DDB NY has strengthened its management team with two promotions and two new hires. Melissa Martinez, former group business director, has been promoted to chief marketing officer, and Michael Collins, former global business director, has been upped to managing partner. In addition, Alexander Rea has been brought in as creative technology officer, and Kimberly Bernhardt will join the organization as managing partner.
Martinez joined DDB New York two and a half years ago, and has successfully led multiple integrated communications teams during her tenure. Most recently as group business director Martinez led integrated communications planning for the New York Lottery, and digital innovation initiatives and platform development for State Farm. In the newly created role of CMO, Martinez will be responsible for new business development, driving organic growth and leading key strategic marketing initiatives for the agency including introducing potential clients to DDB Flex, the agency’s new agency model for client service in the US.
Rea joins DDB New York as CTO from Framestore where he was head of creative technology. There, he worked on Lockheed Martin’s “Field Trip to Mars” which earned 19 Cannes Lions. Previous to Framestore he served as technology experience lead at Co: Collective. This new role is responsible for providing technology leadership and oversight for all of the agency’s projects and directs the technology strategy, development and execution. Rea’s new position is a modern creative refresh on the traditional role that experiments, invents and guides creative and strategic thinking to deliver innovative digital solutions.
As managing partner, Collins becomes further accountable for fostering an environment of collaboration and creativity, driving successful work for DDB New York’s clients, and building positive, enduring agency/client partnerships in his group, which includes clients such as Merck, Lilly, Huawei, and Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies. Prior to assuming his new role, he led integrated agency teams for Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon global surgery business. In addition, he has extensive channel knowledge including digital, sales, advertising, database analytics, and PR.
Bernhardt joins the agency from Glamour, where she served as executive director of communications and had oversight of all communications, including brand development, PR, events, partnerships and special projects. In her role, she built a number of major brand initiatives that ranged from women’s issues and politics to fashion. She most recently spearheaded Glamour’s Women of the Year. Prior to Glamour, Bernhardt was the executive vice president at Edelman on the global and U.S. Unilever business. In her role, she provided the spectrum of communications for Dove and other marquee personal care brands.
Supreme Court Allows Multibillion-Dollar Class Action Lawsuit To Proceed Against Meta
The Supreme Court is allowing a multibillion-dollar class action investors' lawsuit to proceed against Facebook parent Meta, stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm.
The justices heard arguments in November in Meta's bid to shut down the lawsuit. On Friday, they decided that they were wrong to take up the case in the first place.
The high court dismissed the company's appeal, leaving in place an appellate ruling allowing the case to go forward.
Investors allege that Meta did not fully disclose the risks that Facebook users' personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump 's first successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016.
Inadequacy of the disclosures led to two significant price drops in the price of the company's shares in 2018, after the public learned about the extent of the privacy scandal, the investors say.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the company was disappointed by the court's action. "The plaintiff's claims are baseless and we will continue to defend ourselves as this case is considered by the District Court," Stone said in an emailed statement.
Meta already has paid a $5.1 billion fine and reached a $725 million privacy settlement with users.
Cambridge Analytica had ties to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon. It had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the personal information of about 87 million Facebook users. That data was then used to target U.S. voters during the 2016 campaign.
The lawsuit is one of two high court cases involving class-action lawsuits against tech companies. The justices also are wrestling with whether to shut down a class action against Nvidia.... Read More