Why Some Companies Grow Rapidly While Others Stall
A global survey of over 500 senior revenue leaders shows that while 72 % of companies grew year‑over‑year, only 29 % achieved rapid, double‑digit growth. Smaller firms outperformed larger ones, but the key differentiator is functional alignment across marketing, sales, product and commercial teams. Companies with cross‑functional leadership meetings, shared KPIs and strong CEO‑executive partnerships are more than twice as likely to hit rapid‑growth targets. Centralizing revenue responsibility under a single growth owner and building integrated Centers of Excellence further accelerate performance.
How Build-A-Bear’s Sharon Price John Made the CMO to CEO Jump Flawlessly
Sharon Price John, former CMO, has become President and CEO of Build‑A‑Bear, steering the 30‑year‑old retailer into an IP‑driven, multi‑vertical business. Under her leadership, digital commerce now accounts for 40% of sales and the brand is expanding globally. In a...
The End of ‘Good Enough’ Data: Advertising’s Shift Toward Defensible Performance
The advertising industry is moving away from a "good enough" data mindset toward defensible performance, where outcomes must be explainable and resilient. Accountability now begins with identity verification, not downstream reporting, as identity decay and fraudulent signals erode model reliability....
Beyond Influencers: How Multicultural Creators Are Shaping the Future of PR
The article argues that the creator economy is moving PR beyond generic influencers toward multicultural creators who bring authentic cultural insight. These creators act as strategic partners, not merely message amplifiers, and their influence is measured by deep community engagement...
Aurasell Launches AI-Native OS for GTM Workflows
Aurasell announced the launch of the world’s first AI‑native Go‑To‑Market Operating System (GTM OS) that layers intelligent, automated workflows onto any existing CRM such as Salesforce or HubSpot. The platform promises to double productivity and deliver measurable impact within two...
EQ Dry & Teads Redefine Diaper Marketing with a Campaign That Wins Hearts & Attention
EQ Dry partnered with global media platform Teads and agency UM to launch an omnichannel, attention‑driven campaign for its diaper line. The initiative leveraged Teads’ contextual targeting, inRead video and connected TV formats to reach parents across mobile and big‑screen...
Jon Nash & Danny Moggs Join UK Ad Tech Firm 59A to Drive North American Expansion
UK ad‑tech firm 59A announced the appointment of Jon Nash as US CEO and Danny Moggs as SVP of Sales to spearhead its North American launch from a new Venice Beach hub. Nash, a longtime collaborator with founder Adam Ray, will...
“AI Didn’t Create the Cracks in the System, It Exposed Them”: Q&A with Oz Etzioni, Clinch
In a Q&A with Clinch CEO Oz Etzioni, the interview highlights how AI has exposed deep fractures in traditional advertising workflows built on siloed point solutions. The surge in creative permutations and real‑time media demands has turned these fragmented systems...
JWI Promotes Adele Baxter to Managing Director, Signalling New Phase of Growth
JWI, the Dubai‑based independent creative agency, has promoted longtime client services leader Adele Baxter to Managing Director as founder Charli Wright steps into the CEO role. Baxter, with nine years of regional experience, will now steer operational strategy and deepen...
Movers & Shakers: Uncommon, Adam & Eve\TBWA, BBC Creative, Dentsu, YouGov and More
Campaign’s weekly "Movers & Shakers" roundup spotlights senior hires, exits and promotions across the UK advertising and media landscape, featuring notable moves at Uncommon, Adam & Eve, TBWA, BBC Creative, Dentsu and YouGov. The piece serves as a snapshot of...
Walmart’s Ad Business Grew 46% in 2025, Hitting Nearly $6.4B
Walmart’s advertising arm surged 46% in 2025, generating nearly $6.4 billion, while the broader company posted $713.2 billion in revenue. Walmart Connect alone grew 41% in Q4, and the Vizio acquisition added high‑minimum‑price inventory. AI chatbot Sparky, now tested with ads, drives...
TBWA Alum Launch AI-Native Shop with Hitachi as Founding Client
Two former Omnicom executives, James Sparano and Kevin O’Sullivan, are launching JK, an AI‑native creative and strategy shop that promises to shrink traditional planning cycles from months to days. The boutique is self‑funded and begins operations on Feb. 19. Hitachi has...
