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Our teams are still reflecting on this year’s Dreamforce, which was a window into AI’s fully integrated future. As Code and Theory Chief Technology Officer Pradeep Chelpati recaps, Salesforce delivered a vision of the future where Data + CRM + AI empowers organizations to get more out of their customer flywheel, from start to finish. At the event, Salesforce unveiled Einstein 1 – an AI-powered platform that integrates multiple layers that comprise a successful customer-facing AI experience and makes them all accessible via a simple subscription model. Looking ahead, if 2023 was about the explosion of disparate generative and analytical AI tools, 2024 will be about convergence into fully scaled solutions. Read Code and Theory’s full recap here.
In this edition of The Well, catch Instrument’s Kara Place in conversation with Salesforce’s Marc Mathieu in the Stagwell Content Studio about how to make AI-focused organizations work. Also, explore NRG’s comprehensive playbook from developing your organization’s AI strategy, and learn more about Instrument’s hand in the execution of Dreamforce this year.
— Beth Sidhu, Chief Brand and Communications Officer
Salesforce’s Marc Mathieu on Making AI Organizations Work
Integrating AI into your business is about more than just acceptance; it’s about embracing AI as a tool rather than seeing it as a threat. Marc Mathieu, Co-Founder of Salesforce Web3 Studio, sat down with Kara Place, CEO of Instrument, to discuss the relationship between humans and AI — expectations for the future, opportunities and responsibilities. Stream the interview here.
Developing Your Agency’s AI Strategy 2023
As companies race to embrace AI, they must also tread carefully, balancing the competitive advantages that can be unlocked through this technology against growing consumer consciousness of its risks and dangers. A new report from Stagwell’s National Research Group, “The Accountable AI Playbook,” serves as an indispensable compass for business leaders across industries looking to future-proof their organizations through the power of AI. Download the report here.
Behind Instrument’s Work for Dreamforce
Instrument – a digital shop within the Stagwell network – has been a long-term partner of Salesforce for their annual conference, and this year, the team designed and developed the conference website, along with custom features for the mobile application that extend the magic of Dreamforce beyond the boundaries of the in-person event. Explore their work here and visit Instrument’s site to learn more about their approach to building connected brand experiences.
Stagwell Can Help You Lead on AI
When it comes to cutting through tech hype cycles to find long-term innovation, you want a partner with a track record of digital innovation and a healthy dose of skepticism. Reach out to Lauren Dean, VP, Strategic Growth, to connect with experts across Stagwell who are building the runway for the next 12-18 months of AI-powered digital transformation across global marketing organizations.
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PRophet will take center stage with a thought-provoking presentation by founder and CEO Aaron Kwittken and participation in the final keynote session.
PRophet to unveil new features and functions as a main showroom exhibitor (Booth 500).
NEW YORK and NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) Marketing Cloud’s (STGW) PRophet, the first and only generative and predictive AI SaaS platform built by and for PR professionals, today announced its forthcoming presence and thought-provoking sessions on comms tech and AI at Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) ICON 2023 conference on October 15-17 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.
As this year’s Titanium sponsor, PRophet will lead discussions on the future of AI in communications and educate PR professionals on the ways AI will empower them to be more strategic, creative, and productive.
“The PR industry is at a critical juncture as it considers how to utilize the wide range of comms tech and AI-powered tools at our fingertips. It is important that we come together and engage in meaningful conversations about the new role of comms tech in the landscape of communications,” said Aaron Kwittken, founder and CEO of PRophet and CEO of the Stagwell Marketing Cloud, Comms Tech Unit. “We are excited to partner again with PRSA for its premier industry event.”
“ICON annually brings together industry leaders, visionaries, and innovators from across the communications community, and it’s because of sponsors like PRophet that attendees are able to engage in meaningful conversations and extensive learning opportunities about the future of our profession,” said Linda Thomas Brooks, PRSA CEO. “PRophet’s commitment to PRSA and support of our annual conference highlights the value of forward-thinking strategic partnerships.”
Kwittken will lead a solo session titled, “Adapt or Get Lapped: The New Era of the Communications Engineer©,” on Monday, October 16 at 9am CT. The session will focus on the emerging need for a culture shift across the PR industry that intersects both art and science to stay ahead of the curve of an increasingly competitive and transactional news environment. Aaron will also share insights on how to adopt the innovative mindset, tech stack and workflow of a Communications Engineer© to future-proof the careers of PR professionals, agencies and brand teams alike.
