Crossmedia vs iProspect

Measuring What Matters at The Drum Live 2026

At The Drum Live 2026, Crossmedia shared insights on modern media measurement, emphasizing that increased data and AI tools cannot compensate for a lack of foundational clarity. Samara Gerard, Managing Director Planning & Buying, highlighted the necessity of aligning business and media objectives before tracking performance. The agency advocated for balancing brand building with performance marketing and investing in robust data governance.

• Samara Gerard, Managing Director Planning & Buying at Crossmedia, shared takeaways from The Drum Live 2026.
• The commentary emphasizes that AI and dashboards cannot fix unclear business and media objectives, warning that AI merely accelerates wrong conclusions from bad data.
• Crossmedia advises balancing long-term brand building with short-term performance marketing instead of over-relying on ROAS and last-touch attribution.

Crossmedia Aligns Leadership Around the Next Era of Independent Growth

Entering its 27th year, the global independent media agency is sharpening its focus on growth, corporate strategy and operational discipline as it works to become the world's most trusted media agency.

Liz Rutgersson Named CEO of Stagwell's Assembly

Stagwell-owned agency Assembly has appointed Liz Rutgersson as its new CEO, with a global and North American remit. Rutgersson, who previously served as CEO of Dentsu's iProspect, will start in the role on Monday. She is tasked with driving growth, bolstering client partnerships, and building long-lasting relationships. Assembly also announced that Connie Chan has been named CEO of Assembly in the APAC region. Rutgersson's preliminary conversations with CEO Mark Penn and Stagwell leadership indicate alignment on making Assembly an 'agency for the future.' Rutgersson told ADWEEK she chose Assembly because of its nimbleness combined with the scale offered by Stagwell.

• Liz Rutgersson named CEO of Assembly, effective Monday.
• Rutgersson previously was CEO at Dentsu's iProspect.
• Connie Chan appointed CEO of Assembly in APAC.

Ikea's Kallax Storageborn Mod for Skyrim Launches

Ikea, via creative agency Mother, launched 'Kallax Storageborn', a free downloadable mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The mod introduces a sentient Kallax shelving unit voiced by actor Matt Berry, which helps players manage inventory by providing unlimited capacity and automated loot collection. This campaign merges gaming culture with Ikea's storage solutions, targeting Skyrim's 'encumbrance mechanic' frustration. The activation includes a new questline and is supported by PR firms Hope&Glory and Wilson Hartnell, with media buying by iProspect. It represents a novel brand integration into a popular game, emphasizing fan-first engagement.

• Ikea launched 'Kallax Storageborn', a free Skyrim mod, on September 11, 2026.
• The mod is created by Mother and voiced by Bafta-winning actor Matt Berry.
• The mod adds a new questline and provides unlimited inventory capacity and automated loot collection.

Star appoints Thomas Biedermann Global Head of Media & Advertising

Star, a global technology consultancy, has appointed Thomas Biedermann as Global Head of Media & Advertising. Biedermann brings more than two decades of international media and advertising leadership across agency and client-side roles. He will lead Star’s global media strategy, deepen agency relationships and expand services to help brands build AI-ready marketing capabilities, modernize in-house MarTech and integrate brand-agency systems. Star cites a 2025 Forrester Consulting study it commissioned showing fragmented marketing systems and limited seamless data integration between brands and agencies. Biedermann’s prior roles include Managing Partner at iProspect, SVP & Managing Director at Merkle | DWA, and senior media roles at Sky Deutschland. Michael Schreibmann, CEO and Co-founder of Star, commented on the hire and the company’s focus on agency and brand transformation in the AI era.

• Star appointed Thomas Biedermann as Global Head of Media & Advertising.
• Thomas Biedermann has more than two decades of international leadership experience in media and advertising.
• Thomas previously served as Managing Partner at iProspect and as SVP and Managing Director at Merkle | DWA; he also held senior roles at Sky Deutschland.