Revolving Door Agency Moves: BarkleyOKRP, Merkle, Wpromote, and More | Adweek October 2024

While Charlie Brown will likely get a rock in his bag, as he has every year since the 1966 debut of Halloween special ​“It’s the Great Pumpkin,” several agencies received treats this week in the form of new clients and partnerships.

BarkleyOKRP

Independent BarkleyOKRP was named agency of record for global aviation company Signature Aviation.

California Pizza Kitchen

A four-agency team emerged from California Pizza Kitchen’s review and formal pitch process, led by recently appointed chief marketing officer Dawn Keller: Iris as brand, creative, and social agency of record; Blue Engine as public-relations partner; Acadia as performance marketing partner; and Push as special projects and brand extension partner.

JWP Connatix

Video player platforms JW Player and Connatix merged to create independent video technology and monetization platform JWP Connatix. The combined companies reach more than 1 billion unique users and deliver 30 billion combined video plays and ad impressions per month.

Merkle

Amica Mutual Insurance reached a multiyear partnership with data and customer experience platform Merkle with the aim of improving its performance marketing channels.

Ride Shotgun

Omnichannel creative content agency Ride Shotgun acquired PIX-US, a specialist CGI (computer-generated imagery) company based in North Carolina.

SmithGeiger

Research and insights provider SmithGeiger partnered with sports management software provider PowerUp Sports to tackle college sports’ NIL (name, image, likeness) agreements, combining PowerUp’s management and representation of athletes, teams, universities, and donor-affiliated marketing companies with a strategic brand management program backed by SmithGeiger’s research insights, data analytics, social media management, brand building, and strategic counsel.

Whalar Group

Global creator company Whalar Group acquired U.K.-based talent management company Sixteenth, and the former’s talent management unit, Whalar Talent, will move under the Sixteenth name.

Wpromote

Digital marketing agency Wpromote became part of the TikTok Marketing Partners Program. It is also part of other programs from the social platform, including the TikTok Shop Partner Program, the Creator Marketplace Agency Success Program, and the TikTok Creative Marketplace Program.

Zefr

Brand suitability solutions provider Zefr announced that Meta will expand its use of exclusion capabilities across Facebook and Instagram Feed and Reels, with Zefr’s artificial-intelligence-driven exclusion technology slated for release early next year.