In a recent AdAge feature, Alyssa Stevens, Director of PR, Social Media and Influencer Marketing, shared her thoughts on the top advertising trends to watch in the new year. She predicts that marketers will continue the shift away from over-branded influencer content, driving better engagement and audience reception. Instead, we’ll see influencers sharing more stripped-back, authentic content. 

Check out other predictions from industry experts here.

Colin Hetherington, Managing Director of ZOO Digital, spoke with Silicon Republic about the changing world of digital advertising, his company’s expansion to the US and the changes AI will bring to the sector. With two decades of experience in the space, Colin has watched the industry grow from its humble beginnings of banner advertisements to the powerful entity it is today. He shares that AI and machine learning will play a more significant role in the future of digital advertising, as companies and consumers alike have taken a greater interest in this technology over the past year. 

Read more

The Out of Home Advertising Association of America has announced the winners of this year’s OOH Media Plan Awards, which recognize the essential role media planning plays in the development of successful OOH campaigns. Recipients of the award demonstrate how the elements of creative design, thoughtful placement of messages, and proper allocation of budgets unite to produce outstanding communications strategies. Winners tap into the emotional fabric of society and promote inspiring messages that elevate the industry. 

The Williamsburg Tourism Council’s “Life. At Your Pace” OOH activation, which launched in early 2023, has won a Gold Award for OOH Media Plan of the Year. We are honored to be among this year’s recipients. 

Learn more about this year’s awards here.

The Dublin-based digital agency ZOO Digital has been chosen to spearhead Connelly Partners’ global digital offering with an emphasis on expanding its North American footprint.

Connelly Partners acquired ZOO Digital in 2022 and since then it has retained its identity while working with its parent agency on a number of campaigns for US-based clients including The V Foundation for Cancer Research, Gorton’s Seafood and Ignite Reading.

ZOO’s human-centered approach to digital has set them apart and they are looking forward to making a significant impact on the digital landscape in North America.

Read more.

Connelly Partners is executing an ambitious expansion plan that includes opening a new West Coast office, expanding its Dublin-based digital agency ZOO Digital and launching a new education practice. 

The West Coast office is based in Vancouver, Canada and is led by Nadine Cole as Managing Director, CP West. She also serves as president of the agency’s production studio, VRX Studios.  

Scott Savitt, Senior Partner at Connelly, has been elevated to Chief Digital Officer at the agency and is leading the formal launch of ZOO in the North American market.     

The new education practice, CP Education, is led by Gene Begin, former Chief Marketing Executive of Wheaton College in Massachusetts. CP Education is integrated within CP’s full-service offering across strategy, creative, social, media, influencer, digital and analytics.  

Read more.

Boston-based marketing agency Connelly Partners is opening a Canadian office in Vancouver as it makes its first foray into the market north of the border.

Called CP West, the office has been built out of VRX Studios, which Connelly Partners acquired in April 2021. At the time of the acquisition, industry veteran Nadine Cole was hired to oversee a turnaround of VRX’s business. The company, which specializes in photography for clients in the hospitality sector, was hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cole, who is a former senior VP and General Manager of Cossette for Western Canada and the U.S., adds that the acquisition of VRX was made with the intention of opening a Canadian office for Connelly.

Read more.

Dublin agency ZOO Digital has commenced activity in the US market and is being positioned as Connelly Partners’ global digital offering. ZOO, which was acquired by Connelly Partners in 2022, brings a decade and a half of experience in the digital marketing landscape with them.

Scott Savitt, Sr. Partner & Chief Digital Officer at Connelly Partners and Colin Heatherington, Managing Director of ZOO Digital, shared that the objective of the expansion is to drive the agency’s digital growth in North America.

Read more

ZOO Digital, a Dublin-based, digitally-driven creative agency is expanding into North America. The company which was acquired by Connelly Partners in 2022 will now serve as their digital offering globally.

