Working with Luxe, Salt created stunning 3D product models and dynamic backgrounds for DOOH campaigns promoting fragrances by Ariana Grande and Khloe Kardashian.
In a landscape where agility and relevance often define success, Salt XC sets new standards by blending speed, innovation and real-time adaptability. Through a hybrid-media approach and new AI product stack – including its latest AI-powered synthetic media planning platform, which we affectionately refer to as Otto, the agency has created a flywheel for brands that’s always relevant, engaging and built for impact.
Salt’s momentum is undeniable. Last year, the Toronto-based agency with outposts in NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Montreal, Austin and Brisbane grew from 225 to over 325 employees and AdWeek named it as one of the fastest-growing agencies in the world. In contrast – Fast Company named it one of the most innovative workplaces in media and digital content.
While many agencies are held back by legacy processes that slow them down, Salt moves fast, adapts quickly and delivers meaningful connections. Much of this is powered by its real-time connections engine, a built-in newsroom that continuously monitors cultural trends, allowing the team to transform insights into branded or creator-driven content in 24 to 48 hours. Its media engine ensures that content gets distributed instantly, keeping brands timely and top of mind.
“Brands need content at scale – but also content that’s agile, relevant, and cost-effective,” says partner and president, connected services Jil Lohnes. “Too many still rely on outdated models that miss the moment and leave money on the table.”
Salt’s approach isn’t just about speed, it’s about strategy. Every piece of content is built with intention, ensuring campaigns are not only timely but also deeply resonant with the audiences that matter through its behaviour design and connections practice. “Being able to act quickly and ride cultural trends helps get brands into the market to really participate in the conversation with consumers on the platforms that matter,” says Alex Buckby, vice president of media. “It’s about being active and agile, not locked into long planning cycles and static campaigns.”
Salt helped RBC tap into the cultural wave around Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour to promote the Avion Rewards program through maximizing content and amplifying UGC from Swifties throughout an ever evolving year-long campaign.
There’s nothing traditional about Salt’s approach. The agency has built a suite of AI-powered tools that have transformed its ability to get brands to market in meaningful ways. It starts with Media Mob, which allows Salt to distribute real-time briefs to a vetted network of freelancers – anyone from copywriters to editors to AI wizards. Each brand has its own dedicated pod of experts, ensuring that content can be produced at speed with the right skill sets in place.
Frontrunner, meanwhile, is Salt’s dynamic ads platform (DAP), which uses algorithms to optimize media investments in real time. Instead of relying on static budgets, Frontrunner continuously analyzes performance within social and biddable platforms, shifting spending to those performing best. This fluid approach ensures that every dollar is working as hard as possible for the brand.
In its work with PointsBet, Salt created a near constant cycle of adaptation by implementing a rapid-response strategy, analyzing schedules, athlete performance and odds every 48 to 72 hours.
For measurement, Salt relies on Podium, an AI-powered media mix modelling platform that can predict media outcomes and deliver results up to ten times faster than traditional MMMs. It integrates data via API from most of the major digital and social platforms, assessing which investments are driving results and how different channels interact. The result? Actionable insights that lead to more effective spending and higher ROI for clients.
The latest addition to the tech stack is Otto, an AI-powered media planning platform designed to streamline what has traditionally been an expensive and time-consuming process. Recognizing that media plans rely on consistent data sources – such as Nielsen, Circana and sales figures – the team saw an opportunity for more efficiency. With a single click, Otto pulls real-time data through API calls, segments key audiences, and predicts optimal investment for maximum sales impact.
Built within a secure and compliant environment, the platform integrates client data, partner insights and the agency’s own historical successes to deliver highly efficient, AI-driven planning.
“We believe planning should be 70% cheaper and exponentially faster,” says Buckby. “Otto changes the game by eliminating the slowest parts of the process.”
This adaptable approach allows Salt to flex to any client’s pace. For example, Salt helped RBC tap into the cultural wave around Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, launching a year-long campaign that evolved monthly to mirror each “era.” Monitoring Swiftie chatter on ticket drops, Easter eggs, and trends, the team delivered real-time content that sparked massive engagement and drove business results.
Contrast that approach with a client like PointsBet, which demands a near-constant cycle of adaptation to stay relevant in the fast-paced betting landscape. For it, Salt implemented a rapid-response strategy, analyzing schedules, athlete performance and odds every 48 to 72 hours.
For Luxe, a brand that creates fragrances for celebrities like Ariana Grande and Khloe Kardashian, Salt used 3D/CGI and just 3D/CGI to create 3D product models and dynamic backgrounds. The success of this strategy helped Luxe grow into one of Salt’s largest media clients, with the model now applied to Kardashian’s latest perfume line.
Looking to the future, Salt is committed to continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible, including making its media capabilities even smarter, faster and more effective. “We’re having our best year ever, but we’re still pushing forward,” Buckby says.
“I would say the whole industry is being challenged,” sums up Salt XC managing partner Jeff Rogers. “But I think a scrappy, independent, powerhouse North American boutique agency that’s got all these incredible products is pretty special in the marketplace right now.”
CONTACT:
Steve Medcalf
EVP, accounts
sm@ilovesalt.com
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