Additionally, Kwittken will participate in the final keynote titled, “AI Keynote Salon,” on Tuesday, October 17 at 11am CT. The immersive panel discussion will feature discussions on the current state-of-the-art tools at the disposal of PR professionals, critical ethical considerations, and offer a glimpse into how AI will shape the future of PR. The panel will be moderated by PRSA CEO Linda Thomas Brooks and will feature additional esteemed panel members including Carmen San Segundo Gámez, Global Marketing & Communications Director of ESG and Corporate Social Responsibility at IBM, Cayce Myers, PhD, LLM, JD, APR, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Public Relations and Advertising Division, School of Communications at Virgina Tech, and Michelle Olson, APR, Managing Partner at Lambert.
PRophet will also have a large presence on the showroom floor where attendees will be able to connect with the executive team directly, receive first-hand demos of the platform and get a sneak peek into new features and functionality.
To learn more about how PRophet can make your communications team more performative, predictive, and productive, please visit us at Booth 500 booth from Sunday, October 15 to Tuesday, October 17.
If you’d like to get in touch with PRophet ahead of the event to schedule an onsite meeting or demo, please reach out to Ian Brand at Ian.Brand@prprophet.ai.
About PRophet
PRophet is the first-ever generative and predictive AI SaaS platform designed by and for the PR community. The platform uses AI to help modern PR professionals become more performative, productive and predictive by generating, analyzing and testing content that predicts earned media interest and sentiment. PRophet was founded in 2020 by PR and marketing industry thought leader and entrepreneur Aaron Kwittken and is part of the Stagwell Marketing Cloud, a suite of SaaS solutions that powers research, communications, and media activation for in-house marketers. To learn more, visit prprophet.ai.
About Stagwell Marketing Cloud
Stagwell Marketing Cloud (SMC) is a suite of data-driven SaaS solutions built for the modern in-house marketer. Born out of Stagwell’s (NASDAQ: STGW) network of award-winning marketing agencies, SMC’s technology empowers marketers to drive business impact by giving them intuitive tools equipped with proprietary, actionable data. SMC’s portfolio of solutions powers strategic customer research, communications, and media activation for brands worldwide by leveraging technology such as generative artificial intelligence, shared augmented reality, and more. Get your head in the cloud at www.stagwellmarketingcloud.com.
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KWT Global
abirmingham@kwtgloblal.com
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Platform to help advertisers reach the ‘can’t-miss’ audience of Election 2024 on a non-ideological site
NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW), the challenger network built to transform marketing, today announced it will partner with RealClearPolitics (RCP), an independent, non-partisan media company, to create an enhanced polling experience to understand the dynamics of the Presidential, Senate, House and statewide other races during the unprecedented 2024 election cycle. The new site experience will make RealClearPolitics’ renowned polling averages more dynamic and accessible, as well as provide advertisers with new ways to reach and connect with RCP’s millions of readers. Stagwell agencies Code and Theory, GALE and Multiview will lead the partnership.
“RCP is the trusted source for polling averages for tens of millions of Americans, Washington insiders and business leaders alike and the RCP Polling Average remains the most-cited electoral metric by major news outlets. We’re excited to tap into the wealth of expertise at Code and Theory, GALE, and Multiview to get our insights into the hands of voters, election enthusiasts and decision-makers, and to help advertisers tap into our highly influential readership,” said Tom Bevan, Co-Founder and Executive Editor, RCP.
“The presidential election is the ‘Super Bowl’ of the polling and news worlds, and RCP reaches a can’t-miss audience of tens of millions of poll-followers from all sides the political spectrum. This is a new tentpole experience for advertisers,” said Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO, Stagwell. “We are enthusiastic about partnering with the RCP team to design a world-class polling destination and to make it a place where marketers can reach its highly engaged audience and sponsor the prestigious RCP Polling Average, recognized worldwide.”
The new polling experience will include a variety of custom and programmatic advertising units as well as innovative email content opportunities. The partnership builds on Stagwell’s approach to developing specialty media solutions for brands via cutting-edge proprietary platforms that engage customers in creative new ways. Those include ARound, a game-changing AR experience for stadiums and live events; the Ink travel marketplace, for brands seeking unparalleled advertising access to 5+ million passengers each day; and now an energized political consumer experience for RCP.
