MAM
Razorfish launches Co-Lab to co-create products
MUMBAI: Razorfish, Publicis Groupe’s digital and technology agency, has launched Razorfish Co-Lab, a new property that will co-create products with media and platform partners on behalf of its clients.
The co-created products will intersect media, creative and technology aspects and will include operations, branded utility, platform ad experiences and campaign innovation.
Razorfish’s Margaret Czeisler has been appointed to oversee and drive partnership opportunities for Co-Lab and will report to Jeff Lanctot, the agency’s chief media officer.
Razorfish global CEO Bob Lord said, “We’ve long worked closely with our clients on next-generation storytelling through APIs, product manufacturing and evolutionary innovation. After experiencing such exponential growth in these areas, we realized we needed to formalize a transferable, scalable process that could span the varying nature of these opportunities, and this required the soup-to-nuts dedication of an entire practice as well as focused partnerships with key technology platform providers.”
Razorfish has prior experience in co-developing products for clients when it facilitated collaboration between a major airline and the Windows 8 platform. Additional partners include Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Foursquare, among others.
Microsoft Advertising Yarn general manager Stephen Kim said, “We were thrilled to bring on Razorfish so early and work together in a co-ideation process to imagine what might be possible for in-app advertising on Windows 8. The concepts and thinking that Razorfish demonstrated is just the beginning of what is possible when we combine creativity and technology on Windows 8.”
LinkedIn global head of agency relationships Jon Williams said, “We’re thrilled to be a beta partner for Co-Lab. We are working together to help key clients understand how to really leverage the power of the LinkedIn professional graph. It makes sense for us to partner where we can scale innovative ideas across a broad portfolio of clients. Razorfish can provide access to creative expertise and a definitive process.”
“Given the tight alignment between media, creative and technology at Razorfish, we‘re an agency that is uniquely qualified to co-develop new products with our partners,” said Lord. “As the lines between these functions continue to converge, we’re thrilled to offer a concentrated team who can expedite and lead this process. While we will of course continue to buy standard ad offerings from our partners, we think Co-Lab provides a chance to create products that really stand out for our client‘s customers.”
MAM
Ogilvy appoints Carol Reed as Global Chief Innovation Officer
Advertising veteran joins to drive human-first innovation in an AI-powered world.
MUMBAI: Carol Reed has found a new creative canvas and this time, she’s bringing her innovation brush to one of advertising’s most iconic names. Ogilvy Group has appointed Carol Reed as its new global chief innovation officer. Reed, who previously served as Chief Innovation Officer at WPP Open X, brings deep expertise at the intersection of creativity, technology, media, and commerce.
In a note announcing her move, Reed said she was drawn to Ogilvy because of its unmatched legacy. “The most powerful thing AI can do is make human creativity more extraordinary not replace it,” she stated. “This is an agency with something no algorithm can replicate, a 78-year legacy of ideas that change culture and drive real business results.”
Reed will focus on building new products, platforms, and partnerships to amplify Ogilvy’s creative heritage for clients and its global talent network. She will work closely with Global CEO Laurent Ezekiel and global chief creative officer Liz Taylor.
Her career began at Publicis Groupe’s Digitas as an associate media planner. She later moved to Omnicom Media Group and rose to senior vice president and programmatic lead at Digitas, where she built an in-house programmatic team of over 40 members. Most recently, at WPP, she served as executive vice president for data and product marketing.
With her appointment, Ogilvy strengthens its innovation leadership as the industry navigates rapid advancements in AI and technology.
From building programmatic teams to championing human creativity in an AI era, Carol Reed has consistently stayed ahead of the curve. Her arrival at Ogilvy signals a fresh push to blend cutting-edge innovation with the agency’s legendary creative spirit.
