Deidre Smalls-Landau named U.S. Chief Marketing Officer and EVP, Global Culture at UM

UM, the global marketing and media agency network of IPG Mediabrands, announced the appointment of Deidre Smalls-Landau to the role of U.S. Chief Marketing Officer, effective immediately. Smalls-Landau will oversee UM’s strategic branding, platforms and initiatives, carrying over her previous responsibilities as global head of culture, to ensure a broader impact for the diversity-based cultural framework she spearheaded at the agency. Smalls-Landau will report to UM U.S. CEO, Lynn Lewis.

“As a key member of the UM team, Deidre has worked relentlessly to strengthen the agency’s product and culture by positioning diversity as a true competitive advantage that can help drive business results,” said Lewis. “In her expanded role as CMO, she will continue to champion under-represented segments, ensuring cultural data and insights are at the core of our business and branding, driving better outcomes for our brand and for our clients.”

Under Smalls-Landau’s leadership, UM launched Remix Culture, the first culturally-focused iteration of its annual Wave X study that tracks social and digital media usage and motivations globally. The recently released findings revealed four key trends shaping modern consumer behavior: Resist; Retrograde; Reglocalize; and Recreate. The study informs marketing strategies to ensure cultural connectivity and relevance. Smalls-Landau also spearheaded the launch of UM’s most ambitious diversity initiative, Unity 20/40, which aims to increase diverse representation within the agency by mirroring the projected U.S. ethnic population of the 2040, by 2020.

“I strongly believe that having diversity as a filter for everything we do is a catalyst for cultural transformation and business growth, and an imperative for creating meaningful impact within all levels of an organization,” said Smalls-Landau. “I’m excited for the opportunity to play a greater role in applying cultural perspective in how we go to market as we think about audience behaviors and trends.”