Code and Theory, which will be responsible for the strategy, development and implementation of the new experience, has helped redefine the publishing landscape, working with nearly 200+ publishers including BBC, Bustle Media, CNN, and NBC News.
About RealClearPolitics
Since its founding in 2000, RealClearPolitics has become the most trusted non-partisan platform for political news. Washington insiders and interested outside-the-Beltway citizens alike rely on RCP as the authoritative source for reporting, commentary, and analysis on campaigns and elections, and they return for its presentation of all sides of pressing public policy issues coming to the fore in 2024.
About Stagwell
Stagwell is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.
Media Contact
Sarah Arvizo
pr@stagwellglobal.com
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The Stagwell (STGW) agency projects a record $12 billion in political ad spend in new report for political and commercial advertisers
NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Global media agency Assembly is projecting a record $12 billion in political advertising spend in the 2024 U.S. Election cycle, with $3B expected in the presidential campaign alone. The estimates come from Assembly’s 2024 Election Outlook report, released today by the agency’s industry-leading Politics and Advocacy Practice, which handles planning, activation, and strategy for some of the most high-profile candidates and independent expenditure groups in the country.
The report underscores the collision of commercial and political advertising in the 2024 cycle and offers leaders insights into how to prepare. Key takeaways include:
- $9 Billion Blitz: Advertising spend is projected to hit $9B in down-ballot races, commensurate with the 2022 U.S. midterms, but concentrated in fewer and fiercer statewide races for Senate, U.S. House, Governor, and other state/local races.
- Urban Battlegrounds: Consumers in Las Vegas, Reno, and Philadelphia will bear the brunt of the political advertising blitz, ranking among the “hottest” markets in Assembly’s predictions.
- Colliding Fronts: Competitive statewide and house elections will coincide with presidential swing states – meaning the effects of political advertising will be impossible to ignore in certain parts of the country. Nevada, Arizona, and Pennsylvania are the battlegrounds to watch.
“In 2024, consumers are voters and voters are consumers,” says Valerie Davis, North America CEO at Assembly. “In an unprecedented cycle, commercial advertisers will be unable to completely hide from politics and must be well-equipped to respond to the extraordinary amount of political spending and creative that will flood newsfeeds. This report is an excellent resource for politicians and commercial advertisers alike.”
The 2024 Election Outlook report was developed using Assembly’s proprietary predictive tool, the Assembly Market Intensity Index (AMII), to evaluate the level of political saturation in specific markets during the 2024 election cycle, resulting in insights-driven scores for each quarter. The report focuses on both state and federal spending in pivotal swing states such as Nevada, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, with analysis of Senate and House races across California and North Carolina.
Today, Assembly is the only agency that can deliver this capability, as no other media agency can combine the niche expertise of a boutique political firm with the reach and resources of a global omnichannel agency. Since the inception of Assembly’s Politics & Advocacy Practice in 2019, it has spent nearly $1 billion on behalf of candidates and issue groups around the country. Notably, in 2020, Assembly planned and activated the largest political media buy in history for the Mike Bloomberg for President Campaign.
The 2024 Election Outlook Report and video interviews are available for view and download at assemblyglobal.com/insights/2024-election-outlook-report.
ABOUT ASSEMBLY
Assembly is the modern global omnichannel media agency, bringing data, talent, and technology together to find the change that fuels growth for the best brands on the planet. Our approach connects big, bold brand stories with integrated, global media capabilities that deliver performance and drive large-scale business growth. Our work is powered by our proprietary, in-house technology solution, STAGE, and led by our global talent base of over 1,600 people around the world. We’re purpose-driven at our core and pioneers in social and environmental impact in the agency world. Assembly is a proud member of Stagwell, the challenger network built to transform marketing. For more information, visit assemblyglobal.com.
Press Contact:
Jess Santini
jess.santini@assemblyglobal.com
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The Society of Presidential Pollsters Founder, Mark Penn, Will Discuss “American Government in the 21st Century” Annual Poll Results
WASHINGTON and NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the GW Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) Society of Presidential Pollsters Founder Mark Penn, in conversation with Christopher Arterton, professor emeritus and founding dean of the GW Graduate School of Political Management, will reveal the results of the latest “American Government in the 21st Century” annual survey, which takes the pulse of the American people on a wide range of issues related to how elected officials and public institutions are serving them. The complete survey results can be found here.
