PHD vs Rise

PHD names Sandra Sotelo EMEA CEO

Omnicom Media Group has appointed Sandra Sotelo as CEO of its media network PHD for the EMEA region, effective mid-November. She will be based in London and report to Christian Flouch, Global Brand President at PHD, and Blake Cuthbert, Chief Client Success Officer at Omnicom Media EMEA. Sotelo previously served as Managing Director of PHD Spain for six years, where she drove sustainable growth and established cross-border hubs for global clients. She succeeds Susanne Grundmann, who was recently promoted to Global President of Omnicom's Initiative network. PHD has been experiencing a dynamic phase, winning major accounts such as Adidas, Dyson, and SkyShowtime, making it the number one network in new business globally and in EMEA, according to COMvergence. Sotelo will lead a team of over 3,600 employees across the region.

• Sandra Sotelo wird CEO von PHD EMEA, Start Mitte November 2026.
• Sotelo folgt auf Susanne Grundmann, die Global President bei Omnicoms Initiative wurde.
• PHD gewann kürzlich Etats von Adidas, Dyson und SkyShowtime und ist die Nummer eins im Neugeschäft (COMvergence).

How Brands Can Leverage Sports Fandom Year-Round: Roku and PHD Insights

During an ADWEEK House fireside chat, Roku's Jake Piasecki and PHD's Ashley Arena discussed how brands can leverage sports fandom beyond game days to build loyalty and reach niche audiences. Arena highlighted opportunities for smaller advertisers to engage deeply through podcasts, player content, and pregame coverage, offering more value than limited sports schedules. Burger King, a PHD client, sponsors Roku's college football zone, tapping into fan rituals before kickoff. The conversation emphasized authentic brand partnerships, using data from Omnicom to build consumer profiles, and shifting focus toward long-term customer retention over immediate conversions. Future opportunities include the 2027 Women's World Cup and 2028 LA Olympics to engage new fan communities.

• Jake Piasecki is co-head of enterprise ad sales at Roku.
• Ashley Arena is head of investment at media agency PHD.
• Burger King, a PHD client, sponsors Roku's college football zone.

PHD’s Leaders and Campaigns Honored at the 2026 M&M Global Awards

PHD’s leaders and campaigns were honored at the 2026 M&M Global Awards, as announced on October 2, 2026.

Rise named AdExchanger Awards finalist for AI-powered search measures

Rise Interactive has been named a finalist in the 2026 AdExchanger Awards for its AI-powered search measures. The announcement was made on September 1, 2026.

Agencies Build Audit Tools to Monitor AI Agents, Prevent Overcharging

Media agencies are deploying AI agents for planning and buying, but are discovering the need for monitoring to prevent cost overruns and hallucination. Agencies like Rise, Brainlabs, Dept, and PMG are building or adopting audit tools that log agent actions, track token usage, and enforce model selection policies. PubMatic offers an audit log feature for its AI media buying tests. Gartner reports that 60% of organizations using AI may face cost overruns due to lack of usage tracking. Agencies are implementing tiered token access, AI gateways, and daily caps to control costs and ensure accountability. The article highlights the importance of human oversight and model selection to manage AI-related expenses.

• Gartner survey of 1,300 senior marketers found 56% of companies lack clear AI usage policies.
• Gartner estimates 60% of organizations using AI will face cost overruns due to lack of usage tracking.
• Rise, a Quad agency, has been testing AI media buying agents with a supermarket client since June.