Majority Of PR Agency Leaders Forecast Growth After Torrid 2025 – CPRA Survey
PR and communications agency leaders are optimistic about 2026 after a challenging 2025. The CPRA survey of 56 agency heads shows 70% expect revenue growth, with 62% targeting more than a 5% lift, and 74% anticipate profitability gains, 58% above...
L’Oréal's Ankit Porwal Moves to India-Based Marico to Drive Digital Beauty Ambitions
L’Oréal regional leader Ankit Porwal has left the French beauty giant to become Marico’s CEO of beauty, styling and digital business. Porwal brings more than 13 years of e‑commerce, innovation and marketing transformation experience across Southeast Asia, the Middle East and India....
Keiran Beasley To Depart SBS After 13 Years
Keiran Beasley is leaving SBS Australia after a 13‑year stint as national manager of digital and TV sales. He joined in 2012 to lead the 2014 FIFA World Cup sales and later oversaw the 2018 tournament, the SBS Annual Upfronts...
Big Food Pours Millions Into Rebrands as Obesity Drugs Reshape US Demand
US food and beverage giants are accelerating rebranding and product reformulation as GLP‑1 obesity drugs reshape consumer demand. Appetite‑suppressing medications are projected to erase up to $12 billion in snack sales over the next decade, prompting companies like PepsiCo, Coca‑Cola and...
How Clarins Reached 70% Conversion and Doubled Its Basket Size in Brick-and-Mortar Test of Shade-Matching Tech
Clarins piloted its AI Shade Finder in 20 French and UK stores, using an iPhone‑based spectroscopic tool to match foundation shades. The trial lifted conversion to 70% and doubled average basket size, while boosting associate confidence and prompting cross‑selling of...
‘Comment Sections Are Not Customers’: American Eagle Brings Back Sydney Sweeney Amid Celebrity Push
American Eagle has revived its partnership with actress Sydney Sweeney, featuring her in a NYSE bell‑ringing appearance after the controversial “good genes” denim campaign sparked backlash over perceived racial undertones. The retailer defended the ad, hired a crisis‑comms firm, and...
The Olympics’ Beauty Moments, Plus CEO Catherine D’Aragon on First Aid Beauty’s Partnership with Team USA
First Aid Beauty announced its first brand redesign in nearly two decades, aligning the launch with the 2026 Winter Olympics. The company secured the role of official skin‑care partner for Team USA, gifting products to every athlete. CEO Catherine D’Aragon...
Roy Morgan Survey Reveals 2.5M Young Aussies Watch YouTube
Roy Morgan’s Young Australian Survey finds that 2.5 million children aged 6‑13 – roughly 89 percent of the cohort – regularly watch YouTube. Gaming and animation dominate the platform, with 1.33 million viewers for gaming and 930,000 for animation. Boys drive gaming and sports...
‘Low Hanging Fruit’: Why Regional Audio Is Australia’s Biggest Opportunity For Brand Growth
Commercial Radio & Audio’s CEO Lizzie Young urged advertisers to tap Australia’s regional audio market, citing research that shows a 33% lift in campaign effectiveness. The analysis of the Advertising Council Australia database reveals that regional listeners—9.9 million people, 37% of...
Nib Appoints Soccer Star Mary Fowler As Chief Health & Wellbeing Officer
Nib Group has appointed Australian soccer star Mary Fowler as its chief health and wellbeing officer, underscoring the insurer's push for health literacy, inclusion and female representation. Fowler will leverage her athletic platform to inspire Australians to prioritize wellness and...
Mark Ritson Urges Marketers To Drink Less Digital Kool Aid And Invest 11% In ‘Unsexy’ Radio To Win
Marketing professor Mark Ritson is urging brands to allocate at least 11 percent of their media budgets to radio and audio, citing research that links this spend level to markedly higher campaign effectiveness. The analysis of over 600 Effie‑winning campaigns from...
LenDenClub Campaign Targets Younger Investors with Relatable Money Moments
LenDenClub, the Indian peer‑to‑peer lending platform, launched the "Bring Swag to Your Portfolio" campaign featuring four short digital films starring actor Suchit Vikram Singh as "Mr. Swag." The humor‑driven videos showcase disciplined lending and steady earnings as a way to...