“Trust in major government institutions is declining again because polarization and partisanship are dominating the discussion,” said Penn. “Politicians are intentionally stoking the distrust, but if our institutions can’t support each other they will all suffer the consequences together.”
Trust in presidency, Supreme Court and Congress declines after several years of stagnation
- Voters increasingly believe these institutions are not functioning properly: 68% say Congress is not working (up 9 points), 59% say the same of the presidency (up 9), and 49% say so about the Supreme Court (up 6).
- Voters believe these institutions are becoming increasingly politicized: Majorities say the presidency is becoming more politicized (67%, up 7 from last year), as well as Congress (66%, up 5) and the Supreme Court (55%, up 4).
Concerns about presidential authority grow
- 55% of voters say executive orders are increasingly being abused.
- Although most voters still say the presidency should have the same amount of power, 29% now think it should have less power, up 5 points from last year.
Voters remain passionate about free speech
- 92% of voters think the country should have freedom of speech.
- 85% of voters, up 5 points from last year, say we need to strengthen First Amendment freedoms rather than limit more areas of speech.
Bipartisanship breakdown is intensifying but voters still want it
- 81% of voters say the bipartisan system of governing is broken, back up to pandemic levels after two years of improvement.
- 72% of voters say bipartisan support is necessary for major policy change.
The event will be held from noon -1:30 PM EDT today in the City View Room. If you would like to attend, please RSVP here.
The George Washington University established the Society of Presidential Pollsters in 2010. The Society acts as a membership organization for the select group of people who have served as public opinion advisors to the President of the United States. The Society aims to collect and preserve records of the polling conducted on behalf of the White House over the last eight decades.
HarrisX, on behalf of the Society of Presidential Pollsters, conducted the survey online between Sept. 8 – 11, 2023 among 2,001 registered voters who were randomly recruited to participate in it. Results were weighted for age within gender, region, race or ethnicity, income, education, political party, and political ideology where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population. The margin for error was +/- 2.2%.
About Stagwell
Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.
About HarrisX
HarrisX is a technology-driven market research and data analytics company that conducts multi-method research in the U.S. and over 40 countries around the world on behalf of Fortune 100 companies, public policy institutions, global leaders, NGOs and philanthropic organizations. HarrisX was the most accurate pollster of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Media Contact
Sarah Arvizo
pr@stagwellglobal.com
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VOTERS SPLIT DOWN PARTY LINES ON BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
NEW YORK and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) today released the results of the September Harvard CAPS / Harris Poll, a monthly collaboration between the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard (CAPS) and the Harris Poll and HarrisX.
President Joe Biden’s approval rating remains at 42% after a new impeachment inquiry, which 53% of voters split along party lines support. The poll also covers the 2024 horse race and public opinion on issues such as illegal immigration and parental rights. Download key results here.
“After a quiet summer, the electorate remains unhappy on the economy and a slew of other issues,” said Mark Penn, Co-Director of the Harvard CAPS / Harris Poll and Stagwell Chairman and CEO. “Since voters have hardened views on Biden and Trump, the primaries have not gotten competitive yet either.”
INFLATION FRUSTRATIONS REMAIN
- Voters continue to say inflation is the most important issue facing the country (33%), as well as the most important issue to them personally (39%).
- 64% say Bidenomics is not working.
- 75% of voters, including over 70% from each party, think the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates enough.
VOTERS SPLIT ON BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
- 53% of voters support the impeachment inquiry into Biden, with 51% of Independents against.
- 57% say Biden helped Hunter get influence peddling contracts and 60% think Biden has made false or misleading statements about Hunter’s business dealings.
- The country is split 50-50 on whether Biden’s impeachment inquiry is politically motivated or raises legitimate legal questions; voters are split 50-50 on the same question regarding Donald Trump’s prosecutions.
TRUMP CONSOLIDATES SUPPORT AND LEADS BIDEN IN HEAD-TO-HEAD
- Trump increased his lead among Republican voters to 57%, while Ron DeSantis continues falling to a distant second with 10%.
