Ten-time Agency of the Year executives open global brand, marketing and content agency; joined by ex-Cisco and Salesforce leader as company’s CMO in Residence
OAKLAND, Calif., April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Park & Battery today announced its launch as a global brand, marketing and content agency, led by the award-winning team of Ted Kohnen and Michael Ruby. The new agency will focus on creating brands, launches, and experiences that deliver significant impact for clients globally, from brand strategy and messaging through to creative/design, content, and media/go-to-market solutions. Kohnen serves as Park & Battery’s Chief Executive Officer; Ruby takes on the role of President, Chief Creative Officer.
Kohnen and Ruby have spent fifteen years working together in agency leadership positions, helping lead their prior agencies to more than ten Agency of the Year accolades. Most recently, as CEO and Chief Creative Officer respectively, the duo led Retina to four Agency of the Year honors in the past eighteen months, including consecutive titles from the Association of National Advertisers. Prior to that, both teamed up at Stein IAS, helping lead to multiple Agency of the Year honors and a spot on the Ad Age’s Agency A-List.
“Our guiding principle in everything we do is to consider the perspectives of others,” said Kohnen. “Perspective is everything: for your customers, your prospects, your employees, your shareholders. And it’s through the lens of all these perspectives that we determine how to position brands and take them to market, how we continually improve performance and optimize results, and how we engage in our day-to-day activities with clients and colleagues.”
Even more closely aligning client perspectives with agency solutions is at the heart of Park & Battery’s philosophy and practices. Unlike the majority of agencies, who are led by career-long agency people, all of the Park & Battery’s leaders have held leadership positions within client-side marketing teams. P&B is taking this truly client-centric approach even further with the decision to appoint a CMO in Residence. Karyn Scott, a twenty-five-year marketing executive and a renowned Cisco, Salesforce, Adobe and Flexport marketing leader, assumes the role.
Scott commented, “Typically, small- and mid-sized organizations have two options: find a way to hire a seasoned CMO when perhaps the company is not ready – this doesn’t end well – or go the alternative route of hiring a consultant or fractional CMO who doesn’t have a team to do the work she will recommend. Park & Battery will provide a unique, and powerful, third option.”
Park & Battery launches with team members in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City, and a roster of clients including Meta, Transfix, Semtech, Indico Data, Questex, Dandy, KBI Biopharma, Esquire Bank, and The Energy Project.
Between them, Kohnen and Ruby have 40+ years of global brand strategy, creative and media experience for clients such as Meta/Facebook, ADP, Boeing, IBM, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Honeywell, HP Enterprise, Merck, and The US Department of State, among others.
Ted Kohnen was named one of IndustryWired’s ten most influential CEOs in 2021 after holding Chief Executive and President roles with Retina, helping to grow the company from 30 to 120 people and doubling revenue in three consecutive years. Previously, as Stein IAS’ first-ever Chief Marketing Officer, and youngest Managing Director, he built the agency’s award-winning integrated marketing and data analytics practice. Kohnen worked client side before that for organizations including Planned Parenthood Federation of America and JP Morgan.
Michael Ruby spent a decade alongside Kohnen at Stein IAS, rising through the ranks to become VP, Executive Creative Director (Americas), then the agency’s first global Chief Content and Experience Officer. Ruby then moved on to Flexport, the SoftBank-backed freight tech leader, to build its brand and internal creative/content marketing agency – helping lead Flexport to be named one of Interbrand’s Breakthrough Brands. Ruby then rejoined Kohnen at Retina, where he led brand strategy and creative, building a global team that earned dozens of awards, including recognition from The One Show, Global ACE Awards, B2 Awards, Content Marketing Awards, and numerous honors from The Drum. Ruby himself was also named Best in Biz Awards 2021 Creative Executive of the Year.
“They say it’s not where you are, it’s who you’re with that counts. We couldn’t agree more,” said Ruby. “If we’ve learned anything from our time working both on the agency and client sides, it’s that the people at our side and the culture we create make all the difference. That’s why our top priority at Park & Battery is to create an environment where we and our teammates can do our best work – and where our clients get best-in-category work that delivers results.”
To learn more, visit ParkandBattery.com.
About Park & Battery
Park & Battery is a global brand, marketing and content agency that harnesses perspectives to create clarity, empower action and deliver outcomes for brands and businesses globally. With teammates in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City, Park & Battery specializes in creating brands, launches, and experiences that deliver big impact, from strategy and messaging through to creative/design, content, and media/go-to-market. Visit us at ParkandBattery.com
Media Contact
Ted Kohnen, Park & Battery, 1 9176576938, goodnews@parkandbattery.com
SOURCE Park & Battery
