Radar Report #003 – Week of March 23, 2026
7 Accounts Showing Buying Signals Each week, the Radar Report highlights companies showing signals of potential marketing investment. These moments often lead organizations to reassess agency relationships and growth initiatives. For agencies looking for new business opportunities, Radar Report surfaces companies likely preparing to invest in marketing and brand. 7. Roper St. Francis Healthcare Internal promotion to CMO signals a focus on strengthening brand, communications, and patient engagement rather than a full strategic reset. Trigger Roper St. Francis Healthcare promoted Andy Lyons to Chief Marketing and Communications Officer in March 2026 after serving in interim and communications leadership roles for over a decade. Why This Matters An internal appointment suggests continuity in strategy, with emphasis on enhancing reputation, internal alignment, and patient engagement. Lyons’ background in communications, media relations, and crisis management points to a focus on trust-building, service line growth support, and improving digital and content-driven patient access rather than large-scale repositioning. Agency Opportunity Healthcare communications & PR Patient engagement strategy Content & digital experience Reputation management Service line marketing Smart Outreach Angle Lead with a POV on how health systems are using content and digital platforms to improve patient access and strengthen trust across communities. Company Context Roper St. Francis Healthcare is a regional health system operating hospitals and care facilities, focused on patient care delivery, community health, and service line growth. 6. Vestacy New CPG marketing leader signals a push to scale and modernize a private equity-backed portfolio of household brands. Trigger Vestacy appointed Nicole Rivera Lebedowicz as VP/CMO, North America in March 2026, bringing in an external leader with experience across Kraft, OXO, and Topps. Why This Matters Vestacy’s carve-out from Reckitt creates immediate pressure to establish standalone brand identity, optimize go-to-market, and drive growth across multiple legacy brands. Lebedowicz’s background in brand transformation, omnichannel marketing, and commercialization suggests a focus on improving retail performance, expanding DTC capabilities, and unlocking new distribution and innovation opportunities. Agency Opportunity Portfolio brand strategy Retail & shopper marketing DTC and e-commerce growth Product innovation support Creative & packaging Smart Outreach Angle Lead with a POV on how carved-out CPG portfolios can quickly rebuild brand equity and drive growth through integrated retail and DTC strategies. Company Context Vestacy is a private equity-backed consumer goods company managing a portfolio of household brands, including Air Wick, Woolite, and Easy-Off, following their separation from Reckitt.
State of Maine Seeks Cruise Marketing Management Partner for Tourism Growth and Industry Coordination
At a Glance Buyer: State of Maine, Department of Economic & Community Development, Office of Tourism Industry: Tourism Location/markets: Maine; local, national, and international cruise markets Primary scope: Cruise marketing, management, coordination, and outreach for long-term sustainable cruise development Key deliverables/channels: Annual cruise marketing and business development plan; outreach and stakeholder coordination; trade show participation; media relations; … Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
Southern Illinois University Marketing Engagement Spans Paid Media, Attribution, and Enrollment Analytics
At a Glance Buyer: Southern Illinois University Carbondale Industry: Higher education Location/markets: Carbondale, Illinois; specific target markets not specified Primary scope: Digital advertising buying, campaign optimization, and performance reporting with unified analytics dashboards Key deliverables/channels: Search, social, display, digital billboards, streaming audio/video, Slate CRM dashboard integration, multi-touch attribution, predictive analytics, bi-monthly mee… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
City of Arroyo Grande Tourism Marketing Opportunity for Three-Year Engagement
At a Glance Buyer: City of Arroyo Grande, on behalf of the Arroyo Grande Tourism Business Improvement District (AGTBID) Industry: Tourism/destination marketing Location/markets: Arroyo Grande, California; feeder markets include Los Angeles and San Francisco Primary scope: Integrated marketing, advertising, communications, social media, and website management services for Visit Arroyo Grande Key deliverables/channels: Destination marketing strategy, creative campaigns, integr… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
University of Wyoming MBA Enrollment Marketing Partner for Multi-Channel Growth and CRM Integration
At a Glance Buyer: University of Wyoming Industry: Higher education Location/markets: Laramie, Wyoming; campus and online MBA markets; non-resident enrollment growth is a stated goal Primary scope: Enrollment marketing services for the University of Wyoming College of Business MBA portfolio Key deliverables/channels: Multi-channel campaigns, digital media management, audience strategy, creative production, landing pages, nurture emails, SMS or surveys, marketing automation, … Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