- In head-to-head presidential matchups, Biden loses to Trump by 5, Nikki Haley by 4, and Tim Scott by 2; he defeats Mike Pence by 6, Ron DeSantis by 4, and Vivek Ramaswamy by 2.
AMERICANS FIND AGREEMENT ON IMMIGRATION AND PARENTAL RIGHTS
- 71% of voters, including 53% of Democrats, think illegal immigration to the U.S. is getting worse.
- 87% of voters, including over 80% of each party, agree parents have a right to know if their children want to transition their gender.
- There is still goodwill towards teachers: 60% of voters, including 59% of Independents, say teachers are mostly trying to help kids get a better education, not push an ideology onto them.
The September Harvard CAPS / Harris Poll survey was conducted online within the United States from September 12-14, 2023, among 2,103 registered voters by The Harris Poll and HarrisX. Follow the Harvard CAPS Harris Poll podcast at https://www.markpennpolls.com/ or on iHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
About The Harris Poll & HarrisX
The Harris Poll is a global consulting and market research firm that strives to reveal the authentic values of modern society to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. It works with clients in three primary areas: building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. One of the longest-running surveys in the U.S., The Harris Poll has tracked public opinion, motivations, and social sentiment since 1963, and is now part of Stagwell, the challenger holding company built to transform marketing.
HarrisX is a technology-driven market research and data analytics company that conducts multi-method research in the U.S. and over 40 countries around the world on behalf of Fortune 100 companies, public policy institutions, global leaders, NGOs and philanthropic organizations. HarrisX was the most accurate pollster of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
About the Harvard Center for American Political Studies
The Center for American Political Studies (CAPS) is committed to and fosters the interdisciplinary study of U.S. politics. Governed by a group of political scientists, sociologists, historians, and economists within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, CAPS drives discussion, research, public outreach, and pedagogy about all aspects of U.S. politics. CAPS encourages cutting-edge research using a variety of methodologies, including historical analysis, social surveys, and formal mathematical modeling, and it often cooperates with other Harvard centers to support research training and encourage cross-national research about the United States in comparative and global contexts. More information at https://caps.gov.harvard.edu/.
CONTACT:
Sarah Arvizo
pr@stagwellglobal.com
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By: Ray Day
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We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from Stagwell. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking (fielded Sep. 8-10):
WEEKLY WORRIES ABOUT ECONOMY EDGE UP
Today, 89% of Americans are concerned about the economy and inflation – up 3 points from last week and higher than December’s 82% rate.
- 79% worry about a potential U.S. recession (up 2 points)
- 74% about affording living expenses (no change)
- 74% about political divisiveness (up 1 point)
- 87% about U.S. crime rates (up 6 points)
- 67% about the war on Ukraine (no change)
- 59% about a new COVID-19 variant (up 1 point)
- 53% about losing their jobs (up 1 point)
ONLY 1 IN 4 TRULY UNDERSTAND AI TODAY
As AI continues through the innovation curve toward mass adoption, consumers are becoming “AI realists” – seeing it as a powerful and potentially groundbreaking technology that could have significant positive applications in their personal and professional lives. Yet serious potential for willful or accidental misuse worries people everywhere. Stagwell’s National Research Group has developed “The Accountable AI Playbook” for developing and communicating any organization’s AI strategy.
- 23% today say they have an “excellent” understanding of AI, 35% admit to knowledge gaps, 33% don’t know much at all, and 9% don’t know anything about AI or have never heard of it.
- Gen Z has the greatest understanding (37% say they have an “excellent” understanding of AI), followed by Millennials (31%), Gen X (15%) and Boomers (7%).
- 59% say AI can be a useful tool for society but only if used carefully and responsibly.
- Only 18% of consumers want corporations to swear off AI entirely, while even fewer (15%) believe companies should embrace this technology wholeheartedly and without reservation.
- 41% believe that the increased adoption of AI by businesses and governments will have a positive impact on society, while 27% think it will be a net negative.
- Trusted AI remains a key barrier for broader adoption. Today, 36% always or usually trust information from AI chatbots. That compares with 65% who trust academic papers, 62% who trust search engines, 53% documentaries and 51% government web sites.
- The workplace has work to do with regard to AI. Half of those surveyed (50%) say their employers has not yet issued official guidance or policy documents on the use of AI in the workplace. Also, 56% say their employer has not issued any training sessions on the topic of AI.
