Unilever’s most senior marketer Conny Braams has announced plans to step down after more than 33 years with the business.

Braams was appointed to the newly-created position of chief marketing and digital officer (CMDO) in 2019 following the departure of veteran brand boss Keith Weed. By 2022, she had taken a slightly different role as chief digital and commercial officer (CDCO) to reflect the “blurring lines” between digital marketing and commerce.

Braams will leave in August. She is already primed to speak on the flagship stage at Cannes Lions in June 2023 and host press at the festival.

Adweek understands the CDCO role be replaced directly with a successor due to be announced as quickly as possible.

The marketer’s surprise exit comes amid a time of change for Unilever, which is about to welcome a new chief executive (CEO) in July when current boss Alan Jope retires.

Hein Schumacher, who is currently CEO of Dutch dairy business FrieslandCampina, has been lined up for the top job in an appointment welcomed by investors. The new CEO arrives as the business is faced with battling cost pressures that continue to spill over from 2023’s economic downturn and rampant increase in fuel and raw material costs.

Jope said he was “very grateful” for Braam’s “excellent leadership” of Unilever’s marketing and commercial agenda over the last four years, “and for her impressive contribution to Unilever over three decades.”

He added: “As CDCO she has helped to transform our company into a future-fit, fully digitized organization.”

A digital legacy

Braams joined Unilever in 1990 as project manager for Cup-a-Soup and quickly rose through the ranks.

Prior to leading Unilever’s marketing across its 400-strong brand roster, she held several senior positions including SVP for Asia, Africa and the Middle East as well as EVP for Middle Europe.

In her three-year tenure she has overhauled the structure of Unilever’s marketing division, putting in place five new category marketing leaders across divisions including beauty and wellbeing, personal care, home care, nutrition and ice-cream, who reported into her.

With ecommerce emerging as a growing channel for the Ben & Jerry’s owner (Unilever’s digital revenues grew by 23% in 2022 accounting for 15% of all turnover) Braams was also laser focused on boosting the CPG’s internal digital capabilities.

She spearheaded the transformation Unilever’s 47 digital hubs—which first launched in 2019 to move away from “old ways of marketing—from centralized business units previously staffed only by “digital marketers” (ie, programmatic, audience and social media specialists) to integrate talent from Unilever’s sales, digital and e-commerce teams.

“We now call them digital, marketing, media and commerce hubs,” she told Adweek in 2022. “[We’ve changed this] because it’s crucial that people start working together and think through the totality of the customer experience and not just one element of it.”

The marketer also oversaw the brand’s ongoing sustainability initiatives as well as its first foray into Web3 marketing through brands including Hellmann’s and Sure. As part of this, she positioned herself as an advocate for ensuring advertisers were responsible for making the next iteration of the internet safe.

“Web3 can’t become the problem of the next generation,” she said in 2022. “We have a window to act, [advertisers] must put their shoulders under this and build something that is inherently transparent and puts people first.”

During the World Federation of Advertisers’ annual Global Marketer Week conference in 2022, she delivered a keynote speech saying this revolution should be accompanied by the “development of substantial, new ethical infrastructures and policies”

She added: “The internet without trust is scandal.”

News of Braam’s exit dovetails with the announcement that Unilever’s chief financial officer (CFO) Graeme Pitkethly will retire in May 2024.

People build companies. Period.

No matter how great your product or service is, the talent you hire and retain will always make or break your success. Your marketing talent in particular is crucial to your growth and, now more than ever, with 61% of Americans looking to leave their current jobs, chief marketing officers and chief executive officers must proactively nurture their top performers to combat attrition.

Why are marketers leaving their jobs?

In February 2022, I wrote a blog post predicting that the “mass exodus” of 2021 would continue throughout 2022. Unfortunately, I could write this same post today about 2023, especially as it relates to marketing departments. Here’s why.

D-to-c has plummeted. When we were stuck in our homes two years ago, d-to-c companies thrived (and hired) because of the convenience they provided. With consumer spending shifting back to experiences vs. commerce, the industry is struggling, and so are the marketers who have dedicated the past three plus years of their careers to growing these businesses.

Ad costs are astronomical. With Facebook ad costs rising by 89% and TikTok’s CPM rising by 92%, digital marketers are feeling discouraged. They are trying to find new channels for growth but they can’t hit the ROI metrics found in digital and found in the past five-plus years of the booming economy.

