FCB/SIX Leadership Team to Lead IPG’s Data-Led Creative/CRM Agency, Performance Art

Interpublic Group today announced an addition to its strong roster of data and technology fuelled marketing service providers with the launch of Performance Art, a new global agency that brings together deep data, technology and CRM expertise with highly-awarded creative talent. CEO Andrea Cook, chief creative officer Ian Mackenzie, and chief operating officer Elizabeth Sellors, the leadership team that helped build FCB/SIX, will take the helm at Performance Art in analogous roles. The agency will partner closely with a range of IPG companies and build on the company’s foundational data and technology layers at Acxiom and Kinesso in order to provide clients with data-driven marketing solutions. Performance Art will build on a founding roster of existing talent and clients, including BMW, CIBC, and Black & Abroad. 

The team at Performance Art is known for its ability to combine data and technology with platform-level creative ideas for clients -- producing global work that has been widely lauded across the industry. Notably, FCB/SIX Toronto’s “Go Back to Africa” initiative for Black & Abroad won the Creative Data Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2019. The campaign used AI and data to reframe the way people think about Africa and created a platform that displaces the hate surrounding the racial slur. 

Separately, FCB/SIX will continue to operate as an integrated global unit within the FCB network, reporting into Tina Allan, FCB’s newly-appointed global partner, data science and connections.

“Five years ago, we set a vision to help refocus the marketing landscape on the individual. This is consistent with the audience-led vision IPG has for marketing, which combines creativity with data and technology. Today, we are embarking on the next chapter of our journey and an evolution of our vision -- to build an organisation where the specialist talents of each team member will be nurtured by others who are inspired by and dedicated to creative data, technology, CRM, systems design and customer experience strategy.  With our specialist focus, and the ability to partner across the entire IPG portfolio, we are excited to scale our success in creating individualised brand experiences for clients in all sectors, geographies and channels,” said Andrea Cook, CEO of Performance Art.  

“Clients recognise that the future of marketing is dependent on connecting data and creativity, and are looking for partners like Performance Art to help drive growth. We are excited to continue serving our clients with high-performance creative solutions, and connecting into a broad range of IPG’s portfolio companies and clients. Our vision is to help brands around the world make the highest performing work, in the most creative way,” added Ian Mackenzie, chief creative officer of Performance Art.