Richard Whitman

New York

Columnist at MediaPost

A friendly punch in the face from the ad man no one knows, Richard Whitman

Articles

Agency CEO/Fantasy Writer Rudansky Lands Three-Book Deal

3 days ago | mediapost.com | Richard Whitman

by Richard Whitman , Columnist, 3 hours ago Isaac Rudansky, founder and CEO of Woodmere, NY-based digital ad agencyAdVenture Media Group, has landed a three-book deal with an imprint of Penguin Random House. The deal follows Rudansky’s publishing debut earlier this year of a fantasy novel titled‘Georgie Summers And The Scribes of Scatterplot’ (February 2025, Greenleaf Book Group).
The Growing Crisis Of Dog Dementia And The Company Determined To Fight It

1 week ago | mediapost.com | Richard Whitman

by Richard Whitman , Columnist, Yesterday SoluPet has tapped Stagwell agency Forsman & Bodenfors as itsagency of record with a remit to help it launch a product designed to address the growing crisis of canine cognitive dysfunction. Yeah, I hadn’t given much thought to that particular crisis eitherbut according to the company the condition affects an estimated 30 million-plus dogs in the U.S. alone.
WPP, Coca-Cola Co., Renew Global Marketing Partnership

2 weeks ago | mediapost.com | Richard Whitman

by Richard Whitman , Columnist, Yesterday WPP and The Coca-Cola Co., confirmed today that they have renewed theirglobal marketing partnership led by WPP Open X. The initial deal was struck in 2021 and since then WPP has managed end-to-end creative, media, data and marketing technology, across thecompany’s entire portfolio.
Stagwell Bringing 'Future Of News' Crusade To Cannes

2 weeks ago | mediapost.com | Richard Whitman

by Richard Whitman , Columnist, 5 hours ago For the last couple of years Stagwell has been ona mission to convince advertisers to invest more in legitimate news content which it asserts correctly is essential to a vibrant democracy. As part of that effort, it has conducted researchshowing that marketers’ concerns that trusted news content would hurt their brands was misplaced and that overall brand safety concerns are overblown.
Poll: Americans Put 'Life Goals' On Hold Amid Economic Worries

2 weeks ago | mediapost.com | Richard Whitman

A new poll from Stagwell’s Harris Poll and the UK’s Guardian newspaper finds that Americans are feeling the strain of rising costs—thanks in large part to Trump’s tariff war--with financial concerns delaying many “life goals,” like getting married, having a child and buying a home.
Dawn, Brand Innovators Partner On 'Master Class' Series

3 weeks ago | mediapost.com | Richard Whitman

Agency coalition Dawn is teaming with Los Angeles-based brand marketing professional network Brand Innovators on a new learning and development program titled “Brand Masters.”“Master Classes” are in development and marketers will be able to tailor specific classes for their business needs from a syllabus of over 20 disciplines, including:Classes will be held on site at participating marketers’ corporate offices.
How AI Will Force Agencies To Rethink Pricing Models

3 weeks ago | mediapost.com | Richard Whitman

Time is money as the saying goes and for some agencies billing by the hour, for decades has been quite lucrative. But clients and agencies both have been looking for improved returns on marketing and advertising investments in recent years. The subject came up during S4 Capital’s first quarter earnings call as analysts questioned company officials about the efficiencies wrought by AI and how clients and agencies would benefit.
Most People Find Online Ad Loads 'Frustrating'; Does Apple Have The Solution?

4 weeks ago | mediapost.com | Richard Whitman

But new research from Stagwell’s Harris Poll and ad filtering tech company Eyeo finds that a whopping 79% of mobile users (using mobile phone browsers) are “frustrated” by online ads, while 73% of desktop users (using laptop/desktop browsers) feel the same way. Mobile user frustration jumps to 81% among those using mobile apps. I certainly get that—it's a pretty annoying experience.
Another Rebranding At WPP-This Time It's GroupM

1 month ago | mediapost.com | Richard Whitman

WPP is preparing another major rebranding and will rename its media management arm GroupM, according to multiple reports. The new name will reportedly be WPP Media. WPP officials said the company was not currently commenting on the reports, which they said were speculation. But the company has been consolidating and rebranding many of its biggest agencies for years as part of a major overhaul designed to streamline company operations and make them more comprehensible to clients and prospects.
OBB Media Sets Up New York Offices

1 month ago | mediapost.com | Richard Whitman

OBB Media, based in Los Angeles is setting up shop in New York with new offices in the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan. The firm, founded by Michael D. Ratner in 2016 has produced an array of programming and branded content but is perhaps best known for projects like A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter (Netflix), Demi Lovato’s directorial debut Child Star (Hulu), and the recent Peabody- and Emmy-nominated film Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa (Netflix).