Economic uncertainty. During recessions, marketing headcount and budgets are usually the first to be slashed. The result is frustration and low morale inside marketing departments. As a recruiting firm focused on hiring marketing leadership and teams, our inbox is flooded with people looking to leave their jobs thinking that the grass is greener elsewhere.

Burn out. Let’s face it. Marketing is hard. People are still coming off of the pandemic, trying to figure out WFH or office, and sorting through how important work is in their lives. A burnt-out employee is a tough employee to manage and retain and we are seeing all levels of marketers exhausted with what the past few years have delivered to them.

Keep top talent happy

The interesting thing about the past few years is that with all the fatigue and uncertainty, great marketers have stretched their skills and learned new technologies which are making the best talent, in extremely high demand. So the question becomes, how do you retain your top marketing talent?

Prioritize wellbeing

It may seem elementary, but a commitment to holistic employee wellness is crucial to keeping talent engaged. Given that low engagement is responsible for a $7.8 billion loss in the global economy, CEOs and CMOs must recognize that well-being programs are essential to boosting revenue.

There are three aspects of employee well-being that should be considered when thinking about how to retain talent:

• Mental well-being refers to how employees view themselves within your organization. Are they confident in your company’s mission and vision? Are they given feedback that boosts their self-esteem? Do they feel secure in their roles? Don’t just assume what they need to uplevel their happiness; ask them what’s working and what’s not working, both as it relates to the company at large and to you as their manager.
• Physical health. When WFH was the norm two years ago, it was easy for employees to remain active and make time for daily exercise. With many companies switching back to hybrid/in-office, this flexibility has severely decreased. Physical health is directly related not only to mental health, but also to productivity and improved cognitive function. CEOs and CMOs should not only encourage their teams to take time for physical activity, but they should also ensure that company culture allows for this time to be taken.
• Social interaction. One of the biggest benefits of the return to hybrid/in-office work is the social aspect. For the past three years, remote workers have struggled with loneliness and isolation. Social interaction plays a significant role in employee happiness, which means that CEOs and CMOs at companies that are still fully remote or hybrid, have to make a conscious effort to provide their teams with the opportunity to interact meaningfully with their coworkers (beyond 15-minute Zoom happy hours).

Make time for career pathing

An alarming 71% of employees are unhappy with the career advancement opportunities in their companies. Your people are your power and if you don’t carve out time for them, you’ll lose out. Do you know where your team members want to be in 12 months? 24 months? Five years? Do you have the support infrastructure to get them there?

Take the time to look at your learning & development strategy. Do you have one? Do you need to bring in an outside resource? The percentage of learning and development professionals working with corporate executives has grown to 50% in the past year, as upleveling has emerged as a top priority for employees.

Pay up

The average salary is expected to increase by 4.1% in 2023, the largest increase in 15 years. It may feel like with the economy slowing so should the rise in salaries, but with inflation continuing to rise, and great talent in high demand, you need to pay up to retain your talent. Certainly, the above bullets are critical but money does as well and it is essential you consider what the competition may pay to recruit your marketing leader or top team member and get proactive to match that.

Define their purpose

Help people understand the value they bring to a company and why what they do matters. Why what they do matters to the customers they serve, the team they surround themselves with and the overall economy and global landscape. People are seeking purpose more than ever and it is critical that CEOs and CMOs continuously reinforce the meaning behind their team’s work.

Ultimately, your people are the secret to your growth and people don’t leave companies unless they are unhappy. Recruiting is getting easier right now because we are seeing so many people not feeling satisfied. If you truly take the time to listen to what your people need and take actionable steps to meet or exceed those needs, you can both hold onto your current rockstars and attract new talent to build a loyal team of all-star marketers.

Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P) has named managing partner Leslie Barrett as its next president, only the third person to hold the post over the past 30 years. Barrett takes over the role from Derek Robson, a 17-year GS&P veteran who left the agency in December 2022 to become CEO of Ideo. 

“Leslie is an aggressive business builder, a master negotiator, a champion of innovation and a leader dedicated to employee well-being who thrives on making work that drives true business impact,” said Jeff Goodby, co-founder and co-chairman of GS&P in a statement. “She is the perfect leader to take GS&P forward.”

Barrett said her promotion means creativity and growth for the agency.

