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Pump Up the Volume: BarkleyOKRP's New Leadership Direction
The wooden halls of BarkleyOKRP reverberate with change as the Kansas City powerhouse appoints Katy Hornaday as its new CEO. With over a decade under its belt, this independent agency's experienced workforce has seen Hornaday climb ranks, and now she's set to steer its ship. Jeff King, an agency veteran of 16 years, steps down, transitioning to founding partner.
Hornaday's creative vision has proven fruitful for the agency, attracting powerhouse clients like Planet Fitness, Smoothie King, and Frontier Airlines. In 2018, she kickstarted FUEL, the agency's digital content studio, which has since bloomed to accommodate over 80 employees. Hornaday played a pivotal role in the 2024 merger of Barkley and OKRP.
In conjunction with Hornaday's rise, Nate Swift, previously the Chief Marketing Officer, ascends to the presidential throne. Swift's primary mission is to create a seamless fusion of creative, media, and strategic services, to ensure capsule solutions tailored to clients.
The new bosses have one goal in mind: scaling up the agency's "Big Indie" strategy. This forward-thinking approach amalgamates the strengths of boutique agencies with the capabilities of large holding companies. King, the outgoing CEO, puts it perfectly, "There aren't many of us who have the scale, the media capability, the data analytics, the technology, the sophistication of holding companies, but with all the spirit, soul, creativity, and integrated model of an independent."
Spinning a new yarn, BarkleyOKRP announced Media Agency MissionOne earlier this year, a fresh entity birthed by integrating its media practice with Adlucent, a performance marketing tech company acquired in May 2024. Sean Corcoran, formerly of MediaHub, steers MissionOne Media's voyage.
With a private equity firm, Keystone Capital, backing them, BarkleyOKRP looks forward to engaging in strategic acquisitions, primarily focusing on performance media, data analytics, CRM, and experience design. The future's looking bright for this Big Indie, as they continue their journey to carve a competitive edge in the advertising industry.
Digging Deeper: Strategic Intentions and "Big Indie" Model
The new leadership team, helmed by Katy Hornaday, aims to magnify BarkleyOKRP's "Big Indie" model. This strategic approach marries the resources typically associated with large agencies (media capability, data analytics, technology) with the creativity, adaptability, and integrated methodologies of a boutique agency. This combination fosters a flexible and responsive corporate culture while boosting capabilities for competitive edge within the advertising landscape.
Turning Heads: Acquisitions and Areas of Focus
Acquisitions:
- Adlucent Acquisition: In May 2024, BarkleyOKRP acquired Adlucent, a performance marketing technology company, marking a significant step in forming Media Agency MissionOne, an entity integrated by combining BarkleyOKRP's media practice with Adlucent's proficiencies. Sean Corcoran, formerly of MediaHub, helms MissionOne Media.
Areas for Future Acquisitions:
BarkleyOKRP targets strategic acquisitions in the following domains:
- Performance Media: Metro There, the agency seeks to fortify its media solutions by harnessing advanced technology to deliver more effective campaigns.
- Data Analytics: The pursuit of data-driven insights to inform marketing strategies is a prime focus.
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management): BarkleyOKRP seeks to augment customer engagement and relationship-building tools.
- Experience Design: The development of more immersive and engaging brand experiences for clients is on the agency's radar.
Overall, the strategic outlook of BarkleyOKRP's newest leaders emphasizes growth through strategic acquisitions and the refinement of the "Big Indie" model to provide a formidable edge in the ever-evolving advertising industry.
- As the new CEO of BarkleyOKRP, Katy Hornaday aims to magnify the "Big Indie" model, which combines the resources of large agencies with the creativity and integrated methodologies of boutique agencies.
- In May 2024, BarkleyOKRP acquired Adlucent, a performance marketing technology company, marking a significant step in forming Media Agency MissionOne, led by Sean Corcoran.
- With a private equity firm, Keystone Capital, backing them, BarkleyOKRP plans future strategic acquisitions primarily focusing on performance media, data analytics, CRM, and experience design to boost growth.
- Jeff King, the outgoing CEO, believes that the Big Indie model allows BarkleyOKRP to have the scale, media capability, data analytics, technology, and sophistication of holding companies, while maintaining the spirit, soul, creativity, and integrated model of an independent.
- Nate Swift, the newly appointed president, aims to create a seamless fusion of creative, media, and strategic services to ensure capsule solutions tailored to clients.