Q4: Omnicom’s IPG Merger Is An AI Test Case
Omnicom reported Q4 results after closing its $13.5 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group, positioning AI as the chief growth driver for the merged firm. The company highlighted its Omni platform, now integrated with Acxiom’s Real ID and Flywheel’s Commerce Cloud, to...
Q4: Omnicom’s IPG Merger Is An AI Test Case
Omnicom reported its first earnings after completing the $13.5 billion acquisition of IPG, positioning AI as the core growth engine for the combined firm. The company highlighted its Omni platform, now linked with Acxiom’s Real ID and Flywheel’s Commerce Cloud, to...
Adland’s Top Strategists on AI, Tools & the Strategic Human Advantage
South Africa’s top ad strategists warn that while AI can accelerate data collection and pattern detection, the true strategic advantage remains human deep thinking and cultural insight. Leaders such as Pepe Marais and Neo Makhele stress that only a small minority who...
#ClicksnTricks: The 3′ Banana & the Great Content Credibility Collapse
The article warns that AI‑driven content saturation and the rise of fabricated experts are eroding trust in both media and brand communications. Over 50 non‑existent "experts" have been quoted in UK outlets, illustrating how cheap synthetic voices infiltrate reputable sources....
#TheMarkAwards 2026: New Partnering for Growth Award
The Mark Awards 2026 has launched a standalone Partnering for Growth Award to spotlight client‑agency collaborations that generate sustained business growth. Independent Agency Search & Selection (IAS) will sponsor the award, with CEO Johanna McDowell emphasizing its alignment with IAS’s focus on...
#ThisWeek on MarkLives MEDIA: Conscious Uncoupling — Media Inhousing • #NextWeek: How Saffers Eat
Brands are increasingly pulling media strategy and buying in‑house, a trend dubbed “conscious uncoupling.” Executives cite greater accountability, faster decision‑making, and tighter budget control as primary drivers. Agencies are no longer full‑service partners but are retained for niche expertise, audits,...
#OnTheRadar: Rapt Restructures in Wake of Account Loss
Rapt Group ended its three‑year partnership with Signal Hill Products, losing roughly R60 million of its R200 million turnover and prompting a restructuring that trims 19 roles across media, strategy, creative and activations. CEO Garreth van Vuuren is moving into an operational, margin‑focused...
If You’re Not Tracking These 10 PR KPIs in 2026, You’re Already Behind
The article outlines ten essential PR KPIs that have evolved for 2026, integrating AI-driven metrics such as Share of Search Influence and Emotion‑Weighted Sentiment. Traditional measures like Share of Voice remain core, but new dimensions assess message semantics, outlet authority,...
PepsiCo’s First Creator-Led Product Launch Reimagines Chips for Gen Z
PepsiCo Foods unveiled its first creator‑led "Flavor Swap" snack line, teaming influencers Madison Beer, iShowSpeed and Dude Perfect with new chip‑flavor mash‑ups. The products launched exclusively on TikTok Shop with a nationwide rollout slated for March, aligning the launch with...
Ebay to Acquire Depop Resale Fashion Marketplace for $1.2 Billion
eBay agreed to buy Depop from Etsy for $1.2 billion in cash, with the deal slated to close in Q2 2026. Depop, a social‑centric C2C fashion marketplace, will keep its brand and culture after the acquisition. The purchase follows Etsy’s 2021 $1.6 billion...
The Rise of the Experience Brand Marketer
Experience brand marketers focus on selling feelings, memories and milestones rather than tangible products. Leaders like Sydney Zoo and Luna Park use hyper‑personalisation to create multigenerational connections. Content becomes the primary vehicle for repositioning, seasonality, endorsements and relationship building. This...
It’s “Grow-Time” For Omnicom Group And Its Customers
The episode examines Omnicom Group’s post‑IPG acquisition landscape, highlighting its expanded scale, lingering operational hurdles, and the strategic opportunities it presents for CMOs. It outlines three growth levers: leveraging Omnicom’s AI investments to offset martech costs, revitalizing creative output through...
Reddit Shares Insight Into Rising World Cup Discussion
Reddit reports that World Cup chatter has already generated over 77 million U.S. views of the term “FIFA World Cup,” with conversation tripling compared to last year. The platform ranks as the fifth‑most‑googled term in the United States and the top‑cited...
