Second to None: A New-Look Crispin Porter + Bogusky for the Modern Era

A Crispin Porter + Bogusky for the modern era was revealed recently as four agencies within Stagwell, the holding company of which it is a part, combined forces. The agencies in question, MMI, Vitro, Observatory and CP+B itself will combine across North America “in response to the demands of modern marketers who are seeking simplicity, integration, and breakthrough creativity” according to a press release from Stagwell. 

Under the leadership of global CEO Brad Simms, who is also the founder of the high-flying Stagwell agency GALE, CP+B has been enjoying a period of growth since August 2022 with a host of new business wins, such as Dropbox, Old Dominion Freight Line, Plackers, Nasonex. This new-look, 300+ strong agency takes advantage of each company’s specialisms to bring media, creative, creator and digital at scale, all under one roof. 

CP+B, one of the great creative disruptors of the noughties with countless iconic campaigns and famed alumni, will now be led across North America by Maggie Malek, formerly the CEO of MMI since 2019. Under her leadership, the agency has achieved notable growth, client success, staff retention and repeated recognition as a best place to work. Rounding out the leadership team is Josh Braithwaite, chief creative officer, North America (currently in this role); Tom Sullivan, chief growth officer, North America (formerly CEO of Vitro); Brendan Shields-Shimizu, chief innovation officer, North America (formerly CEO of Observatory); and Laura Eder, chief operating officer, North America (formerly COO of MMI).

“Few agencies can claim to have changed the trajectory of the industry in the way that Crispin can,” says Maggie. “Crispin fundamentally changed the way we thought about advertising by blending the lines of creative and media and placing earned at the core of every idea. It was transformative then, and we believe it will be transformative again with the addition of MMI, Observatory and Vitro.”

By bringing together what she calls “four like-minded, complementary agencies”, Maggie says that the team is restoring Crispin’s previous integrated model, boosted with the scale required to achieve future growth. Each agency should bring something special to CP+B. MMI specialises in media, influencer and creator; Observatory has deep connections with Hollywood, bringing brand entertainment to the fold; Vitro focuses on boutique creative; and CP+B adds global scale and the significant brand equity it rightly enjoys. 

“This move isn’t about cosmetics – it’s not about a logo or name change, but instead introducing additional infrastructure to the engine of Crispin,” she says. “We know that marketers are under pressure to find the most efficient, effective integrated solutions – and this combination addresses this building market need. Our creative, communications, media and commerce offering, powered by data and insights, will be second to none.”

The potential for these four agencies to become one began in August 2022 when the leaders of Stagwell’s Brand Performance Network met to discuss its portfolio of brands in response to clients’ growing demands for more integrated communications solutions. These conversations started what Maggie calls a “natural alignment” between CP+B, Vitro, Observatory and MMI. They began combining forces on new and existing clients and found that the model was particularly compelling to CMOs. 

“Right now, we are seeing integration requests across the board from CMOs,” says Maggie. “With the modern digital landscape, you need to combine media and creative to be powerful. By bringing in media, influencer, creator and branded entertainment, we are building an integrated creative powerhouse. The new Crispin delivers the simplicity and integrated solutions that modern marketers want.

“Since the plan to formalise this organic alignment, we’ve learnt that we’re going to have a lot of fun together,” she adds in response to the positive reception from CMOs. 

Short-term, Maggie and the CP+B team are focused on “bringing together our people, culture and client offering in those most meaningful ways”. Key to that process is COO Laura who is leading several task forces allocated to integration across the business from HR to new business to clients. Laura oversaw the integration of Media Kitchen into MMI last year with 100% client retention, so they are headed into this combination of agencies with a clear plan and focus on sustaining culture. 

Long-term? Maggie’s answer is simple and to the point.

“World domination.”