Digitas vs Saint Elmo's

B2B marketer Michael Fasciano champions AI for bigger thinking

Michael Fasciano, Head of Product Marketing at Insperity and judge at The Drum Awards for B2B, discussed the role of AI in B2B marketing. He argues that AI's real value lies not in speed but in enabling marketers to dream bigger, focusing on relevance and relationships over sheer content volume. Fasciano emphasizes integrating brand and demand into one system, with AI facilitating personalized engagement at scale. He advocates for 'multidisciplinary, fork-shaped marketers' and stresses that AI transformation is a workforce challenge, requiring investment in upskilling and collaboration. He also anticipates a 'GTM architect capability' as a future trend.

• Michael Fasciano is Head of Product Marketing at Insperity.
• Fasciano judges at The Drum Awards for B2B go-to-market jury.
• Fasciano has 20 years of B2B marketing experience at IBM, Goldman Sachs, and Digitas.

Pixability Appoints Norm de Greve, Former General Motors CMO and Chairman of the MMA, to its Advisory Board

Norm de Greve, former CMO of General Motors and CVS Health and Chairman of the MMA, has joined the advisory board of Pixability, a leading AI-driven technology company that helps brands maximize YouTube advertising. In an interview with AdExchanger, de Greve highlights common mistakes brands make with YouTube marketing, emphasizing the need for an integrated strategy across paid, owned, and creator channels, which most brands lack. He also notes YouTube's growing importance as a top source for AI search and advocates for a holistic approach to content and creator management. De Greve critiques current AI use in marketing, urging brands to redesign workflows around AI rather than optimize old processes. Pixability's AI-driven approach aims to help marketers analyze organic content, amplify successful strategies, and allocate budgets more effectively across YouTube's ecosystem.

• Norm de Greve, former CMO of General Motors and CVS Health and Chairman of the MMA, joined Pixability's advisory board.
• Pixability is a YouTube-focused AI company that helps brands maximize paid and owned media and leverage creators.
• De Greve advises brands to integrate paid, owned, and creator YouTube strategies.

Agency Chiefs Prioritize AI Upskilling for Future

At Brandweek Atlanta, four agency executives discussed their top priorities for the next 6-12 months. Leaders from Digitas, Partners + Napier, Pereira O'Dell, and Walrus emphasized the need to upskill employees in AI, adapt workflows, and navigate the transformative impact of AI on the industry. They highlighted the importance of bringing people along, fostering collaboration between agencies and brands, and using AI to free up time for strategic client conversations. The roundtable, hosted by ADWEEK's Liz Kneebone, underscored the industry's focus on AI integration and talent development amidst changing client expectations and fee pressures.

• Four agency executives from Digitas, Partners + Napier, Pereira O'Dell, and Walrus participated in a roundtable at Brandweek Atlanta.
• AI upskilling and workforce adaptation were named as top priorities for the next 12 months.
• Leaders emphasized the need for agencies and brands to partner on the AI revolution.

ING Deutschland: First major campaign by Saint Elmo's

ING Deutschland has appointed Saint Elmo's as an additional agency for strategy and creative in August 2026. The creative agency, which won the pitch against several competitors, has now unveiled its first major campaign for the financial services provider. The campaign, titled '1000 Meinungen' (1000 Opinions), focuses on retirement savings. Details of the campaign execution are limited due to the paywall, but the partnership marks a significant addition to ING's agency roster.

Dallmayr launches new umbrella campaign for Italian coffee moments at home

Dallmayr, the German premium coffee brand, has launched a new umbrella brand campaign titled 'Jedes Mal besonders' (Every time special). The campaign aims to position Dallmayr as the brand for special coffee moments at home, evoking Italian café culture. The centerpiece is a 20-second TV commercial created by agencies Fantomas and Saint Elmo's, with production by E+P Commercials, directed by Duncan Winecoff. The spot features a couple dressing up for a fancy restaurant but ultimately enjoying coffee at home, reminiscent of a recent Frosta campaign. The campaign includes five TV and digital spots for Dallmayr's product ranges: Prodomo, Crema d’Oro, Home Barista, and Röstkunst, each telling a distinct coffee moment. The commercials will run online from now until end of November, and on linear TV from October 26 to November 15.

• Dallmayr launched a new umbrella brand campaign with the motto 'Jedes Mal besonders'.
• The campaign includes a 20-second TV commercial created by agencies Fantomas and Saint Elmo's.
• The commercial was produced by E+P Commercials, directed by Duncan Winecoff.

Penny Rewards Funny TikTok Comments with Shopping Vouchers

German discount supermarket chain Penny has launched an interactive TikTok campaign called 'Comment Coupons' to reward users who post particularly funny and creative comments on its videos. Running from June 1 to the end of September, the campaign uses a proprietary AI scoring system to evaluate comments based on community resonance and content relevance, assigning voucher values of 10, 25, or 50 euros. So far, over 4,000 comments have been rewarded with a total of 45,000 euros in vouchers. The campaign was developed by lead creative agency Saint Elmo's, with social media execution by Charles & Charlotte, media planning by Pion3ers, and AI support from Plan.Net Belgium. Digital out-of-home billboards in eight German cities also displayed rewarded comments. The initiative aims to strengthen Penny's brand platform 'Echte Freude' (Real Joy).

• Penny launched the 'Comment Coupons' campaign on June 1, running until end of September.
• The campaign rewards funny TikTok comments with vouchers worth up to 50 euros.
• Over 4,000 comments have been rewarded with a total of 45,000 euros in vouchers.