Marketing Agency Cashmere Promotes Five Senior Executives
Cashmere, the marketing firm that identifies as a “culture agency,” has promoted five of its senior executives following its merger with the tech-led digital advertising and marketing company Media.Monks eight months ago.
Vice president of business development Cameron Crane has been elevated to chief growth officer, vp of operations Joey Furutani to chief of staff, and exec vp of client services Sandy Song to chief client officer. In addition, vp of public relations Brianne Pins is now a senior vp, while vp and group strategy director Jesse Nicely is senior vp of cultural strategy.
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“Cultural innovation in marketing is where brands are looking for thought partners fluent in connecting with different audiences and creating meaning in the culture. Cashmere was founded by culture creators and this superpower resides in our DNA, which has resulted in enormous demand in our services,” Cashmere president and chief creative officer Ryan Ford said in a statement. “This group of exceptional executives have been an essential driving force in our clients’ success as well as our own, and their promotions uniquely position Cashmere in this next phase of expansion, alongside our merger with Media.Monks, to create a foundationally different service offering.”
Four of the five promoted executives are longtime Cashmere team members: Crane (nine years), Furutani (ten years), Pins (15 years) and Nicely (eight years). Song, a 20-year veteran of global agencies, joined last year.
Crane, who has helped grow Cashmere’s clientele in its brand and entertainment verticals with clients including Google, Amazon, Meta, Taco Bell and Disney, will now take the lead in the agency’s business growth, marketing and product and services innovation. She previously has worked in-house at lululemon athletica and managed the Power 106 account at Emmis Communications.
Furutani has already been overseeing Cashmere’s operations, resource management and cross-department stability, and in his new role will not only spearhead key agency initiatives and organizational partnership and innovation but also the operational integration and discipline amplication with Media.Monks. He previously led marketing at Spectrum Knowledge and began his career at Nakatomi & Associates in communications.
Over the past year, Song has driven innovation and thought leadership for both Cashmere and its clients and also worked in business development and growth. While continuing to implement best practices and client services, she also will be a key player in Cashmere and Media.Monks’ new entity, details of which the agency has not disclosed. Her career includes stints at DLA, Chiat\Day, TeamOne and 180LA working with clients including Lexus, LVMH, Del Monte, PepsiCo, University of Phoenix and Taco Bell.
As the architect of Cashmere’s PR division (which was named one of PR News’ Agency Elite Top 100 for 2022), Pins has worked with clients including Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+, Disney, Universal Pictures, Coca-Cola, Taco Bell, Google and Danone. With the new title, she will continue to expand the agency’s PR services, particularly as they intersect with social media and culture. One of five publicists honored by Campaign US’ Female Frontier Awards this year, she spent the first five years of her career at MySpace Music, 5WPR and The Rogers Group.
Nicely has scaled Cashmere’s cultural intelligence (CQ) practice, a division of the strategy department that conducts proprietary research and cultural deep dives for its brand and entertainment clients, including Taco Bell, BMW, Google, HBO, Disney and FX. He will continue leading the agency’s cultural strategy, particularly investigating how brands can innovatively use technology to reach audiences and grow. In addition to previously working at Dentsu, he also has served as managing editor of the lifestyle publication Frank151 and co-founded Puffingtons Golf, a “cannagolf” brand.
