Andrea Cook, president of FCB/Six North America.
Marking three years since FCB’s Rivet was rebranded as FCB/Six, the digital and data-focused shop has announced a few dozen hires amid new and expanded mandates with clients.
In recent months, the agency has made 37 new hires across all levels of seniority. The new additions include Mike Kotevich as ACD on the health team, as well as Hemal Dhanjee as art director and Steve Lerullo and Curtis Chapman as copywriters. FCB/Six has also added Nicole Barnes as an account director, Amy Smith as a strategist and Amy Hernandez as director of consulting and campaign management, among many other hires.
Their arrival comes around the same time that Tyler Turnbull was promoted to group CEO of FCB’s Canadian and New York offices, giving him leadership of offices in Toronto, Montreal and New York, as well as digital arm FCB/Six and content division Fuelcontent.
The agency says the new talent will help manage the volume, scale and speed of client work. Over the last three years, FCB/Six has experienced 200% growth, with a large share of it coming from the health sector.
In late 2017, it expanded its mandate with Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, becoming CRM agency of record for the company’s eye care products division. In February, that mandate grew to include brand, digital and CRM work as global professional AOR for Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. At the time, the agency also took on CRM work for the Tylenol, Motrin, Listerine and Neutrogena brands.
“We’ve placed big bets on health and pharma which has traditionally been slower to enter the digital and data spaces,” noted Andrea Cook, president of FCB/Six North America, in a press release. “The category simply hasn’t had the same urgency to integrate or consider CX [customer experience] and increased connectivity in its ecosystems. The need for scale and efficiency is changing the game.”
In addition to growth in its health division, the agency was picked as AOR for recreational cannabis grower High Park Inc. (an affiliate of Tilray Pharmaceutical) in December. The assignment includes strategy, digital, CRM, technology and data, as well as measurement planning and reporting across various brands.
Meanwhile, the agency says existing mandates with clients such eBay have expanded into new areas including CRM and performance marketing.
“We’re seeing the traditional model of brand as the entry point flipping on its head, with digital and 1:1 paving the direction for how brands live and behave,” Cook said. “Our unique approach is inherently built on the foundation of individualization and we’re seeing this translate into massive success for our clients.”
The digital-focused shop was recognized with three Cannes Gold Lions in Creative Data, Mobile and Design last year for PFLAG’s “Destination Pride,” which has become one of the most awarded campaigns in Canadian history. In April, it took a similarly themed approach to its “Go back to Africa” campaign for Black & Abroad, an American travel brand serving members of the Black community.
In collaboration with FCB West, the shop is also working in partnership with MeToo Movement, the global organization led by activist Tarana Burke, to help launch a new campaign and digital platform in October to mark the #MeToo movement’s second anniversary.
Ian Mackenize, ECD at FCB/Six, said in the press release that these recent diversity-driven efforts reflect the makeup of the agency leading them. Today, the shop claims to be made up of 68% women (with a creative department split evenly between men and women) and 43% of individuals identifying as multicultural.
