Brunner

Brunner, a Pittsburgh-based integrated marketing agency, acquires AdSkate, an AI-powered creative analytics and marketing intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies optimize advertising performance. The agency says that the addition of AdSkate's proprietary AI technology and talent will provide clients with deeper insights into advertising effectiveness, creative performance, and audience engagement. As part of the acquisition, AdSkate's technology, talent and product expertise will be integrated into Brunner's suite of marketing intelligence solutions. AdSkate co-founder and CEO Akaash Ramakrishnan will become senior director, AI and Innovation at Brunner. “AdSkate has built an innovative platform that helps marketers understand not only what is performing, but why it is performing,” said Brunner partner and chief media and data officer Kevin Amos.

Augustine

Augustine Agency, a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned integrated marketing and communications agency, launches Flavor Theory, a foodservice marketing practice aimed at helping restaurants, food manufacturers, distributors and institutional dining organizations grow their brands and businesses. The practice, which combines industry expertise with branding, creative, digital marketing and public relations, focuses on such areas as earning menu placements and strengthening customer loyalty. Its offerings also include influencer partnerships, online optimizations and content production. “Flavor Theory was created to combine deep foodservice knowledge with the resources of a full-service agency, providing clients with an integrated partner that understands both the industry and how to turn insights into growth,” said Augustine Agency chief operating officer Kalie Whitsett.

ACC

The Acceleration Community of Companies releases a report finding that almost half (49 percent) of Gen Z sports fans say they have become interested in a new sport or athlete because of fan-created content or something entirely outside the sport. Gen Z Sports Fandom & The Mega-Moment, a collaboration between ACC and master's students in public relations at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, included a nationally representative survey of 2,154 Gen Z adults. Among its other findings: almost a third (32 percent) of those surveyed say they support individual athletes over specific teams, and 25 percent would rather follow an athlete’s personal story than watch them compete. In addition, only 8 percent of Gen Zers who watch or follow sports say they stay off their phones entirely while watching. “For previous generations, the game was the front door to fandom. For Gen Z, it's often the last stop,” said ACC president Monica Chun. “A celebrity relationship or a Tik Tok video can be just as powerful as the game itself. Sports used to create culture. Increasingly, culture is creating sports fans.”