For most of the past two decades, Kim Sizemore helped make the advertising that agencies sell. Now she will help figure out where it should go.
Ms. Sizemore, who spent eighteen years at Wieden+Kennedy, the independent Portland shop known for its long relationships with Nike and other blue-chip marketers, has joined Finn Partners, the marketing and public relations agency, to lead what the firm is calling its integrated media practice. The appointment reflects a broader shift in the industry, where the lines between paid advertising, earned media, and brand activations have become blurry enough that someone needs to stand at the intersection and direct traffic.
In her new role, Ms. Sizemore will work with clients including Jack Daniel's, 2K, Mazda, and Delta Air Lines to ensure that their messages cohere across social media, live events, and traditional advertising campaigns. The job, she said, is less about making noise than about making sure the noise lands in the right rooms.
"My husband actually says, 'My wife is responsible for the reason you don't see tampon ads on ESPN,'" Ms. Sizemore told Adweek. (One suspects this line has been tested at dinner parties.)
"It's really important to understand the context of the message you're running," she added.
The move from a creative agency to a firm with roots in public relations is not the leap it might once have been. Finn Partners, which was founded in 2011 and has grown largely through acquisition, has been steadily adding capabilities that look more like those of a traditional agency than a PR shop. For Ms. Sizemore, the appeal appears to be the chance to work across disciplines rather than within the walls of one.
Whether clients will pay for that kind of integration — or continue to parcel out the work to specialists — remains the industry's recurring question.
Original story published in adweek.com: "Why a Wieden+Kennedy Vet Joined Finn Partners To Build Out its Media Practice"