Media All Stars

Media can no longer be put into a box. Brands are asking agencies for more guidance than ever as they try to navigate consumer privacy, personalization, heaps of data and more. This year’s Media All-Stars offer not only expertise in their respective fields, but also the innovative thinking needed to usher clients into a future that remains uncertain. The 2020 class of Media All-Stars will no doubt face countless unforeseen challenges in the year ahead, but each has proven he or she is ready to tackle whatever comes his or her way.

Liz Fermon, Director, Communications Planning, Mediahub

Fermon oversees communications strategy across the agency’s Boston and Los Angeles offices, working with accounts including Chipotle, Fox Entertainment, New Balance and Pinterest. “In my role, I lead a strategy team that makes research and data cool AF,” Fermon says. “Anyone who has ever worked with research, insights or data teams knows this is an anomaly.”

Fermon has achieved this uncommon feat by leveraging primary research to understand consumer motivation, translating that information for planners, creative media teams and clients. She also plays an important role in new business development, contributing to recent account wins like Instax and Twitch, and leads Mediahub’s thought leadership and research, including its regular research series, Scout.

“I didn’t know that being a ‘comms planner’ was an option until I tried it one day,” Fermon explains, adding that her journey in the space began with content development and digital strategy, balancing her passions for human behavior and culture. “I didn’t want to just react to culture; I wanted to play a part in driving it. I quickly became one of the founders of Mediahub’s communications planning practice, including the development and launch of its proprietary consumer insights and planning tool, Scout.”

Last year, she led Mediahub’s first global segmentation study, a six-month analysis for New Balance utilizing Scout. Insights from the study on young audiences led to the development of a unique gaming activation that earned the agency an Adweek Media Plan of the Year honor.

Over the course of the last 18 months, Mediahub’s communications planning practice has grown by 60%, with an eye toward “new, diverse voices with a variety of backgrounds.”

“It’s been so rewarding embracing my expertise and helping our team grow, but equally rewarding being surrounded by people who approach the industry with new perspectives,” Fermon says. “I’m so moved by their energy, thoughtfulness and curiosity—that’s what makes people succeed in this business. One of the biggest challenges in this industry is finding your voice, especially when it comes to young talent, but even more importantly, female and diverse talent. And they own it.” —E.O.

Jon Turner, Head of Analytics, Mediahub

Turner oversees analytics at Mediahub, a role that involves developing his team’s tools and processes to empower a “human-based, data-driven media approach” for clients. This includes everything from providing real-time insights for ongoing campaign optimizations to uncovering strategic insights that set the direction for media budgets and creative plans.

It’s no easy task, but Turner is up for the challenge. After all, he spent a good portion of his career at companies like Nestlé U.K. and Procter & Gamble before coming to the realization that “the CPG industry was falling behind in the digital environment,” leading him to jump ship for Mediahub.

“I was drawn to Mediahub, which offered a cutting-edge environment for me to leap ahead in this space while still being grounded in the fundamental insights of human behavior,” he explains.

Since joining, his team has helped a number of tech companies, many of which grew rapidly via direct response marketing, find the value in brand building.

“We have onboarded five or so Silicon Valley clients who had reached a growth plateau, and we knew they needed to shift to brand-building strategies to reignite growth,” he says. “Combining my strategic planning experience with the data-driven digital knowledge we have developed at Mediahub, my team and I have developed an approach to planning, testing and scaling a shift from lower-funnel to full-funnel marketing.”

He’s also helped more established brands improve their media operations. For example, he recently developed a customized model for educational brand Pearson that helps the company understand how its TV spots are performing on a real-time basis. According to Mediahub, this model has resulted in a “massive reduction in costs to generate responses for the brand,” being reduced by more than sixfold. —M.S.

See the rest of the honourees on Adweek