As former Client Services Director, Hannah has been a driving force behind AKQA Amsterdam’s growth and success since joining in 2021. A seasoned strategist and inspiring leader, she brings a wealth of expertise in brand and innovation to her new role, cultivating impactful, long-term partnerships with leading global brands.

As Client Services Director, Hannah led impactful projects, most notably the award-winning Pink Chip initiative, a platform with the core mission to unlock the economic power of women. Under her guidance and advocacy, the Pink Chip project won three Gold Lions at Cannes, including one in Glass, the Lion for Change.

On her new role, Hannah said: “AKQA Amsterdam is an incredibly talented group of individuals who strive to bring value to our partners beyond the initial ask of any brief. I’m honoured to help lead this team into next year. The future is filled with opportunity, and as I enter this new role, I am focused on how to cultivate an environment and culture that yields the highest quality of life, work, and outcomes for all.”

Source: AKQA Amsterdam

With ambitions to further bolster the PPA’s unfaltering support of its 270+ UK publishing companies and associate members, and collaborating with PPA CEO, Sajeeda Merali, Vanneck-Smith will bring her vast media industry experience and entrepreneurial spirit to support the PPA in its delivery of  new directives for the sector and its members.

Vanneck-Smith, who joined Hearst UK as CEO in December 2022, is an industry-figurehead with a stellar track record which includes leadership roles at Telegraph Media Group, The Times, and The Wall Street Journal, and she also co-founded the global media outlet Tortoise Media in 2018.

As Chair of the PPA, Vanneck-Smith will bring her knowledge, experience and passion for publishing, during a period of rapid transformation in the industry. She will work closely with Merali and the Board, as the PPA implements its 2025 strategy.

Commenting on her appointment, Katie Vanneck-Smith says: “In a time of transformative change, it’s an incredibly exciting time for our industry and I’m proud to step into the role of Chair at the PPA. Nina and the PPA team have done an excellent job in championing our sector, and I look forward to working alongside Sajeeda to help drive innovation and advance the PPA’s support for its members.”

PPA CEO, Sajeeda Merali, comments: “I’d like to thank Nina for her tenure as Chair over the last three years. Her strategic thinking combined with her industry knowledge have been invaluable in helping us transform our member offering and define the PPA’s new strategic positioning. As we move forward with our plan for 2025 and beyond, I’m excited to work with Katie, to champion our vibrant and exciting sector.”

Source: PPA

Creative agency Majority has promoted founding partner Asmirh Davis to the role of president—with her new role taking effect immediately. Since the launch of Majority in 2021, Davis has served in the role of chief strategy officer.

Combining her passion and expertise for connecting iconic brands with culture, Davis has served as the strategic force behind Majority’s most successful and famous creative campaigns for clients, including Sprite, BLK (Match Group), and General Motors. She has also played a key role helping the agency win new business since its inception. 

But Davis’s greatest contributions are found in the very fabric of what differentiates Majority as an agency: boldly combining a diverse talent model with award-winning creative capabilities.

“Asmirh’s leadership has been pivotal to Majority’s success,” said Omid Farhang, Majority’s founder and CEO. “Along with building our strategy discipline, she’s played a huge role in setting our culture, codifying our virtues, and building our infrastructure. She’s the conscience of our company and the embodiment of our values.”

In her new role as president, Davis will continue to shape the vision and culture for Majority, as the agency navigates rapid growth while also protecting the foundational ingredients that have fueled its success to date.

A 20-year Atlanta advertising veteran with expertise in integrated marketing, communications, media planning, and creative strategy, Davis has honed her expertise at creative shops such as Huge, BBDO Atlanta, 360i, and Moxie, where she developed campaigns for Verizon Wireless, Autotrader, L’Oréal, and Norwegian Airlines. Beyond her role at Majority, Davis is a board member of BLAC (Building Leaders and Creators)—an internship program founded by a coalition of small agencies and backed by Procter & Gamble—as well as a member of Effie Worldwide’s Board of Directors.

“The last 4 years, we’ve proven out the power of diversity in making work that lands brands in culture,” Davis added. “In our next phase, I’m excited to focus on scaling our model to ultimately change the landscape of our industry so that more diverse creators and thinkers are powering the best creative agencies in the world.”

Source: Majority

Pictured Above: Tom Katté

Katté & Co joins Precis following a string of acquisitions including Nucleus, Booster Box, The F Company, and Bannerboy. The acquisition comes on the heels of Precis’ recent launch of Alvie, a cutting-edge platform designed to empower e-commerce and B2C brands with a strategic control panel for performance marketing. By combining the strengths of Katté & Co with the international reach of Precis, the group is well-positioned to continue to partner with clients around the world to get the most out of their marketing investments.