“We’re going to hold on to the things that have made us us: our creativity, our humanity and the responsibility we take in the ways we influence culture. We’ll evolve in the way that we use our creativity to solve problems and do it in even more innovative and welcome ways,” Barrett told Adweek.

Barrett will help direct the agency’s vision and be responsible for the overall business, while also creating and maintaining a place where people can come and do their best work.

Barrett takes the president position in a partner group that is now 62% women. Since the new partnership was put in place in 2016, the agency has thrived, landing on Adweek’s shortlist for U.S. Agency of the Year and becoming Fast Company’s Most Innovative Advertising Agency (2021), along with other accolades.

“Leslie is a strong leader who sets a clear direction, believes creativity can solve any problem and creates momentum for the business,” said Margaret Johnson, CCO of GS&P in a statement. “She takes a human approach and nurtures trust and collaboration within her teams and loyalty with her clients.”

“I don’t think there’s anyone who better understands what the company is and where we want to take it,” added Rich Silverstein, co-founder and co-chairman of GS&P. “In advertising you can’t sit still and rest on your laurels. You have to constantly evolve, and she’s the person to help us do that.”

Barrett has been instrumental in agency growth and leads many of GS&P’s largest and most pivotal clients. With a client retention rate of 100% since 2014, she has fueled the agency’s average client tenure of seven years. She has enabled pitchless business wins over the years, most recently Comcast Business, Idorsia, Califia Farms, One Medical, Oura, Lidl and Bic razors. The agency is defending the BMW account, which the brand put into a procurement-mandated review earlier this year.

In her new position, Barrett wants GS&P to take an even more aggressive approach to new business and leverage technology—including AI—to answer harder questions and do more interesting work, like it did recently with its “Dream Tapestry” at the Dali Museum, an interactive experience where visitors can turn their dreams into art using OpenAI’s Dall-E. 

“Strategy is more important than ever, and we have the best strategists in the world. Our offerings, such as [creative branding experience] Brand Camp, help clients prepare for and react to the future of their companies, articulate their purpose and evolve their brands,” said Barrett.

Over the past few years, Barrett and the agency have welcomed back boomerang clients, including HP and Truly. She helps establish deep client relationships, including with Doug Sweeny, now the CMO of Oura.

“Leslie and I have worked together three times on vastly different brands over 12 years—at Nest and most recently at One Medical and Oura,” said Sweeny in a statement. “She has the innate ability to solve problems quickly, to challenge and rally clients while earning their respect.”

A push for diversity

GS&P, an Omnicom agency, has long championed diversity and bringing new voices into the industry.

In 2022, GS&P created an in-house advertising school called The Academy at GS&P, which trains talent tuition-free. The goal for the school is to increase the diversity of talent by including those from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and the inaugural class was 74% people of color.

“We’ve always championed diversity because we do our best work and are our best selves when we reflect the audiences that we have the privilege of representing,” said Barrett. “Like most people, we are on the journey. We are learners and listeners and strive to be our best.”

There’s a worn-out advertising cliche that probably makes you shudder. You know the one: Advertising is all about finding the right consumer at the right time in the right place.

When VMLY&R CEO Jon Cook collapsed in Kansas City last year, he benefited from a series of coincidences that led the right people at the right time to the right place to save his life.

See, Cook always wears his Apple Watch. While that device performs many roles, the one he really needed to function last year—tracking his heart activity—had broken three weeks earlier. During those same three weeks, his heart happened to develop an atrial flutter. Essentially, his heart couldn’t stop rapidly beating and wearing itself out to the tune of 200-300 beats per minute.

“This was a story of a massive amount of either angels or coincidences,” Cook told Adweek. “I basically died for nine minutes.”

Here’s where those karmic coincidences kick in. After getting a beer with a VMLY&R colleague, Cook went for a run. Two minutes into that jog, he crouched over on a political sign (for a candidate he intended to vote for) and then collapsed.

A woman who happened to be a nurse practitioner at a children’s hospital was walking her dog and stopped to help him. Another woman, Sarrisa Curry, who is certified in CPR but lives out of town, was on her way to get ice cream with her family following a high school sporting event when she saw the nurse practitioner performing CPR.

“She’s just not from anywhere near where I live, and so that was a once in a million thing that she was there that night at that spot,” Cook said.

And the kicker: Cardio internist Prakash Acharya—the ideal medical professional for this scenario—was driving by and stopped. Three people, all trained to save an unresponsive person’s life, were present in the exact place to bring Cook back from the brink of death.