‘TIS THE SEASON FOR HOLIDAY FORECASTS
The 2023 holiday shopping season will continue last year’s modest growth rate, and consumers will have discretionary income. Yet value will remain top of mind, as consumers rebound from peak inflation. Among the insights from Stagwell’s Assembly 2023 holiday forecast:
- 4.5% projected year-over-year growth – 11.9% growth for e-commerce and a modest 2.8% for brick-and-mortar locations.
- October Prime Day and competing retailer promotions will be the first industry-wide tentpole moments that trigger holiday spending, followed by a lull until “Cyber 5” in November.
- Consumers’ attitude toward value is more important than ever, and they are limiting splurges and prioritizing experiences. In fact, 48% of holiday shoppers are planning to spend time extracting maximum value for their gifts, 48% are worried about making a larger purchase, and 63% say they are more likely to value spending time with others versus receiving a physical gift.
- Purchase intent is down for a wide range of categories typically bought during the holidays – especially apparel, travel and furniture/home decor.
- If last year’s trend continues, Giving Tuesday will be less about giving on the day itself and more about a longer-tail season – aligned with earlier retail pushes.
COLLEGE SPORTS REALIGNMENT NOT A FAN ISSUE, YET
When it comes to college sports, the latest conference realignment hollowing out the Pac-12 is okay with most fans but generating long-term fears, according to our Harris Poll survey with Sportico.
- 55% of U.S. adults familiar with the conference realignment do not feel it has affected their enjoyment of college sports.
- 18% say the realignment has reduced their enjoyment of college sports.
- 60% say that college sports would be better off if the wealthier and more powerful conferences were spun off from the NCAA.
- At the same time, 68% who follow college sports believe that conference realignment is a long-term “problem” for college sports.
- Americans are more concerned with the lack of equal opportunities for female athletes (71%) and lack of a uniform name, image and likeness (NIL) policy (70%).
ICYMI
In case you missed it, check out some of the thought-leadership and happenings around Stagwell making news:
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Strong leadership has propelled the agency to awards from the healthcare industry’s leading publications
NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — PM360, a publication for marketing decision makers in the pharmaceutical, biotech, diagnostics, and medical device industries, has bestowed ConcentricLife leadership with prestigious honors: naming co-founders Ken Begasse and Michael Sanzen to the publication’s Elite 100 in the Entrepreneurs category, and Ken Begasse as a finalist for Advertising Agency CEO of the Year.
Ken and Michael have been partners for 30+ years and launched the industry’s most iconic brands before ultimately launching their own agency before they turned 30. ConcentricLife was created around one central human truth: At the heart of every personal experience is a health experience. That truth has resulted in groundbreaking work and industry-wide recognition with awards including “Launch of the Year” three times, most recently for Wegovy, and nine Agency of the Year awards in the agency’s 21-year history.
The last 12 months have represented the very best of Ken’s leadership as CEO, as he brought teams together under the platform of ConcentricLife—a transformative agency model designed to create brands that thrive at the very center of the human experience in health and wellness. He has overseen the cultural and operational reorganization of 290 individuals and processes to incorporate legacy best practices, and build new and improved ways of working while growing the platform into new services and offerings.
This year, ConcentricLife was ranked #30 in the MM+M Agency 100, considered the industry’s definitive guide to the top agencies in the health landscape. Since the list began over a decade ago, ConcentricLife has consistently been named as one of the pre-eminent leaders in the space.
“It’s an incredible honor to be in such rare company amongst some of our industry’s great minds,” says Ken Begasse. “I continue to unwaveringly believe in the team we’ve assembled at ConcentricLife – both our talent and our clients. Every day I work with the best of the best and am humbled to have their trust as their leader. There’s no stopping what we can accomplish, and we will continue to be on the forefront of agency offerings.”
“Ken instills the values of partnership and entrepreneurship in every ConcentricLife team member,” reports long-time employee Kristin McAteer, Managing Director of Client Solutions. “He is the biggest advocate not just for our client’s business, but also for our talent; and has created the kind of culture that allows each and every one of us to truly make an impact.”
ConcentricLife partners with a diverse range of clients across the healthcare landscape from rare disease to wellness, deeply entrenched in brands that put the human health experience at the center of life.