Founded in 2014 by Tom Katté, Katté & Co has built a strong reputation for its forward-thinking approach to digital media buying, with a particular focus on paid search and paid social. The agency’s integrated creative offering for social channels, its data-driven approach, and its client roster, including Monsoon, Crew Clothing, and Dune, align perfectly with Precis’ vision of delivering innovative, integrated and impactful digital marketing solutions. 

Tom will join the Precis leadership team, focusing on integrating Katté’s people and services into Precis UK and ensuring that the group’s combined clients benefit from the newly formed partnership. The existing 30 strong Katté & Co team will join the team of 500 employees that make up the Precis Group and will be based in the UK office – effectively doubling the size of the UK team. 

Jess Merry, Managing Director of Precis UK comments: “We’re thrilled to welcome Katté & Co to the Precis family. Their knack for combining the best of data, human insights, and creativity to shape strategy really resonates with Precis. With the Katté & Co team now part of Precis, we’re strengthening our UK presence and gaining fantastic expertise in e-commerce marketing to better serve both UK and international clients.’’

Tom Katté, Founder of Katté & Co: “I’m incredibly excited to join the Precis Group, bringing Katté & Co’s expertise and shared vision into a larger, dynamic team. This partnership not only strengthens our UK presence but, with the support of a global network and access to Precis’ proprietary tech, Alvie, we’re now in an even stronger position to deliver impactful, global solutions for our clients. I couldn’t be happier to have found in Precis a team whose values and culture so closely align with ours. Together, we’re set to push the boundaries of what’s possible in performance marketing!”

Source: Precis

Fast-growing independent agency Bray & Co has named Victoria Martin creative director for the firm that is devoted to crafting effective, award-winning creative, media and strategy for brands that want to go to the next level.

Martin describes herself as “a visual storyteller who loves giving brands makeovers.” Prior to this new role, Victoria was a creative director and designer specializing in building brands that tell compelling stories. She has almost a decade working in both an agency environment and for in-house brands, including PepsiCo, Discord, Del Monte, Equinox and Pfizer.

That background will serve her well as she immediately takes creative direction reigns across Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s tequila brand Teremana that Bray & Co won earlier this year in a hotly competitive pitch.

Peter Bray, agency executive creative director and founder, is proud to note that “We’ve had a stunning last three years, producing world-class work and building a unique team that inspires our clients every day. We’ve sought to be the ad agency that is the hardest agency to get a job at—and Victoria is a great example of the level of talent that is required to be a part of Bray & Co.”

Martin graduated from San Francisco State University’s School of Design with a bachelor’s in visual communications design and a minor in business marketing.

Bray & Co is a full-service ad agency that is frequently named on AdWeek’s Fastest Growing Agency annual list.

Source: Bray & Co

Wassom is passionate about elevating brand qualities into brand stories. A 20-year creative with agency, brand, and freelance experience, his creative approach is to focus on crafting engaging connections rather than simply make ads. He sees the need for advertising to mean more, not simply do more.

He most recently worked a decade at Deutsch LA, where, as SVP/Creative Director, he led the Taco Bell account and won new business for the agency. Past agency experiences also include AKQA and TBWA\Chiat\Day. His creative work has touched the QSR, video games, automotive, fashion, and culture brand sectors. He also served eight years with the United States Marine Corps.

“Throughout his career, Jeremiah has helmed work that has not only made me personally jealous but has consistently pushed brands to show up in memorable and innovative ways,” said Josh Paialii, Head of Creative at The Many. “One look at his body of work and you will see his passion for storytelling and craft has raised the bar for entire categories, driving participation with many brands’ most loyal fans. Beyond being a world-class creative director and maker, Wassom is a proven team player and strategic thought leader. He’ll be a great addition to the leadership team at The Many working across all accounts. His role will be immediately felt as he guides and supports each of the creative leads in the department.”

The Many believes that true business growth is made possible by harnessing the power of participation and partners with some of the most iconic brands to forge deeper connections with consumers, cultivate trust and loyalty, and maximize marketing spend and execution. The agency is built around a flexible model that offers a suite of capabilities, including holistic connection strategy, end-to-end production services, creative concepting, media planning and buying, and data and analytics.

Source: The Many

Saatchi & Saatchi has appointed Claire Hollands as its new CEO.

Hollands joins from MullenLowe, where she held the same role. She will report to Charlie Rudd, CEO of Publicis Groupe UK‘s creative practice.

With a career spanning more than two decades, Hollands joined MullenLowe in 2021. She has spearheaded a successful change agenda for the business, leading it through the integration of three agencies (MullenLowe London, MullenLowe Profero and MullenLowe Salt) into one operation.

Prior to MullenLowe Hollands spent 13 years at AMV BBDO, where she rose to chief client officer. She was responsible for leading many of the agency’s biggest global and domestic brands, including BT and Bacardi Global, and was heavily involved in the agency’s talent initiatives.

