NEW YORK: Weber Shandwick has formed a strategic alliance with Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve, a marketing consultancy known for applying forward thinking to campaigns. This is the BrainReserve's first such alliance in 31 years.
Billee Howard and Jennifer Risi, co-leaders of WS' recently formed global strategic media group, will lead the alliance on the agency side. Todd Myers, alliance chief, will head up the effort for the Brain Reserve.
"It really blends our consumer trend insight with a real understanding of the global communications environment," said Popcorn. "Our model is to weave the DNA of a brand into the DNA of a culture. I think [Weber Shandwick's] brilliant thinking will help us weave it in better."
Howard said the idea for the alliance came out of an existing relationship the global strategic media group had with the BrainReserve.
"The business of trendspotting and futurism overall ... was not just interesting from a media standpoint, but it was obvious that it might create a synergy for both of our businesses," she said.
