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The LA Clippers partnered with Spinifex, best known for crafting immersive fan experiences, to bring a fresh perspective on sports venues. Spinifex mapped every seat and pixel, ensuring that every fan has a comprehensive view of the Halo Board, and resulting in the most realistic motion graphics ever seen.

GRAND CAYMAN: The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism has named Praytell as its U.S. PR and influencer AOR and Grey as its global creative AOR. The appointment, following a competitive, multi-month procurement process, tasks Praytell with overseeing media relations, the organization’s visiting journalist program, influencer relations, thought leadership, issues and crisis consultation, travel trade and consumer publicity and events for the U.S., the organization said in a statement. The firm’s travel and tourism client list includes Destination Canada, the Singapore Tourism Board, Kampgrounds of America and Air New Zealand.

George P. Johnson (GPJ), the world’s leading strategic experience marketing agency and a member of Project, an employee-owned alliance of creative agencies, announces the hiring of an Executive Director of Sports Activations to lead its sports practice and address the growing desire of brands wanting to dive into the dynamic world of experiential sports marketing. With over two decades of experience, Jenn Houston is an expert in brand building, business development, and integrated communication strategy. She has collaborated with top global brands in the US, Canada, and Europe including Visa, Anheuser-Busch, Nike, Coca-Cola and Google to name a few.

Praytell has hired Sean Flynn as SVP of its new sports practice. Flynn joined Praytell this month, reporting to CEO Andy Pray. He will lead the practice, which has 10 staffers, alongside SVP Stephanie Shambo. Flynn will also play a central role in supporting the sports, gaming and entertainment initiative of Praytell holding company Project, which brings people from the network together in a “one agency” approach, Flynn said. Most recently, Flynn co-led Ketchum’s sports practice as SVP. He worked for the Omnicom Group firm in various roles since first starting there in 2009, but left for a brief stint working on global consumer PR at Netflix between 2017 and 2018.

In yet another example of how 2024 is shaping up to be a landmark year in the world of sports, sports marketing was one of the leading trends at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. With no shortage to choose from, Ad age polled experts from the Amp community on the year’s best sports ads thus far. "The campaign that stands out most for me this year has been Adidas’ ongoing launch of Anthony Edwards’ signature shoe, the AE1. Despite Edwards’ fame as an up-and-comer, it’s obvious that Adidas recognized early on that mainstream audiences might not yet be familiar with the rising NBA star. And even those who knew his name didn’t really know him yet. And so the campaign felt as much like an introduction to Edwards himself—a promising talent on the brink of superstardom—as it was a shoe release." —Casey Null, director of strategy, Wondersauce.

This year Project has earned a spot in Ad Age’s annual agency report, which lists the world's biggest agency companies based on revenue. The report uncovered that worldwide revenue for the 30 biggest agency companies, which includes Project, increased 5.6% to $148 billion in 2023.

Once upon a time linear and digital media lived in separate kingdoms, vying for separate opportunities and budgets. But during this year’s upfronts—which featured both Amazon and Netflix making their first in-person upfront presentations—the gates were thrown wide open to bidders across platforms. With seemingly boundless options for advertisers to choose from, agency leaders say brands should stay focused on reaching the right kinds of viewers. “We strongly advocate for brands to prioritize a media channel that allows them to tell their story,” said John Sampogna, co-founder and CEO of Wondersauce. “Over the last five years, brands have been so focused on direct response and lower-funnel conversion tactics that their marketing lacks a brand story, making it nearly impossible for them to stand out in such competitive and saturated platforms like Meta and Google.”

Motive, a leading marketing and advertising agency and member of the Project Worldwide network, has announced the hiring of former 72andSunny creatives Francisco Puppio and Gabo Curielcha to lead the agency’s Los Angeles office. The duo that is affectionately called FraBo have worked together on and off for more than 15 years after meeting at Y&R in Chicago. They have spent the last 10+ years at 72 and Sunny (LA & NY) as creative directors, leading iconic brands such as 1800 Tequila, Coors Light USA and Global, Coors Banquet USA and LATAM, NFL, Uber USA and LATAM, Tillamook, Carl’s Jr and Hardee's.

The Singapore Tourism Board has handed its US PR and influencer business to Praytell. As STB’s agency of record, Praytell will manage US media relations, influencer relations and activations and events for the Singapore government’s tourism arm. Praytell previously worked with STB Americas on digital and influencer services.