Beyond Just Do It with Linda Cereda
Former Nike Global VP of Marketing Data, Linda Cereda, explains how the brand built a scalable marketing data engine by prioritizing operating model over technology. She details the SNKRS app’s scarcity‑driven launch, the use of zero‑party data to slash forecasting...
Omnicom Swings to $941M Q4 Loss After Closing IPG Deal
Omnicom reported a $941.1 million GAAP loss for Q4 2025, the first quarter after completing its $15 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group. Revenue surged 27.9% year‑over‑year to $5.5 billion, and adjusted EBITA reached $928.9 million with a 16.8% margin. The company doubled its cost‑synergy goal...
Ikea to Open 10 US Stores This Year
Ikea U.S. announced plans to open ten new stores across the United States in 2026, including its first city‑center location in Los Angeles and its inaugural store in Oklahoma. The expansion follows a FY2025 sales decline of 4.3% to $5.3 billion...
Debunking 10 Common Social Media Myths
Let's talk Social Media's biggest myths: 1. Is Shadowbanning real? 2. Is your phone's mic listening? 3. Do editing happs hurt reach? 4. Do hashtags grow your account? 5. Does scheduling content hurt? 6. Are Brand Partnerships throttled? 7. Do you have to post every day? 8. Does...
How Wingstop Plans to Weather Traffic Slides and Winter Storms
Wingstop reported a 5.8% decline in domestic same‑store sales for Q4 2025, while overall system sales rose 9% thanks to 493 new restaurants. The chain is rolling out Club Wingstop, a loyalty program that lifted guest frequency by 7% in...
Williams-Sonoma to Test Ads in ChatGPT
Williams‑Sonoma has joined OpenAI’s ad pilot, becoming one of the first retailers to test sponsored placements inside ChatGPT. The experiment will surface high‑end home‑goods ads to free and Go users as they ask product‑related questions, while paid subscribers remain ad‑free....
Don’t Run From Scary Times. Here’s How AI Helps You Prioritize What Really Counts
Amid economic uncertainty, the article urges businesses to double down on core strengths and customer relationships, using AI as a strategic ally. It highlights how AI can surface top‑performing products, personalize marketing, and provide real‑time data to guide decisions. By...
Hashtag Orange Promotes Gaurang Menon to Managing Partner & Creative Head – West
Hashtag Orange, a fast‑growing Indian advertising agency, announced the promotion of Gaurang Menon to Managing Partner and Creative Head for its West operations. The move elevates Menon, who has driven award‑winning campaigns for major brands, to oversee both business development...
Buyer Enablement Must Be Core, Not Afterthought
When I surveyed last week how marketing teams define their focus in support of sales, here’s how it broke down: • Brand and awareness primarily — 3% • Brand + pipeline generation — 32% • Those + lead-to-opportunity conversion —...
Three CMOs Weigh in on the Power of a Marketing Campaign Tagline
The article gathers insights from three chief marketing officers—True Religion, Rambler and Shutterfly—on why campaign taglines still matter. True Religion’s 2025 holiday tagline “Wrapped in True” doubles as a gifting cue and a brand‑value statement. Rambler’s playful “Chug Life” taps...
Frosted Flakes Remixes ‘90s Jingle to Reintroduce Tony the Tiger
Kellogg's Frosted Flakes teamed with rap artist JID to remix its classic “Hey Tony” jingle, releasing the track on Spotify and Apple Music. The song launches at the Frosted Flakes Day Ones Bowl Game on Feb. 22, accompanied by limited‑edition apparel and a collectible box sold...
AI Figures Heavily Into CMOs’ Strategic Considerations
Chief marketing officers are increasingly prioritizing emerging media such as entertainment IP and FAST platforms, with Black audiences driving a disproportionate share of streaming time. CMOs expect most of their revenue in five years to stem from products that do...
How Hefty Is Unifying Its Brand Portfolio Marketing with John Cena
Hefty has broadened its long‑standing partnership with John Cena, launching the "Strong Choice" campaign that showcases the brand’s full portfolio—from trash bags to food storage and partyware. The initiative, produced by McCann with media handled by Hearts & Science and PR by Edelman,...