Hollands launched her career with an internship at Publicis, before holding account management roles at agencies including Leo Burnett.

Rudd said: “We were very clear that for the next Saatchi’s CEO, we wanted a modern and progressive leader who comes with a proven track record in running successful agencies. Claire has an exceptional reputation, she is a real champion of creativity, and has exactly the leadership skills required to lead the agency in its next chapter.”

Hollands said: “The Saatchi talent, creativity, and love for what they do is inspiring. I’ve been impressed by the quality of the client work, the strength of the client partnerships, and the ambition for progress and I look forward to working with the team to elevate this further.”

Hollands is also a trustee of the Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, which provides specialist nurses and support for seriously ill children.

Hollands’ appointment is the second addition Saatchi & Saatchi has made to its leadership team this year. Earlier this summer, the agency announced that Ruth Bates had been promoted to the newly created role of chief data officer. The agency has delivered high-profile work across its client portfolio this year, including John Lewis’ biggest ever marketing campaign, which launched in September.

Source: Saatchi & Saatchi

Opinion Piece by Jamie Williams, Managing Partner, isobel

It’s crunch time in the US Presidential election. And earlier this week, the Nate Silver designed 538 Politics model, which uses polling, economic and demographic data to explore likely election outcomes, ticked towards a Trump win on November 5^th.  If (according to the model), the election was held today, Trump would win 52 times out of 100.

There has been a general sense within most media outlets of a momentum shift towards Trump. But this visible reflection in the 538 model will be causing serious panic within the Harris campaign.  Their worst Trump returning fears could be playing out in front of them.

So why is Harris slipping in the polls?

Well, successful presidential campaigns are based on simple clear messaging.  A message that can be repeated at rally’s, in ads and remembered by voters as they head to polling stations.

Barrack Obama ran on hope and change.  Bill Clinton stood for ‘putting people first and being on your side’. George W Bush ran on compassionate conservatism.  And in 2016, Make America Great Again took Trump to the Whitehouse.

This time around, Donald Trump’s message is very clear.  He’ll close the border and cut taxes.  But what does Kamala Harris stand for?  I’m not sure voters know.

And this is a problem.

When President Biden stood down in July, making way for Vice President Harris to take the party nomination, the Democrats saw a big bounce in the polls, and a huge momentum boost. But unfortunately for Harris, this now feels like an ‘anyone but Biden’ bounce. There was huge relief and excitement in having a smart, dynamic, much younger candidate, who had the energy and charisma to campaign properly.  And this was immediately reflected in the polls.

The presential debate was another great moment for Harris.  She showed off her prosecutor skills, argued for her policies, and was widely considered the clear winner, versus a seemingly aging Trump, who couldn’t resist talking about Haitian illegal immigrants eating dogs in Ohio.

But since that high point, when she was favourite to win, Harris seems to have lost her momentum.

The problem for Harris isn’t in her skills as a debater, or her delivery at campaign rally’s.  It’s her foundational message.  Or lack of it. 

What does she and her brand stand for?

As we enter the last few days of the campaign, Harris is throwing everything at Trump.  From a comparison to Adolf Hitler, to his unchecked power threatening American democracy, ex-Trump allies and cabinet members are coming out with emergency danger stories about him, and Harris is utilising all of them.  

But will the ‘unstable and unhinged’, ‘anyone but Trump’ message be enough?

Especially against the populist America First brand that Trump has built over the past 8 years.

Having previously been criticised for not doing any sit-down interviews, the VP has been speaking to everyone, from 60 Minutes to NBC and even to Fox News.  She’s just done a live CNN Town Hall with undecided voters, but was denied a second debate opportunity, by Trump declining the offer.

But whilst she’s getting the opportunities to speak, and perhaps impressing people with her overall performances, she’s not landing an overarching message, or a key vision for the future. Instead, she’s just laying into Trump.

As wise marketers and brand experts know, this is very likely not enough.

If America needs to hear more from Harris, ironically, the danger from Trump is talking too much.  Whatever your view on his policies and character the Trump Brand is strong. 

Even a stunt at McDonalds, serving a few hand-picked Trump supporters Big Macs and fries, reinforced everything about his populist ‘in touch with real people’ brand.  And his supporters are Lovin’ it.

As a candidate, Trump is not the same person as he was in 2016.  He’s older, seemingly less energetic, not as sharp, more prone to mumbling and having weird moments on stage. And he doesn’t have the one-line campaign catchphrases of ‘lock her up’ and ‘build a wall’. He’s not the new news challenger brand he once was.  But the fact is, he’s spent time building his brand, and it’s strong.  In many ways, he doesn’t need to say anything new, or do any debates or interviews. His brand is doing the talking for him. 

