy, coupled with her innovative approach to consumer engagement, aligns perfectly with the vision for P.F. Chang’s,” said Luz in a statement.

As CMO, Patel plans to draw insights from customer data and feedback to guide the brand’s marketing strategy, leading to campaigns at the intersection of cultural relevance and creativity. 

“It’s not just about driving short-term transactions; it’s about using data to foster long-term relationships where our consumers feel seen, heard, and valued,” she said.

One way the restaurant is doing this now, she said, is through initiatives like Chang’s Cash, a rewards program which incentivizes customers by allowing them to earn 15% in rewards for every purchase.

“At the heart of it all, we want P.F. Chang’s to be the go-to destination for all kinds of occasions — from birthdays and date nights to a random Tuesday when cooking just isn’t on the menu,” said Patel.

Amidst the news of Omnicom Group and Interpublic Group’s (IPG) merger, IPG agency Deutsch announced it is promoting four department leaders to its C-suite.

Ivan Perez-Armendariz will become chief digital officer; Heide Peper Hays will become chief data and intelligence officer; Diego de la Maza will become chief production officer; and Lauren Tetuan will become chief media officer.

“We would not be the agency we are today without their leadership and vision,” said Deutsch chief executive officer (CEO) Kim Getty in a statement. “They go above and beyond to not only create unignorable and innovative work, but to create a culture every Deutscher is proud to take part in.”

The Los Angeles-based agency said the promotions were in effect before Omnicom’s pending acquisition of IPG, which sold Deutsch New York in January.

Some industry experts believe that consolidation among both holding companies’ creative agencies could be on the horizon, as the combined firm looks to find $750 million in cost savings.

The leaders

Armendariz joined Deutsch in 2019 as evp, head of digital experience. In the role, he built digital experiences like redesigning Taco Bell’s ordering app. He also has been a key leader in the agency’s generative AI initiatives, integrating OpenAI on projects like Snapple’s “fAIct Generator” and PetSmart’s Rescue Writer.

Peper Hays was promoted from her role as evp, head of business intelligence, which she’s held since 2016. With over 20 years of experience across media, brand strategy, research, and data, she built out Deutsch’s data and analytics practice.

As evp, head of production, Diego de la Maza led Deutsch’s integrated production teams and its in-house production company, Steelhead, since joining the agency in 2018. In his role, he led broadcast, film, content, experiential, and print production and built out the agency’s music department.

With over 17 years at Deutsch, Tetuan built Deutsch’s digital media team from the ground up, comprised of programmatic, video, social, and search specialists. She previously served as evp, head of media and led digital planning and buying teams. 

Publicis Groupe is taking boutique agency network LePub global, including its initial foray into the U.S.

LePub will add to its presence in Amsterdam, Johannesburg, Milan, Mexico City, Rome, São Paulo, and Singapore, starting with its first U.S. hub in New York. Offices in Bogota, Dubai, and London will follow in 2025.

Barilla and Heineken will be the founding clients when the New York office opens its doors Jan. 1, with a newly appointed management ream reporting to LePub global CEO Bruno Bertelli and Publicis Creative U.S. CEO Susie Nam.

Lea Mastroberti will lead the New York office as president. She had been head of account management at Accenture Song, following a stint with Droga5.

Katy Alonzo, chief strategy officer (CSO) at Publicis sibling Le Truc, will also serve as CSO of LePub New York. She joined Le Truc in September.

Head of strategy Cecilia Diaz joins from her post as group strategy director at Anomaly, leading strategy across Diageo’s portfolio.

Publicis said additional leadership appointments for LePub’s New York office will be revealed in the coming weeks.

LePub debuted in November 2020, and its client roster includes Barilla, Bottega Veneta, Diesel, Heineken, Philips, Tecate, Tiger, and Toblerone.

Its offerings include tech-based innovation division LeGarage.

“At a time when brands are challenged by the proliferation of competition, cultural fragmentation, and a digital landscape that moves at warp speed, staying relevant has never been more complex,” Publicis Groupe CSO Carla Serrano said in a statement. “LePub nimbly blends global and hyperlocal trends with emerging innovation to create notable consumer connections.”