Since 2009, the PM360 Trailblazer Awards have recognized outstanding achievement and innovation in healthcare marketing. The CEO of the Year Award was established to honor CEOs in the industry for their ability to thrive in all aspects of leadership, from establishing a company culture where individuals feel safe, respected, valued, and motivated to displaying a unique vision for their company that resulted in exceptional success to earning respect from industry colleagues due to their morals, reputation, and character.
PM360‘s ELITE 100 lists the most influential people and teams in the healthcare and life sciences industries based on their career accomplishments. Ultimately, the ELITE 100 represent a group of individuals and marketing teams who have made a significant impact on the healthcare industry throughout their careers or show great promise as future leaders based on what they have achieved so far.
The MM+M Agency 100 is an annual ranking that celebrates the top healthcare marketing firms in North America. Medical Marketing + Media, the media brand of record for pharmaceutical marketing and commercialization, profiles the top performing agencies based on North American revenue and offers valuable insights into the evolving dynamics of the agency world.
About ConcentricLife
ConcentricLife is an agency built to answer the rising customer demand on the health marketer. ConcentricLife spans three distinct specialist practices that bring over 20 years of deep subject matter expertise in rare disease, healthcare, and wellness, with sophisticated marketing capabilities spanning the organization. We put Health at the Center through our proprietary Human Connection Score™ designed to build optimal brand experiences at any stage of the health journey. For more information, visit www.concentric.life.
About Stagwell
Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.
CONTACT:
Sarah Arvizo
pr@stagwellglobal.com
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On the Main Stage and on the beaches at Cannes, BECA (Black Executive CMO Alliance) Future Leaders were out in force. BECA seeks to transform the future of marketing by investing in promising Black marketing talent, providing them with the keys to success for achieving and excelling in the C-Suite. This summer, Stagwell teamed up with BECA to spotlight its Future Leaders at Cannes and Stagwell’s flagship venue, SPORT BEACH – surfacing their brilliant ideas for marketing and technology innovations that can propel the marketing space into a new era of inclusion. Tune into our interviews from the Stagwell Content Studio below.
— Beth Sidhu, Chief Brand and Communications Officer
Seeding Tomorrow’s Success
“There are $300 billion dollars of unmet demand for Black consumers in the U.S. market alone,” says Freddie Williams, BECA Future Leader and Johnson & Johnson Senior Manager, Innovation. Learn more about Amplify, an AI tool, created by Williams alongside Kara Smith, Brianna Boles-Marshall, and Cleyana Mayweather, which empowers brands to see the positive outcomes of investing in Black creators here.
It’s Time to Give Everyone a Seat
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the biggest transformation to hit marketing in years – but it’ll take human steering to ensure it shapes an equitable future for all. BECA Future Leaders Tiffany Daniel, Amanda Mitchell, and Jared Johnson have created a human-driven AI solution, Onyx, that enhances and amplifies Black talent. Watch the interview with Jerri DeVard, BECA Founder to learn more about their team efforts toward bringing diversity to the decision-making table.
Success is a Dish Best Shared
“I think it is very important for leaders to be aware that they need to lift as they climb,” says Freddie Williams, BECA Future Leader and Senior Manager for Innovation at Johnson & Johnson. Williams joined us at SPORT BEACH to discuss how leaders can drive change and promote diversity, equity and inclusion within their organizations and the industry at large. Tune in here.
Get Your Head in the Game
Missed Sport Beach this year? Luckily for those who didn’t attend, coverage of main stage panels and more than 140 Content Studio interviews are available on Stagwell’s YouTube channel, with more great content on Instagram and LinkedIn. Interested in working with us? Reach out to Ryan Linder, Global Chief Marketing Officer, or Robyn Freye, Chief Growth Officer, North America.
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Ivy Liu
Assembly has strung together a series of client wins over the last six months, including luggage maker Vera Bradley, Brooks running shoes and financial services firm T Rowe Price. Going back 18 months, the agency also picked up wins for Lenovo and hair care brand Amika.
Those wins are the fruit of the holding company’s pivot to consultation as a driving force in pitches.