North American businesses will benefit from ZOO Digital’s extensive experience working with global brands including Burger King and Hansard Global and key Irish brands including Electric Ireland, Tirlán’s MyMilkMan.ie, the National Lottery and The Abbey Theatre. In addition, the agency is already working with some key brands looking to the US market such as the O’Callaghan Collection. 

ZOO Digital will maintain its name and work as an integrated part of the Connelly Partners ecosystem. Its founders, Managing Director, Colin Hetherington, Creative Director, Chris Preston, and Technical Director, Martin Byrne, will provide clients with digital strategic direction and drive integration while leading the team in Dublin.

Read more.

Education marketing veteran Gene Begin leads new practice as Managing Director

Connelly Partners, an independent global agency with 150 employees across Boston, Dublin and Vancouver, has launched Connelly Partners Education (CP Education), a new dedicated education practice as part of the agency’s integrated offering. Gene Begin, former chief marketing executive of Wheaton College (Massachusetts), is at the helm as Managing Director of CP Education, venturing outside higher ed for the first time in 25 years. 

Building from the agency’s work in the vertical over the past two decades, CP Education specializes in working with colleges and universities, educational organizations and nonprofits, and education technology companies. 

The specialty practice is integrated within CP’s full-service offering across Strategy, Creative, Social, Media, Influencer, Digital and Analytics. It allows clients to get the benefits of deep industry knowledge and breadth of marketing experience across multiple target audiences. 

The agency works with clients including Northeastern University, the Center for Collaborative Education, City Year, Year Up, and University of Limerick. 

“It’s widely known that competition to attract prospective students has intensified within higher education, but brands and institutions are no longer just competing for their attention with those in their category,” said Begin. “Colleges and universities need to differentiate from their competitors, but they also need to stand out from other advertisers to grab attention. Our partners are choosing Connelly Partners Education for our experience doing both inside and outside of higher education, and backed by one integrated, full-service agency.”

Gene has a track record of creating innovative solutions and integrated marketing successes within educational organizations. He was most recently the first-ever Vice President for Marketing & Communications at Wheaton College in Massachusetts and was previously at Babson College for 15 years in a variety of marketing roles across the institution. He has appeared onstage as a speaker at conferences including AMA Higher Ed, Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), Confab Higher Ed, eduWeb, FutureM, HighEdWeb, and University Business Tech, among others. Gene was an eduWeb Summit Award winner in 2018, which seeks to recognize leaders and innovators within the field of higher education marketing, and was a senior leader on the AMA’s Higher Education Marketer of the Year Team Honor in 2013.

Gene joining CP closes the loop on a relationship he started with the agency more than a decade ago when his team selected CP in a search for a new agency for his then-employer, Babson College. He joins Michele Hart-Henry, another previous CP client, who leads the Connelly Partners Health (CP Health) practice. 

As CP enters its 25th year in business, it’s positioned as an independent global agency with 150 employees across three locations in Boston, Dublin & Vancouver. Clients get a global perspective, local market expertise, vertical depth and category know-how. And they get it from teams and resources across the network, no matter what “door” they come in.

Connelly Partners, an independent global agency with 150 employees across Boston, Dublin and Vancouver, is launching Connelly Partners West (CP West), its new West Coast office with a startup mentality.

The new office is led by Nadine Cole, Managing Director of CP West & President of VRX Studios, who has deep experience in the Canadian marketing landscape. Prior to this, she spent over 15 years at Cosette, well-known for its award-winning work with the likes of McDonald’s, Curling Canada, and Jetlines. Nadine served as the SVP and General Manager of Cossette for Western Canada and the USA for nearly 13 years and had stints at DDB Canada and Rethink Canada.

CP West kicks off with clients CloudCare, Chiwis, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts EMEA and more. It recently launched new and emotional work for CloudCare, showcasing the power of AI for the over 55 million people who suffer from dementia. Watch the powerful spot here.

Nadine took the helm of VRX Studios, a Connelly Partners company, in 2022 and has helped transform the business, evolving from a hotel-focussed content agency to one that now creates content for tourism, sports, golf resorts, architects, art installations and much more.