You can accuse Trump of lots of things (and many people have, in courts across America), but you can’t say he doesn’t stand for something.  His MAGA brand of populism, America first, no-nonsense politics is a powerful movement, almost religious in certain parts of America.  And whilst this cultish passion won’t be in play in the key suburbs of the critical swing States, the foundations of brand Trump will be.  People know what Trump stands for.

So, the question for November 5^th is, can Kamala Harris nudge her numbers up a couple more percent, and become the first ever female US President?  The polls are so tight, and swing State margins so thin, that it currently feels like a coin toss.  But if Harris can spend a little less time talking about the dangers of Trump, and articulate a simple, clear and positive vision for America, based on the economy, with her own style of populism, to connect with undecided voters, she’ll give herself more of a chance.

By Jamie Williams who is Managing Partner at isobel

Leading adaptive streaming technology company, SeenThis, today announced the appointment of two new commercial executives in Sydney and Brisbane, expanding their team to provide a national footprint.

The company said it has appointed Brisbane-based Tara Duncan, to the position of Agency Partner. Duncan was previously Consortium Agency Sales Manager at News Corp, bringing 15 years experience in sales and agency roles to the business.

The company said her extensive experience, relationships and industry-recognition will create an immediate presence and impact within the booming Brisbane industry and broader economy. Formerly an account lead on McDonalds at OMD Brisbane, in her time at News, Tara was consistently recognised by her clients and peers as Media in Queensland Publishing Sales Person of the year.

Duncan will support a national portfolio of agency clients, whilst also focusing on adoption of SeenThis’ instant-load,high quality video advertising technology across the Queensland market. With all major global holding companies represented in Brisbane, a thriving independent agency scene and a high concentration of large direct clients with in-house marketing teams, SeenThis General Manager ANZ, Adam Roberts stated:

“Tara is well-positioned to drive SeenThis’s revenue growth. Her strong relationships with key decision-makers within leading agencies will enable her to capitalise on immediate and sustained revenue opportunities.”

Duncan added: “I am looking forward to evangelising SeenThis unique, high-performing video streaming benefits to Queensland and national markets”

SeenThis has also hired Michael Lopes, joining from Seven West Media as an Agency Partner in Sydney, working within the ANZ commercial team across a portfolio of key holdco agency partners. The experience and relationships that Lopes has formed with clients teams at Group M and Dentsu in particular over the past three years, will see him focus on driving adoption and growth across those groups.

“I am looking forward to working with our partners at GroupM and Dentsu bringing the SeenThis streaming technology to even more client teams who are seeking performance and sustainability across their video & high impact campaigns,” Lopes said.

Roberts said: “We are thrilled to welcome Tara and Michael to the team at such an exciting point in the company’s journey as we continue expanding the adoption and integration of our tech across new clients, partners and platforms.They both bring a huge amount of passion and determination to the team and our growing list of clients around the country.”

SeenThis’s adaptive streaming technology overcomes the limitations of traditional ad-serving methods, allowing programmatic ads to be streamed instead of downloaded. This ensures high quality video content that loads instantly on any device, regardless of connection speed, while also providing significant and immediate CO2 emission reductions, as streaming banners require significantly less data than typical HTML-5 display ads.

Source: SeenThis

Ragan’s Top Women in Marketing honors women who have pioneered impactful, creative campaigns and empowered underrepresented groups across the marketing landscape. This year’s Class of 2024 honorees have crafted groundbreaking initiatives, spearheaded high-performance strategies, and elevated diversity and inclusion within their organizations. These leaders are champions of industry progress, using advanced strategies and insights to engage audiences in new, meaningful ways.

Brisa Vicente has been recognized in the ‘Agency Leaders’ category. Her recognition as a Top Woman in Marketing comes as a result of her impactful role as co-CEO of SOKO. Brisa has been instrumental in driving SOKO’s mission to create organic, story-driven campaigns with the potential for viral, community-based sharing.  SOKO has a strong commitment to authentic storytelling and inclusive cultural representation, positioning brands to engage audiences with genuine impact. Vicente’s strategic vision and dedication to cultivating an inclusive culture have been essential in consolidating SOKO’s performance in the Brazilian market and beyond.

Soko’s work has been awarded and recognized by The One Show, Clio, Effie, El Ojo, Fast Company and Cannes Lions, winning Glass, Gold, Silver and Bronze Lions for Stella Artois, Heinz, Dove, Guarná Antarctica, Spotify and Netflix. It is one of the agencies with the best diversity representation in Brazil, being also awarded best workplace for LGBTs in the country by “Premio Cidadania em Respeito a Diversidade”, the most important recognition within the LGBT activism in Brazil. SCOPEN’s 2023 Agency Scope places Soko as Brazil’s number #1 agency in exemplarity and innovation and #2 in creativity.

This year’s honorees, including Brisa Vicente, will be recognized at a luncheon at City Winery in New York City on October 30th.

Source: Droga5