Over the course of the last two years, Stagwell’s traditional-heavy media agency Assembly has refitted itself to offer more digitally focused tools and services for its clients, leaning into the strengths of some of its sibling agencies within the Brand Performance Network (which was renamed from Media Network when creative, performance and commerce shops were folded into the group). That transformation, which Stagwell’s CEO Mark Penn talks about all the time on the holding company’s quarterly earnings calls, seems to have paid off for the 1,600 people that work there. And the clients wins, smaller though they are, chip into the $5 billion in media billings that the Group brings to the marketplace.
Under the global leadership of James Townsend, who helped architect the group of agencies that now make up the Brand Performance Network, Assembly also made some management changes, notably moving Valerie Davis up to CEO of North America, and putting new CEOs in charge of APAC, MENA and Europe. (Interestingly, there’s no current CEO in Latin America — an area in which Townsend has high hopes for future global growth.) He also hired Shannon Pruitt, a veteran of the agency and content worlds, to lead all sustainability and diversity efforts. And Townsend tapped Rick Acampora as global COO to help lead global expansion efforts.
Townsend cited Assembly’s expansion into consultative territory as a key element to some of its recent wins — the clients that have landed their business there are looking to transform their businesses for various reasons.
“The Assembly proposition is to find the change that fuels growth, so inherent in that proposition is the idea of being progressive, that nothing is fixed,” said Townsend. “Many of the clients that we’re attracting are clients that are going through a process of change management and transformation.”
That could include increasing the digitization of their business, or overhauling their data and measurement needs, or using technology in a new way to be more accurate, more scaled or just faster. “I think we we’ve done a good job of characterizing ourselves, and building and designing a business, that can help with those agendas,” Townsend said.
Townsend said Assembly competes just as much with consultancies as with holding companies and independents when trying to land new business. “The holding companies have all the tools but not necessarily the ability to coordinate because of their competitive business models, and the consultancies might have all the answers but can’t activate,” he said. “And we’re in the middle of that dynamic. We admire many things about both of those groups of competitors, but we see an opportunity to be the modern alternative.”
Clients certainly voiced their approval for Assembly’s efforts. (It should be noted that often clients are reluctant to speak on their agencies’ behalf — and the line of clients willing to advocate for their media agency says something about what Assembly has put together.)
At Lenovo, which worked to reframe its global media strategy, Gerald Youngblood, the computer firm’s North American CMO, said “Assembly understood our vision and demonstrated the capabilities and commitment to collaborate with us in our strategy. We see Assembly and our agencies as not only marketing partners, but also strategic business partners who can help us fulfill our customer/audience-first and digital-first ambition.”
Youngblood said the agency helped to connect the dots between brand and demand, creating a strategic media plan for tablets that allowed the brand to introduce new consumers to the Lenovo tablet line with upper funnel media, while also bringing customers down the funnel to convert to a purchase, a campaign that led to “significant growth for a key product line during the holidays.” (Youngblood declined to say how much growth the brand got).
Assembly also developed a a live media performance dashboard for Lenovo, that empowered. marketing managers to quickly review campaign performance, with more granular filters and segments. “Having these real-time media performance insights allows us to quickly answer business questions, stay informed on our campaigns and move swiftly as an organization,” Youngblood added.
At client Brooks, Ryan Ngo, the brand’s North American marketing and e-commerce vp, said Assembly offered up a vision for growth — but the blocking and tackling of a good media agency of media planning, buying and execution clinched the win. “The agency’s fresh ideas grounded in real data and insights and the care and transparency in their process make us confident that with their partnership, we’ll continue to drive the transformative power of the run and meet our business goals,” he said.
Even smaller brands that have given the agency their business feel they’re getting the attention they need. Courtney Curtis, digital marketing director, at Amika, said that Assembly’s connections into media partners, strong reporting capabilities, and experience with luxury beauty clients “ultimately won us over … Our advertising efforts not only exceed benchmarks; they’ve paved the way for other beauty brands.” Curtis pointed to TikTok featuring Amika twice in two years for best-in-class case studies, including one following the brand’s first-ever ad campaign on the platform in March 2022.
“Recognition from our partners, peers, and competitors is a testament to the excellent work we are doing together,” said Curtis.
Finally, Tyra Neal, CMO of ticket re-seller Vivid Seats, said she worked with Assembly on a segmentation solution that leveraged first-party data, aimed at driving incremental revenue, which she said was successful (again, declining to share actual growth figures). “They demonstrated that they are experts in leveraging data to drive business results,” said Neal.
SOURCE Digiday
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