Jellyfish vs Serviceplan Group

Brandtech's Rebecca Sykes on AI Implementation Challenges

In a podcast interview, Rebecca Sykes, partner at The Brandtech Group and head of its emerging technology practice, argues that generative AI can work with messy, siloed data, contrary to conventional wisdom. She emphasizes that brand-specific data, even if disorganized, prevents AI outputs from becoming generic. Sykes highlights that many AI pilots fail at scale because companies only automate isolated steps without re-engineering the entire workflow, using the 'frog in a sock' analogy. She advocates for building new operating models around AI capabilities, focusing on people, processes, and new roles like AI governance. The episode also discusses Brandtech's new global data and AI practice, Jellyfish's 'share of model' tool, and the importance of video in AI brand recommendations.

• Rebecca Sykes is a partner at The Brandtech Group and leads its emerging technology practice.
• Sykes argues that generative AI can work with messy, siloed data, not just pristine data.
• She uses the 'frog in a sock' analogy to illustrate how existing operating models hinder AI transformation.

Black History Month: Culture Chats, with Global Chief People Officer, Annabelle Walters

Annabelle Walters, Global Chief People Officer at Jellyfish, joined The Digital Voice™ Black History Month Culture Chats for a candid discussion, unpacking what it truly means for black women to own their space in executive leadership, whilst navigating the nuanced reality of vulnerability at the top.

Harvard Study: AI Does Not Truly Boost Developer Productivity

A study by Harvard researchers Fiona Chen and James Stratton, based on data from the engineering analytics platform Jellyfish covering 300 million work outputs from over 700,000 employees at 718 companies (January 2021 to March 2026), finds that while AI coding tools increase code output, these gains do not translate into actual productivity improvements. Reactive AI assistants led to a 12% increase in lines of code and a 9% increase in commits, but only the commit effect was statistically significant. Semi-autonomous AI agents showed larger increases (30% more code lines, 20% more commits, 23% more pull requests), but the review bottleneck negated these gains. The average time to review a pull request rose by 49%, the share of pull requests requiring changes nearly doubled, and comments per pull request increased by 35%. The proportion of engineers doing code reviews rose by 14%. Qualitative interviews with 21 professionals confirmed that AI speeds up routine tasks but requires more manual checking for complex tasks.

• Harvard researchers analyzed 300 million work outputs from Jellyfish, covering 718 companies and over 700,000 employees from January 2021 to March 2026.
• Reactive AI assistants increased code lines by 12%, commits by 9%, and pull requests by 5%, but only the commit effect was statistically significant.
• Semi-autonomous AI agents increased code lines by 30%, commits by 20%, and pull requests by 23%.

Motel One launches first brand campaign without linear TV

Motel One, the German budget hotel chain, has launched its first integrated brand campaign, titled "One great place to leave. And come back." The media plan, crafted by agency Mediaplus, has a clear digital focus, deliberately excluding linear TV. Video advertising will be delivered via streaming TV+ and online video, supplemented by YouTube and social media, with a further focus on out-of-home advertising. The campaign, running across Europe with a focus on Germany, was created by Hamburg-based new agency Circus Ramezani, supported by strategy partner Serotonin. The creative concept reinterprets hotel communication by highlighting the experiences guests have in the city, leveraging Motel One's central locations. The campaign extends into owned channels, including digital screens in hotels, to reach guests at various touchpoints. Motel One had appointed Mediaplus, a Serviceplan Group subsidiary, as its media agency in mid-2025 after a pitch.

• Motel One launched its first integrated brand campaign on October 19, 2026, with the claim 'One great place to leave. And come back.'
• The campaign's media plan, created by Mediaplus, deliberately excludes linear TV and focuses on digital channels including streaming TV+, online video, YouTube, and social media.
• The creative mandate was awarded to Hamburg-based new agency Circus Ramezani, with strategy support from Serotonin.

Arnd Schulte-Hense joins Plan.Net as Managing Director

Plan.Net Group, the digital agency group of Serviceplan Group, has appointed Arnd Schulte-Hense as Managing Director Operations & Delivery, effective September 1. He will report directly to CEO Christian Schmitz and will focus on building an AI-driven delivery organization to restructure operational client collaboration, emphasizing standardized processes, automation, and data-based control. Schulte-Hense will also develop new client offerings, with the model to be expanded to Plan.Net International. He succeeds the previous operations lead and joins from international agency Dept, where he served as Vice President of Delivery & Partner in the DACH region. This appointment follows recent hires and initiatives at Plan.Net, including the appointment of Alexander Rohwer as Managing Director and the creation of a new AI unit.

• Arnd Schulte-Hense becomes Managing Director Operations & Delivery at Plan.Net Group, reporting to CEO Christian Schmitz.
• His focus is on building an AI-driven delivery organization and developing new client offerings, with the model extended to Plan.Net International.
• He joins from international agency Dept, where he was Vice President of Delivery & Partner in the DACH region.

Serviceplan Boosting Health appoints Christian Necker as co-CEO

Serviceplan Boosting Health, the healthcare agency of the Serviceplan Group, is expanding its leadership with a dual leadership structure. Christian Necker is joining Dörthe Besse as co-managing director. Necker, who previously worked as a freelance marketing and communications consultant for the past six months, will be responsible for driving artificial intelligence initiatives within the agency. The appointment is part of Serviceplan's strategy to strengthen its healthcare offering with AI expertise. Necker is a familiar face, having previously worked at Serviceplan.

• Christian Necker appointed co-Managing Director at Serviceplan Boosting Health.
• Necker joins Dörthe Besse to form new dual leadership.
• Necker was a freelance marketing and communications consultant for the past six months.