ITG’s Americas leadership team explain why combining a culture of kindness with innovative, AI-enabled solutions empowers ITG to solve core content challenges for world-renowned brands and fuel lasting global growth.
ITG’s Americas leadership team explain why combining a culture of kindness with innovative, AI-enabled solutions empowers ITG to solve core content challenges for world-renowned brands and fuel lasting global growth.
When quizzed on the defining characteristics of ITG and the integration post the acquisiton of PureRed, our Americas CEO, Brian Cohen, didn’t hesitate. “They care.”
Having joined ITG in February, what is becoming clear is that this was a move which added far more than just numbers to ITG. It was putting together people who are fully invested in not just what they do, but how they do it – balancing kindness and creativity in a way that is fundamental to ITG’s identity.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve learned about us going above and beyond after it’s happened,” continues Brian. “Not because anyone wants credit, but because that’s how they’re built as people.” That sense of humility, of prioritizing the team over individuals, is ITG to a tee.
Brian’s thoughts are echoed by Sonny Thomas, Chief Creative Officer (Americas), who terms the prevailing attitude as ‘humbleswag’. “We’re all kind people first, but we’re also serious about our craft and creating amazing solutions that help our clients succeed.” At ITG, those solutions center around the delivery of Halo content – the channel-specific creative work that amplifies a brand’s hero idea.
Our role is to get under the skin of the brands we work with and become an extension of their teams – a trusted partner, rather than the typical client-agency dynamic. In a world of spiraling demand for content and an explosion of new channels, what has set us apart and allowed us to grow is delivering not just the solutions they want, but the ones they need.
“We’re innovators – full of team members who figure sh*t out in the most innovative ways,” says Heather Collins, ITG’s President Americas. “Our point of view is that our clients’ challenges are our challenges, and the solutions are mutual.” That ethos of supporting clients through fanatical customer service, building trust and establishing long-term relationships, is another reason this acquisition made perfect sense.
Managing Partner NA, Genna Carlson, expands a little further. “As cliché as it may sound, I’m so passionate about being able to solve our clients’ enterprise-level challenges with real solutions. We’re entering an era where there are solutions to the problems keeping marketing leadership up at night; speed, volume and consistency of brand content, omnichannel content expertise and innovating within those channels. I used to think, because it was always the case, that a client needed four or more difference agencies to combat that challenge… not anymore!”
Transforming content for major US brands
As far as unlocking tangible, effective solutions goes, the proof is in our clients. Prior to the acquisition, PureRed spent almost 60 years building a reputation as a company that delivers for some of the biggest brands on the planet.
That’s brands like Walgreens, one of the largest pharmacy store chains in the US. The team supported Walgreens to personalize its promotional offers, reaching customers with more impactful content at scale while reducing costs through a technology-led solution.
“If I had to pick one piece of work I’m particularly proud of, it would be that,” Kevin Kincaid, Managing Partner NA, says. “It wasn’t just a transformational initiative for Walgreens, helping them establish a centralized hub to deliver personalized promotions at scale – it helped to catapult the expansion of our tech.” That tech now sits as part of our wider Storyteq offering, a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant for both Content Marketing Platforms and Digital Asset Management.
When the question of great work is put to Heather, she immediately leaps to another globally recognized name in Microsoft. The project she recounts perfectly encapsulates the spirit of innovation that defines ITG, the speed at which we’re able to move, and how deep we go to deliver these solutions.
“We brough content intelligence to life for Microsoft in a matter of days. It was hugely impressive, not just because of the application of AI in a broad-based but repeatable construct and the problem it solved, but because it sums up our team’s passion, collaboration, and curiosity.”
A perfect match from the first meeting
Work like the above is what brought PureRed to ITG’s attention. And when we met the team, we found not just striking similarities in how we operate and the caliber of our clients, but in the values that guide the way we collaborate and interact with one another on a day-to-day basis.
Those similarities were immediately apparent to Sonny. “I cannot tell you how many times in our early discussions I heard someone say ‘us too!’ We have so much in common, and now a clear shared vision and mission.”
One of those common traits is a culture of kindness that sits at the heart of ITG. We believe in care, gratitude and respect across our business and beyond, and it’s a big reason we won the ‘Best Agency Culture’ prize at the Oystercatchers Awards 2024.
It’s a sentiment shared by Brian. Reflecting on the likenesses he noticed in those initial meetings, his response is emphatic. “Cultural values and work philosophy. I haven’t met one ITGer who has led a conversation or solution with their ego first. They are all super-smart, but also kind and collaborative.”
“It was truly like looking in a mirror,” adds Kevin. “Our journeys are so similar, and our core values were essentially identical. Plus, they were some really cool ass folks!”
While two businesses can seem like a perfect match in terms of their proposition and client base, we’ve found it also takes synergy of values and culture to drive meaningful, lasting global growth.
Leading industry-wide marketing transformation
The impact for ITG is clear. Unlocking growth through a stronger, more global team with a real presence in the Americas, balanced with an established and award-winning culture of kindness. But for our clients and the wider industry, this also represents a pivotal moment of change.
“Both PureRed and ITG are not traditional agencies or pure-play marketing technology providers – we’re something totally new,” clarifies Sonny. “Both entities have been quietly paving the way to the future of marketing solutions, and together I see greater focus and endless opportunity.” Those new opportunities are already presenting themselves, with major names including Essity and Tommy Hilfiger having recently joined our impressive portfolio of clients.
Brian expands on the benefits of our growth for brands working with ITG. “It’s about having tools that are the very best in the world, and a team of collaborators committed to elevating our clients and each other. We truly are positioned to lead the industry and change it for good.”
“We’re unique because of the speed at which we can innovate with you, implement and then recognize real results,” says Genna. “These are the results that every company needs right now – efficiency, internal cost savings, and an improvement in the quality and effectiveness of creative content.”
Delivering global, AI-enabled, agile content
Operationalizing AI for clients is central to the way in which we’re delivering these results, and delivering them now.
While marketing as a whole remains preoccupied with the glitz and the hype of generative AI, operational AI offers far more in terms of tangible, immediate application in key areas such as content versioning at scale, briefings, workflows, data and insights.
“Operational AI needs to be the focus,” says Heather. “It’s about streamlining workflows and tasks within those workflows, versus solving individual problems or figuring out use cases. The question we always ask ourselves is this: how are we reducing the time and energy needed to solve holistic and complex bodies of work?”
“With AI, we can innovate jointly with our clients based on the need,” Genna explains. “With content intelligence, we can do more now than ever in predictive performance and applying that at an insane speed with content automation. This is where we’re shifting the industry and giving clients an immediate competitive advantage.” For Genna and ITG, it’s about more than delivering higher volumes of content, but content that’s smarter, insight-driven and contextually relevant to every possible customer interaction.
As Kevin notes, it’s an issue that’s been largely unaddressed in the marketing sphere. “There are not many solutions out there that are strategically focused on Halo content and have the technology to back it up. This is our competitive advantage.”
The challenges that brands are facing are universal. With the acquisition of PureRed, ITG is primed to address those challenges on a global scale – transforming the way brands approach the creation and execution of Halo content across every channel and market. Just as importantly, we’re moving forward with shared values and a culture that we can be proud of, one that’s recognized by our industry peers.
We’ll let Brian have the final word. “Across your career, you’re lucky if you get one or two opportunities to be part of an organization that’s at the forefront of such a seismic shift in the landscape. Now, as one ITG, united by our vision and values, that’s exactly where we are. The rest of the industry talks about leveraging AI and technology to drive solutions. ITG actually does it.”
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