University of North Carolina at Pembroke Seeks Graduate Marketing Partner With Long-Term Runway
At a Glance Buyer: University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP) Industry: Higher education Location/markets: Pembroke, North Carolina; online graduate program markets Primary scope: Online graduate program marketing and recruitment services for Online Accelerated Programs (OAPs) Key deliverables/channels: Market research, messaging and branding, lead generation, recruitment and enrollment services, CRM documentation, admitted-to-enrolled conversion support, course carouse… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
DC Lottery Opens Full-Service Marketing Search With iLottery, Media, and Retail Scope
At a Glance Buyer: District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer, on behalf of the Office of Lottery and Gaming Industry: Lottery/gaming Location/markets: District of Columbia and surrounding areas Primary scope: Full-service advertising and marketing services to support brand awareness and ticket sales across traditional lottery, iLottery, and any new gaming categories launched during the contract term Key deliverables/channels: Creative development, media planning and buying, digital marketing, CRM banners, paid and organic social, POS materials, signage, communications support, research, retailer support, and campaign reporting Budget: Estimated annual cost reimbursement ceiling of $9M plus estimated annual net media buy of $3M Contract type/term: Cost reimbursement contract with requirements components; one base year plus four option years Key dates: Proposal deadline May 4, 2026, at 2:00 PM local time Eligibility/must-haves: CBE-only solicitation; offerors must be certified at time of submittal; minimum required key personnel are an Account Executive, Creative Director, and Media Director, each with at least five years of relevant experience Why This Could Be Interesting The DC Office of Lottery and Gaming is looking for a full-service agency to support one of the District’s most visible revenue-generating public brands. This is a public-sector account tied directly to lottery product sales, brand awareness, and contributions to the District’s General Fund. The scope is broad in a way that should get agency leaders to pay attention. This is not just creative and media. It spans traditional lottery, iLottery, digital campaigns, paid and organic social, CRM, retailer marketing, research, communications, and production. What makes this especially notable is the operating complexity. The selected agency would be working across both brand and performance-style marketing needs, with real-time analytics, quarterly ROI reviews, post-buy analysis, weekly meetings, and tight approval controls. That points to an account that demands discipline, not just ideas. There is also meaningful scale here. The pricing structure includes an estimated $9M annual cost reimbursement ceiling and an estimated $3M annual net media buy, plus a fixed monthly retainer. The contract also includes one base year and four option years, which could make this a longer-term public account. Best suited for CBE-certified agencies with strong media, creative, digital, analytics, and public-sector account management capabilities. Proposal deadline: May 4, 2026, at 2:00 PM local time Download the full RFP here
DoorDash’s Evolving Mandate Creates New Partner Openings
At a Glance Interviewee: Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, Chief Marketing Officer Company: DoorDash Estimated Revenue: $4B Location: San Francisco, California Website: doordash.com Industry: Local commerce, delivery, retail media, merchant software Company Notes: DoorDash has expanded from restaurant delivery into grocery, retail, merchant tools, reservations, and ads across more than 40 countries Best-Fit Agencies: Brand strategy, integrated creative, retail media, CRM and lifecycle,… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
CMO Moves – Week of March 23, 2026
Highlights Simon Mouyal named CMO at Armis Armis is a cyber exposure management and security company. The hire is tied directly to Armis’ next phase of expansion. The company said Mouyal will lead global marketing strategy and execution to accelerate category leadership, scale the marketing organization, and drive further growth and market penetration. Agency lens: Category narrative, global demand generation, partner marketing, and enterprise campaign orchestration… Get Unlimited NextBigWin Access Subscribe to become a NextBigWin Pro member and get access to all our exclusive content. Turn access and intelligence into your next big client win. Already a member? Login Subscribe to NextBigWin Pro
Jeff Cato’s Practical Blueprint for Leading a Modern Brand