Cook spent between seven and nine minutes by the side of the road without a pulse. At best, one in 10 people survive this. He was that one. He equates it to Damar Hamlin’s experience as a safety for the Buffalo Bills. Hamlin’s heart stopped after he was hit in the chest by a Bengals player, not a flutter, but the rescue and recovery were very similar.

When he came to, the first thing Cook heard from Curry was, “I’m the one who’s been making out with you for the last three minutes.”

Communicating with the agency

As the CEO of a large holding company agency, Cook needed to quickly make a number of decisions from his hospital bed about how to communicate his collapse to colleagues. He gave his leadership team enough information to keep the agency informed so that employees learned through proper channels and not rumors, while also maintaining his privacy as much as he could.

“I learned a lot about finding that balance of keeping people informed enough to know what’s going on and to have confidence that you’re fine, but without going too far as to scare the entire company,” Cook said.

Over time, Cook opened up, seeing the value of being transparent and the impact his health event could have on not only the agency, but the community.

“The leadership lesson is I learned a lot about how to communicate and how to be vulnerable, and how it’s OK to talk about your own health a little bit,” Cook said.

In the hospital, one of the first people Cook heard from was WPP CEO Mark Read.

“He couldn’t have been more responsive and caring about it, and it meant a lot to me,” Cook said. And later, WPP board chairman Roberto Quarta became a bit of a mentor to Cook, after Quarta shared that he had had a similar experience. “[Quarta] gave me a lot of advice about how to think about it and how to regain physical and mental confidence.”

In the aftermath, VMLY&R has rolled out CPR training sessions across its offices, starting with Kansas City. The agency is also making sure employees know not only where automated external defibrillators (AED) are located, but feel empowered to use them in an emergency.

“There’s very few people that can tell you exactly where those are in an office or what they do or how to use them,” Cook said, adding, “I couldn’t have told you where the AED units were. And I’m not embarrassed to say I’m not even sure I knew how to use them before this incident.”

Ice cream with a friend

This was a story of a massive amount of either angels or coincidences.

Jon Cook, CEO, VMLY&R

After the experience, Cook views life as full of opportunity to maximize every moment with the people you care about.

“There’s a realization of the last moment you have with anybody important in your life, and a lot of the most important people in my life are at VMLY&R,” Cook said. “And not to be morbid about it, but when you almost die, you think about what was the last conversation you had with this partner or that partner at your office.”

Cook received a clean bill of health with no restrictions on travel or physical activity, but he did have a defibrillator put in to shock him back to life if his heart ever stops for more than six seconds again. He owes this all to his rescuers for taking swift, brave action.

While in the hospital, Cook reunited with one of his first responders, Acharya, who continued his medical care as his cardiologist. After weeks of searching, The Kansas City Star’s feature helped him finally locate Curry, who eluded his attempts to find her via door knocking and the Nextdoor app.

Last month, Cook and Curry reconnected in person for the first time. According to another Kansas City Star piece, she had suffered her own health trauma—a brain bleed. After a long wait, they finally met at a fitting location: at the ice cream shop she was headed to when she stopped to save Cook’s life.

Diego Scotti has been the chief marketing officer at Verizon for eight years, notching to multiple Cannes Lions wins and leading Super Bowl campaigns. Now, Scotti has announced that he will leave Verizon to focus on another yet-to-be-named venture.

In an internal memo obtained by Adweek, Scotti said he is building a new chapter in his career and looking to explore new challenges, and that the company wishes him all the best in the future.

“We have benefited from having Diego as our CMO during a time of critical importance for our company; his impact on our brand and our business has been immense. I, for one, am grateful for his energy, partnership and leadership,” said the memo, which is attributed to Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon.

Scotti will help transition his team to ensure a strong second quarter and will continue to report to Vestberg until his departure later this year.

Recent changes at Verizon

Verizon has undergone a number of changes across its marketing and creative teams. In October, chief creative officer Andrew McKechnie left the company, which consolidated its Creative Marketing Group and Marketing Activation team under Kristin McHugh. Tony Wells left his role as the brand’s chief media officer earlier this year as well.

The brand has also shuffled some of its agency partners, handing its Verizon Business account to Ogilvy from McCann and shifting around some agency assignments within IPG. Verizon also consolidated all of its media with Publicis following the acquisition of Tracfone.