Bertelli added, “The opening of our New York office is an incredible milestone, and with our expansion into Latin America and EMEA in early 2025, LePub will boast a network of 10 offices with talent focused on delivering work that’s both imaginative and impactful.”

Nadja Bellan-White, who has been serving as CEO of creative agency M&C Saatchi SS+K since January, was promoted to CEO of M&C Saatchi North America Group.

Prior to joining M&C Saatchi Group, Bellan-White spent three years as global chief marketing officer at Vice Media Group.

She brings extensive agency experience, as well, with nine years at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, where she worked with clients including American Express, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Coca-Cola, Ikea North America, LG Electronics, Safaricom/Vodafone, Siemens, and Unilever (focused on Dove). She ended her tenure there in the role of executive partner and WPP team leader.

Bellan-White will continue in the role of CEO of M&C Saatchi SS+K, as well, reporting to M&C Saatchi Global CEO Zaid Al-Qassab, who said in a statement, “This appointment represents the continued evolution of our U.S. businesses and a strategic shift to a region-specific model that we’ve successfully deployed in other parts of the world.”

In her new role, she will work with U.S. regional leaders to leverage each agency’s specialisms, build and deploy bespoke teams for clients, and execute on accelerated regional growth strategy.

Individual M&C Saatchi Group agencies under her purview include:

• Fluency, a global data consultancy, led by Tim Spencer.
• M&C Saatchi Clear, a global strategy consultancy, led by Rhonda Hiatt.
• M&C Saatchi MCD, a digital marketing and experience design agency, led by Ian Magnani.
• M&C Saatchi Performance, a media agency with a focus on mobile, led by Guillaume Lelait.
• M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment, a full-service public relations and influencer agency specializing in sport, entertainment and lifestyle, led by Steph Lund.
• M&C Saatchi SS+K, a creative agency with deep political experience.

“As M&C Saatchi prepares to really put a stake in the ground in the U.S., I look forward to partnering with our U.S. leaders to pull the best talent from each agency to create new and innovative ways of working across disciplines to provide clients not just with advertising or marketing services, but with a full suite of tailored business solutions designed for their unique needs,” Bellan-White said in a statement.

Tax, accounting, financial, and mailer software provider Intuit has picked Thomas Ranese to fill its CMO role, ADWEEK has learned.

ADWEEK understands his remit will include marketing, corporate communications, and sponsorship.

Intuit confirmed the appointment but didn’t comment further.

Ranese most recently served in a contract role as CMO advisor for global investment firm KKR.

Before this, his latest resident CMO role was at Greek yogurt brand Chobani, where he led the marketing department for eight months between 2023 and 2024. Other tenures include a year-long fractional CMO position at McKinsey and three years as Uber’s global CMO.

Ranese is a Google veteran having held several senior strategy and marketing roles for the tech giant between 2010 and 2019.

He will replace Lara Hood Balazs, who announced in May 2024 that she would step down from her role as Intuit’s evp, general manager, strategic partner group, and CMO.

Balazs hasn’t revealed her next move, simply saying she plans to pursue a new “chapter in life.” She noted she has the support of “CEO Sasan Goodarzi and the whole Intuit family.”

Earlier in November, the brand’s vp of marketing, Kevin Frisch who led QuickBooks’ U.S. marketing team, joined Fintech bank Dave as its CMO.

A ‘branded house’ strategy

Under Hood, Intuit had started experimenting with a “branded house strategy,” designed to push the Intuit name itself into the consumer consciousness, alongside its roster of individual brands.

This followed a more integrated approach to both business and branding.

In 2022 Intuit unveiled a logo and rebrand that positioned it as a financial global tech platform. Then, at the start of 2024 it incorporated TurboTax’s capabilities with QuickBooks and Credit Karma for the first time.

In the most recent quarter, Intuit group’s revenues increased 10% year-over-year.

Takings from its global business solutions group — which includes MailChimp and QuickBooks — was up 9%, bringing in $2.5 billion for the three months to Oct. 2024.