Executive: Jeff CatoCompany: JascoIndustry: Consumer electronics and connected homeCompany Snapshot: Jasco sells lighting, automation, and home technology products through retail and e-commerce channels.Format: CMO Journeys Interview Why It Matters Jeff Cato’s path to CMO was not straight. He moved through sales, operations, e-commerce, and digital, picking up a wider view of how a business actually works. That is what makes his story worth studying. He does not talk about marketing like a department. He talks about it like a living part of the company. That is also why agencies should pay attention. Cato’s view of partnership is practical, clear-eyed, and rooted in how people solve problems together. He is not looking for noise. He is looking for understanding. Their Path, in Short Cato started in sales, and that foundation still shows. He learned early that business moves through people. You have to understand what matters to them, what problem they are trying to solve, and how to meet them where they are. The tools have changed, but that basic truth has not. As his career grew, so did the scope of his work. He moved from sales into roles that mixed sales, marketing, and operations. At Jasco, his work expanded further into e-commerce and digital marketing. That broader exposure helped him see the full customer journey more clearly. It also helped him understand himself. Over time, he became more aware of where he was strongest and what kind of work energized him most. One major turning point came when he stepped into a COO role at a telecom company. It stretched him hard. He was dealing with IT, finance, operations, and large partner agreements that could affect the business in major ways. He described feeling like a fish out of water. But that discomfort became useful. It forced him to learn faster, rely on experts around him, and accept that leadership is not about having every answer yourself. Another important chapter came when he helped build a new cloud backup division. It had the feel of a startup inside a larger business. That meant building from scratch, moving quickly, testing ideas, and staying flexible when things did not go as planned. It taught him to be hands-on. It also taught him patience. Growth may sound exciting from the outside, but on the inside it usually looks like trial, error, and steady adjustment. Through all of it, his path seems to have sharpened rather than narrowed him. Each stop added another layer. Sales taught him connection. Operations taught him discipline. Digital taught him speed. Leadership taught him that the best work is never done alone. Big Themes From the Conversation One big theme is curiosity. Cato’s career was not built by staying inside one lane. He kept stepping into new territory, learning new parts of the business, and getting more comfortable with complexity. That kind of curiosity does not just build experience. It builds range. Another theme is humility. He speaks openly about moments when he felt stretched or unsure. That matters, because it shows how he leads. He does not pretend expertise where he does not have it. He leans on smart people. He listens. He learns. That is not weakness. That is maturity. There is also a strong bias toward action in the way he talks. Especially in the more entrepreneurial chapter of his career, the rhythm was clear: try, learn, adjust, repeat. No drama. No over-polishing. Just motion. You can hear how much that shaped his mindset. And then there is structure. He values clarity. He values alignment. He wants teams speaking the same language and working from the same goals. Even in the way he talks about his own routine, you get the sense that discipline helps him stay grounded and lead with a clearer head. Watch CMO Journeys Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners When I asked him how he chooses agency partners, he answered like someone who has seen both the good version and the bad one. He is very clear that agencies can play an important role. At Jasco, he pointed to areas like paid social and PR as places where outside expertise can be especially useful. That is partly about specialization, and partly about bandwidth. Internal teams can only carry so much. A strong partner can add skills, speed, and flexibility. But he is not interested in agencies that just execute and disappear. What he values most is proactiveness. He wants a partner who works within the goals they agreed on, watches what is happening, and brings ideas forward without being asked. If something is off, he wants them to say it. If something can be better, he wants them to come with a recommendation. To him, that is what makes a partner feel like a partner. He also pays close attention to how agencies show up in the first place. A first meeting matters. If an agency jumps straight into a pitch without spending real time trying to understand the business, that is a problem. He wants questions. He wants curiosity. He wants transparency about strengths and limitations. In other words, he wants the beginning of a relationship, not the start of a performance. One story made this especially clear. While exploring a CTV partner, he compared different agency approaches. One asked thoughtful questions and worked to understand the business. Another led with the deck. The difference was easy to spot. So was the signal. For Cato, real credibility starts with listening. He also does not think every agency decision works the same way. In PR, category knowledge stood out to him. Knowing the smart home space mattered. In paid media, a broader full-service capability could make sense. His point was simple: fit depends on the problem. He sees AI through that same practical lens. Big claims do not impress him on their own. What matters is whether a partner can connect the technology to the actual business challenge. If they can explain