Scotti’s departure will lead to new organizational changes. Jim Gerace, chief communications officer, will report directly to Vestberg. Rose Kirk, chief corporate social responsibility officer, will move into human resources, while Rima Qureshi, chief strategy officer, will assume interim leadership for the remaining CMO organization to provide day-to-day coverage and support.

Success through authenticity

Scotti helped Verizon build its marketing prowess through authenticity and a push to highlight first responders in its Super Bowl marketing efforts.

Verizon had taken a six-year hiatus before returning to the Big Game in 2018. Since then, it has used the Super Bowl as a platform to position itself as the preferred network of first responders, a strategy that’s helped hammer home its “America’s most reliable network” tagline. One notable spot featured an emotional reunion between Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn and the people who saved his life following a car accident in 2005.

Scotti also helped guide Verizon through moments of crisis, including during the pandemic, by leaning into social issues and making changes.

“Sometimes, companies start questioning everything during a moment of crisis, but you need to lean into your strategy now more than ever,” Scotti told Adweek in 2020. 

Verizon introduced a diversity and inclusion council in 2019 and supports nine employee resource groups, including the Black Resource Association of Verizon Employees and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Employees of Verizon and Their Allies. It also implemented an Adfellows program to create a diverse pipeline of talent in marketing and advertising.

In addition, Verizon made a commitment to spend 30% of its marketing budget on diverse-owned video, experiential and print production firms, and the creation of training materials for internal teams and partner agency teams that take into account an industry-wide gender equality measure.

In 2017, Verizon launched its in-house agency, the Verizon Creative Marketing Group, to help promote itself as a 5G-powered technology brand. In 2022, Verizon was awarded a Gold Lion at Cannes, the first in the company’s history, for its “9/12: The Untold Story of Reconnecting New York” documentary campaign.

Scotti is currently vice chair of the board of directors for the Ad Council and a board member of the ANA. Prior to Verizon, Scotti held marketing roles at J.Crew, Vogue and American Express.

We’re rounding out this week with the newest hires and promotions at agencies everywhere.

B-Reel

B-Reel hired Patrick Gardner as its new executive producer and business development lead for its Los Angeles operation. Gardner will work to expand the agency’s reach across a number of brands and entities.

Barrett Hofherr

Barrett Hofherr hired Bria Weldon as its new head of media. Weldon will work with the account, creative and partner agency teams to ensure cohesive strategy that heightens client success.

Chemistry

Chemistry promoted Jason Dille to chief media officer. Most recently the executive vice president, Dille has spearheaded growth in agency billings from $20 million to $100 million.

Dept

Dept welcomed former Adobe exec Logan Moore as its new vp of strategic alliances. With more than 15 years of experience with commerce platforms like Adobe and Visible Measures, Moore will lead strategic alliances in the Americas.

FCB Inferno

FCB Inferno named Jack Walker as its new head of art. Walker will focus on elevating the agency’s visual style and output, combining design work and art direction.

Finn Partners

Finn Partners promoted Ryan O’Grady to partner, New York Health. The promotion comes in recognition of the digital strategist and content creator’s important contribution to the agency group’s growth, including the founding and leading of Finn’s global health social media group, which specializes in industry-leading client service.

GDX Studios

Amanda Byrd was named director of growth at GDX Studios. The marketing veteran will lead agency growth, new business and client relationships.

Hoffman York

Hoffman York welcomed Mike Roe as its new executive creative director. Roe will work to expand the agency’s creative portfolio.

Horizon Media

Horizon Media named Nicky Lorenzo as senior vice president, executive creative director at 305 Worldwide, its subsidiary agency. Lorenzo will lead creative, foster high caliber talent and develop growth.

Hudson

Hudson welcomed director Anthony Garth to its directorial roster. Having had a relationship with Hudson since 2007, Garth is known for balancing imagery, mood and storytelling.

Incubeta

Incubeta appointed Andrew Watson as its new marketplaces director. Coming from his previous role at Amazon Ads, Watson plans to drive growth in Incubeta’s ecommerce marketplaces.

Influencer

Influencer just made a series of strategic tech hires amid further global expansion. They include Rachel Powney as global vice president of marketing and Ram Kurvakat as vice president of software engineering.

IPG Health

IPG Health welcomed three new executives to its leadership team. Sommer Bazuro was named chief medical officer; Alice Choi was named managing director of client solutions in APAC; and Julie Pilon was named chief strategy officer.

