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Praytell has hired Sean Flynn as SVP of its new sports practice. Flynn joined Praytell this month, reporting to CEO Andy Pray. He will lead the practice, which has 10 staffers, alongside SVP Stephanie Shambo. Flynn will also play a central role in supporting the sports, gaming and entertainment initiative of Praytell holding company Project, which brings people from the network together in a “one agency” approach, Flynn said. Most recently, Flynn co-led Ketchum’s sports practice as SVP. He worked for the Omnicom Group firm in various roles since first starting there in 2009, but left for a brief stint working on global consumer PR at Netflix between 2017 and 2018.

In yet another example of how 2024 is shaping up to be a landmark year in the world of sports, sports marketing was one of the leading trends at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. With no shortage to choose from, Ad age polled experts from the Amp community on the year’s best sports ads thus far. "The campaign that stands out most for me this year has been Adidas’ ongoing launch of Anthony Edwards’ signature shoe, the AE1. Despite Edwards’ fame as an up-and-comer, it’s obvious that Adidas recognized early on that mainstream audiences might not yet be familiar with the rising NBA star. And even those who knew his name didn’t really know him yet. And so the campaign felt as much like an introduction to Edwards himself—a promising talent on the brink of superstardom—as it was a shoe release." —Casey Null, director of strategy, Wondersauce.

This year Project has earned a spot in Ad Age’s annual agency report, which lists the world's biggest agency companies based on revenue. The report uncovered that worldwide revenue for the 30 biggest agency companies, which includes Project, increased 5.6% to $148 billion in 2023.

Once upon a time linear and digital media lived in separate kingdoms, vying for separate opportunities and budgets. But during this year’s upfronts—which featured both Amazon and Netflix making their first in-person upfront presentations—the gates were thrown wide open to bidders across platforms. With seemingly boundless options for advertisers to choose from, agency leaders say brands should stay focused on reaching the right kinds of viewers. “We strongly advocate for brands to prioritize a media channel that allows them to tell their story,” said John Sampogna, co-founder and CEO of Wondersauce. “Over the last five years, brands have been so focused on direct response and lower-funnel conversion tactics that their marketing lacks a brand story, making it nearly impossible for them to stand out in such competitive and saturated platforms like Meta and Google.”

Motive, a leading marketing and advertising agency and member of the Project Worldwide network, has announced the hiring of former 72andSunny creatives Francisco Puppio and Gabo Curielcha to lead the agency’s Los Angeles office. The duo that is affectionately called FraBo have worked together on and off for more than 15 years after meeting at Y&R in Chicago. They have spent the last 10+ years at 72 and Sunny (LA & NY) as creative directors, leading iconic brands such as 1800 Tequila, Coors Light USA and Global, Coors Banquet USA and LATAM, NFL, Uber USA and LATAM, Tillamook, Carl’s Jr and Hardee's.

The Singapore Tourism Board has handed its US PR and influencer business to Praytell. As STB’s agency of record, Praytell will manage US media relations, influencer relations and activations and events for the Singapore government’s tourism arm. Praytell previously worked with STB Americas on digital and influencer services.

Creative agency Argonaut has had a vacancy in the president role for a while, yet it has built up an impressive body of work since it opened in 2013 in San Francisco, working with clients including Fitbit, Cricket Wireless, Honey Bunches of Oats and Nerdwallet. Now, the agency feels it’s right to have someone again in place as president, and it chose one of its founding members in Katie Miller. Miller has played numerous roles at the agency over the last decade, grounded in business development, strategy and brand management. She has played an integral part in Argonaut landing Código 1530 Tequila, Jefferson’s Bourbon, and California Olive Ranch recently, and has been instrumental in the business growth of longtime client Cricket Wireless.

Women’s sports is having its moment in the center of pop culture—one that many would argue is long overdue. Last year was pivotal for the industry, with record-breaking viewership of both the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament and the Women’s World Cup, with women’s basketball shattering its viewership record again this year and drawing more viewers for its championship game than the men’s final. Beyond the cultural shift that helped set the stage for the success of women’s sports, the buying power of women is at an all-time high, a key factor in why this shift is happening now. However, advertisers should be cautious in capitalizing on the hype, and instead honor the work that made this moment possible. “For advertisers, the increased interest in women’s sports is a double-edged sword,” said Noelle San Jose, diversity, equity and inclusion program manager at George P. Johnson. “When Vogue starts writing about ‘The Rise and Rise of Women’s Sports Bars,’ you know there’s money on the table.” San Jose noted that women were responsible for 70% to 80% of all purchases as of 2023, but added that advertisers need to step carefully here.

It’s important to talk about the state of earned and creative campaigns, and do so with urgency. The short reason: Working dollars are working less. Content is everywhere. A shiny branded object exists for a total of 15 seconds in your consumer’s mind, and you paid more for those 15 seconds than you did five years ago. Praytell, in collaboration with Contagious, a creative and strategic intelligence service for brands and agencies, worked together to identify four factors that nearly every high-earning, high-performing creative campaign exhibits.