ATLANTA: Former Edelman U.S. head of performance marketing and U.S. MD Todd Silverstein has left the firm to join Drum Agency, a content, media, technology, and analytics firm.
Starting immediately, Silverstein is reporting to Drum COO Kenneth Lomasney and has 25 to 30 direct reports.
Silverstein has replaced Bree Roe, who left Drum to spend more time with her family, according to the firm. Roe started at Drum in January 2018 after it merged with BKV, a firm she joined in 2010.
Silverstein said Edelman has an entrepreneurial attitude, but there were limits as to what he could do there that aren't present at his new job.
"I thought we did a pretty damn good job at Edelman," Silverstein said about his former agency’s efforts to connect data with marketing and content creation. "It was at a different scale, but to build something best-in-class, you can't start at a holding company, and I include Edelman in that category although it still has a entrepreneurial spirit."
Silverstein said that much of what he strove to do at Edelman is "supercharged here, and we're connecting strategy with data at a business level."
He added that a common problem with analytics and strategy is coordinating the two.
"Usually, you have one end of spectrum to another, but they are not connecting," Silverstein said.
An Edelman spokesperson said the agency has no immediate plans to replace Silverstein, adding that Edelman has a deep pool of performance marketing talent from which to draw.
Silverstein had worked at Edelman since 2014, first as an EVP, then group head of digital before leading performance marketing, according to his LinkedIn account. Previously, he worked at 360i, Razorfish, Resolution Media, and BBDO, according to a statement from Drum.
Drum is headquartered in Atlanta and has offices in Chicago and New York. It has worked with clients including Aflac, Equifax, E-Trade and Greenpeace. The agency was formed by the combination of Hiccup, Umarketing, BKV, and Unified.Agency early last year.
This story was updated on January 24 with additional information.