Kantar

Erin Hutchinson was appointed chief marketing officer for Kantar North America. Hutchinson will lead marketing initiatives across product marketing, demand generation and brand communications.

LifeSci Communications

LifeSci Communications welcomed two new hires to its leadership team. Tim Bird joined as executive vice president, client services; and Sarah Wheeler joined as senior vice president, medical communications.

McCann London

McCann London welcomed Mel Arrow as its new chief strategy officer. Arrow will oversee strategic output for the agency’s global client roster.

Nomad Editing Company

Nomad Editing Company welcomed Raj Ramnauth to its roster for U.S. representation. Ramnaught is known for music videos like “Life Is Good” and “God’s Plan” for Drake, as well as “Con Altura” for Rosalia.

PMG

Lauren Douglass was hired by PMG as head of marketing. Douglass will oversee the company’s brand strategy, marketing and events.

Rapp U.K.

Rapp U.K. promoted Afua Basoah to head of health and social impact. Basoah will be strategic lead and consultant lead on health, with a key focus on social impact.

Revery

Revery just welcomed director Alexander Gilbert to its creative roster. Gilbert is already hitting the ground running, directing the first episode of “Future Self,” a project in collaboration with Amazon Web Services’ AI and ML scholarship program.

Stagwell Marketing Cloud

After launching the Stagwell Marketing Cloud Advisory Council, the agency has added two new members. Former Microsoft vp and chief data analytics officer John Kahan and Code and Theory Network executive chairman Dan Gardner both joined.

Team ITG

Team ITG welcomed Natalie Somerville as its new global managing partner. Somerville will work to drive the company’s international expansion through global partnerships. 

The Hispanic Marketing Council Hall of Fame

Gloria Constanza was just inducted into the Hispanic Marketing Council Hall of Fame. The media architect is known as a champion and advocate for Hispanic media and marketing, who drove some of the first brands to invest in Hispanic media.

Valiant Pictures

Valiant Pictures signed directing duo Brain Wash TV for U.S. commercial representation. Brain Wash TV is comprised of Ryan Vernava and Liam Karim Achaïbou, who create music videos and branded content that aim to warp the mind and audience perspective.

Wild Gift

Wild Gift welcomed Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy to its roster for commercial and branded entertainment assignments in the U.S. The journalist, filmmaker and humanitarian is highly accomplished, with an Oscar win and a feature on Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.

XS.com

XS.com named Despina Iapona as its global head of public relations and branding. Iapona brings over a decade of experience in marketing and communication, with a strong background in financial services.

If you have updates you’d like to share with Adweek, please reach out to us at agencyspy@adweek.com.

The final week of April brought in exciting partnerships, campaign and service launches, and even some new rules and regulations on generative AI for agency use.

Acadia

Acadia was named media agency of record for California Pizza Kitchen. The agency will provide big-market sophistication in media and analytics along with core values, speed and transparency.

Beyond Fifteen Communications

Beyond Fifteen Communications brought on seven new clients in Q1 2023. They include Aviation Capital Group, Cerium Networks, Intera Oncology, Marshall B. Ketchum University, Surveillance Systems Incorporated, WeVideo and a leading global provider of testing, inspection and certification services.

Braze

Customer engagement platform Braze launched its 427° Innovation Lab. The lab consists of in-person, virtual and hybrid brainstorms to bring different disciplines together for brands.

EGC Group

EGC Group launched The EGC Edge, a custom marketing solution utilizing advanced analytics tools and expert insights. The solution offers competitive ad intelligence across digital and traditional media.

Firehouse

As Hooters celebrates 40 years in business, the eatery, along with its standalone wing concepts and virtual restaurants, has selected independent agency Firehouse to help set brand strategy and creative campaigns for the company’s next chapter. Working closely with HOA Brands’ marketing leadership and partners, Firehouse will lead overall creative strategy and development to help Hooters and its portfolio of brands.

Gassed

Paid social and creative agency Gassed won Draft and Fabletics Europe as new accounts. The agency will deliver growth through direct response creative marketing for both companies.

InnoVision Marketing Group

InnoVision Marketing Group is partnering with GNF Worldwide to create a global marketing alliance. This enables the marketing group to add global franchise development to its growing list of in-house divisions and services.

Kepler Group

Kepler Group was chosen by Versuni as the global Amazon marketing partner. The new partnership will provide Kepler Group with $32.4 million to spend across Amazon’s various channels, including sponsored listings, search ads and connected TV.

M&C Saatchi

M&C Saatchi was chosen as the creative agency of record for National Grid. The two joined forces to launch “The Great Grid Upgrade,” a campaign to raise awareness of the largest overhaul of the grid in generations, which is going to enable millions of homes and businesses in the U.K. to use renewable energy.

Mother

Mother was selected as the new lead global creative agency for Jägermeister. The agency will be responsible for the global account and attracting new consumers by raising its aspirational profile.

OKRP

OKRP was selected by Metro by T-Mobile as its agency of record. The agency will help drive sales for Metro’s prepaid services from its phone, internet and bundled features.

Periscope and Rise Interactive

Household cleaning products leader Jelmar chose two Quad agencies, Periscope and Rise Interactive, as its agencies of record. The shops will deliver work to engage audiences across linear TV, over-the-top, programmatic, search, social and CLR’s website.

PR Council

The PR Council issued new guidelines around the ethical use of generative AI. The guidelines were developed by an ethics and standards task force led by Mark McClennan, general manager of C+C and Ethical Voices podcast creator, as well as Anne Green, principal and managing director of G&S Business Communications.

Sway Group

Sway Group was chosen by California Raisins to lead an innovative yearlong influencer marketing program. The Sway Group will work with a diverse group of influencers to create content that showcases the brand’s versatility, convenience and nutrition benefits.

The7Stars

The7Stars launched Prospero, which claims to be the first fully managed, fully transparent programmatic omnichannel trading model in the U.K. The new model plans to bring disruption and change to the programmatic marketplace.

Tinuiti

Performance marketing firm Tinuiti has been named the performance media agency of record for Frye, an American manufacturer of shoes and boots. Tinuiti will oversee the business’ client growth, growth media, affiliate, SEO and analytics. 

Wasserman Ventures

Global sports, music and culture agency Wasserman just launched Wasserman Ventures, a new vertical that will invest in companies, products and markets to help accelerate businesses. The department will be led by Darren Ross, evp and managing director.

Woo Studio

ITV-backed media culture brand for Gen Z, Woo, just launched Woo Studio, a creative agency and innovation lab that aims to connect brands through feel-good storytelling.

If you have updates you’d like to share with Adweek, please reach out to us at agencyspy@adweek.com.

Fox is making major changes to Tubi.

On Wednesday, the company announced it was reorganizing its digital efforts with a new business unit, Tubi Media Group, with Paul Cheesbrough set to lead the division as CEO.

In addition to the new digital strategy, Fox also announced that Tubi founder Farhad Massoudi is stepping down as CEO of the AVOD streamer.

“It has been an incredible three years since the acquisition of Tubi, leading to its great success within the Fox family,” Massoudi said in a statement. “I am grateful to both Lachlan [Murdoch] and Paul for their guidance, support and partnership. I know that I am leaving Tubi in the best shape it has ever been, and its future is very bright.”

The company’s new division will house Fox’s standalone digital businesses, including Tubi, Credible and Blockchain Creative Labs, as well as the platforms and teams in the company’s wider digital purview encompassing sports, news and entertainment.

“Our strategic acquisition of Tubi in 2020 established a cornerstone in our digital streaming strategy, which under Paul and Farhad’s leadership has driven record growth and is now the clear market leader in AVOD in the US,” Lachlan Murdoch, executive chair and CEO of Fox Corporation, said in a statement.

Murdoch added that the new business unit will build off the company’s digital momentum and “will be tasked with spearheading our digital expansion and partnering with our brands to drive continued growth.”

Cheesbrough, the new Tubi Media Group CEO, previously served as CTO and president of digital for Fox Corporation, overseeing the acquisition and management of Tubi. He will continue to report to Murdoch.

“We have incredible momentum across our digital portfolio at Fox, and it’s a privilege to lead and oversee this next stage of growth,” Cheesbrough said. “With a strong foundation to build off, from Tubi’s unrivaled growth in the AVOD space to our record-setting 4K streaming operation for Super Bowl LVII, I’m looking forward to working with our talented team to drive this growth for Fox.”

The future is Tubi decided

The new Tubi Media Group CEO also took a moment to thank Massoudi for his partnership since the Tubi acquisition.

“He’s a true pioneer in the streaming space and saw the opportunity in AVOD long before others. The fact that we’re building this new business around Tubi’s brand and the momentum that the company has achieved is testament to everything that Farhad founded, built and delivered over the years,” Cheesbrough said.

Prior to his departure, Massoudi helped Tubi continually grow under Fox.

In an earnings call in February, the company reported Tubi’s ad revenue grew by 25% over last year, reaching more than $200 million, with increases in CPM (cost per thousand viewers reached) and engagement. Tubi also had its highest quarterly viewership in the fiscal second quarter, with total viewing time (TVT) up 41% year over year and December being the service’s highest TVT month ever.

Though Fox didn’t announce specific viewer counts for the AVOD service, Massoudi previously told Adweek that the platform grew to 51 million monthly active users early in 2022.

Tubi Media Group is set to announce the new CEO for Tubi Streaming in the near future, and Massoudi will remain through a transition period until the end of June.

R/GA’s struggles have led to another round of layoffs in the U.S., with more than 100 employees being let go earlier this week, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Two sources indicated that the cuts represent about 20% of the agency’s U.S. workforce. R/GA denied that the number is over 100.

The latest layoffs come after R/GA has gone through numerous rounds since Adweek first reported a 5% reduction of the New York workforce in June 2022. According to a source, R/GA’s revenue fell $50 million year-over-year from its high water mark in 2021 to 2022.

“It is no surprise that market conditions are making an impact on companies this year, and R/GA is no exception. As a result, R/GA is actioning a leaner, more nimble strategy moving forward,” the agency said in a statement. “On Tuesday, April 18, we undertook the difficult yet necessary step of reducing our workforce. Difficult, as we will be parting ways with some extremely talented colleagues, and friends. Moving forward, we’re committed to a more flexible model that will better support our ever-evolving industry landscape, our people, our clients and our work.”

The agency began a small round of layoffs on Monday with several high-ranking employees being let go at the ecd and svp level across the company. The tech and content teams were hit particularly hard, according to one source. Following the initial round, the company held an all-hands meeting, led by creative chair Tiffany Rolfe and interim global CEO Robin Forbes. Founder Bob Greenberg also attended the all-hands meeting.

Employees were told there would be more layoffs Tuesday morning. Unlike previous rounds where employees were given the opportunity to stay on for two more weeks, the employees let go this week had their access cut off immediately.

Earlier this year, R/GA had an exploratory call with one of the largest retail chains in the U.S., but the brand prematurely ended the call because of R/GA’s presentation, according to two sources familiar with the call. 

R/GA has lost scope with a number of clients, with one source confirming Ad Age’s previous reporting that Samsung, Verizon, Nike, Ally and Siemens had cut back their spending with the agency. 

In February, CEO Sean Lyons left R/GA to take the global capabilities lead role at Accenture Song, while Rolfe was named chair of R/GA and Forbes stepped up to be interim CEO. In December 2022, R/GA named Shannon Washington chief creative officer. According to a source, evp and managing director of New York April Quinn has taken on a larger role leading the U.S. team alongside Fabiano Coura, president of the Americas.

In the last six months, the agency has also lost global CFO Tania Secor; global CMO Ashish Prashar; svp and global head of media, connections and influence Ellie Bamford; and vp and managing director Margo Lowry.

In December 2022, the agency won the multimillion-dollar Mattress Firm account, but just a week later the business reduced the scope of its work with R/GA, switching to a project-based approach. Since then, Mattress Firm cut ties with the agency. One source told Adweek this was a product of the agency not moving fast enough to staff the business and build a relationship with the client. 

In November 2022, R/GA made a restructuring of its business, closing its Hudson Yards office space in New York City as well as its office space in downtown San Francisco. R/GA signed a short-term lease in New York at a fraction of the cost of the Hudson Yards office, which one source told Adweek cost R/GA more than $10 million per year. 

With the restructuring in the U.S., the agency said it is committed to the five practices it installed last year. R/GA’s strategy was based on the term “distributed creativity.” That restructuring was apparently planned before R/GA reported losses of up to $10 million in 2022 from crypto- and NFT-related work.

R/GA also reimagined its business in 2020, claiming that “Every nine years, R/GA changes the fundamentals of its operating model to align with the future of technology and the influence it will have on people, culture and clients.”

According to a spokesperson, “We’re working to help people find jobs—writing recommendations—many former R/GAers are offering work—the community and the alum network is strong as ever.”