Radar Report #006 – Week of April 13, 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. A Place for Mom A Place for Mom’s external CMO hire signals a likely push to sharpen performance marketing, improve customer acquisition efficiency, and modernize digital growth. Trigger A Place for Mom hired Chris Milone as Chief Marketing Officer in January 2026, bringing in an external leader with a strong background in direct response, digital acquisition, partnerships, CRM, and customer experience. His prior CMO roles include Laurel Road, Best Egg, and ShopRunner. Why This Matters This looks like a growth-efficiency hire. Milone’s experience centers on performance-driven customer acquisition, channel innovation, UX, strategic partnerships, and large-scale digital transformation. That suggests A Place for Mom may be focused on improving lead generation, conversion, and customer journey performance in a category where trust and decision support matter. Agency Opportunity Performance marketing Customer acquisition strategy CRM and lifecycle marketing UX and conversion optimization Strategic partnerships Smart Outreach Angle Lead with how high-consideration consumer businesses can reduce friction across the path to conversion by tightening acquisition strategy, digital experience, and lifecycle follow-up together. Company Context A Place for Mom operates in healthcare-related consumer services. It serves people navigating major care decisions, which makes trust, digital experience, and efficient lead conversion especially important. 6. Coder Coder’s fresh Series C funding and recent internal marketing leadership elevation point to a push to scale category leadership around secure enterprise AI development. Trigger Coder raised $90 million in Series C funding to expand AI workflow innovation, governance capabilities, and global operations. It also elevated Carmella West to Head of Marketing in October 2025 after earlier growth and operations roles at the company. Why This Matters This is a company moving from product traction to market-shaping mode. The funding is tied directly to enterprise AI workflows, governance, and international expansion, while West’s background is strongest in revenue marketing, marketing operations, and systems-driven growth. That suggests a rising need for clearer category framing, scalable demand programs, and tighter alignment between growth execution and enterprise sales. Agency Opportunity Category positioning Enterprise demand generation Revenue marketing strategy Product marketing Sales enablement Smart Outreach Angle Lead with how infrastructure companies can turn strong technical adoption into a clearer enterprise buying story, especially when AI governance and security need to be sold to multiple stakeholders. Company Context Coder provides self-hosted cloud development environments for enterprises. It operates in developer infrastructure and enterprise software, where technical credibility and precise go-to-market execution are both critical.
Washington Pulse Crops Commission Marketing Services Opportunity With Broad Education and Research Scope
At a Glance Buyer: Washington Pulse Crops Commission Industry: Agriculture/pulse crops Location/markets: Washington State; services support public entities and other groups Primary scope: Marketing, information, education, and research services for pulse crops Key deliverables/channels: Education, marketing, promotion, research, and product development support for dry peas, lentils, chickpeas, faba beans, and lupine Budget: Historically, approximately $500,000 to $800,000 pe… 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
Seneca Falls Development Corporation Opens Broad Place Strategy Brief Across Tourism and Investment
At a Glance Buyer: Seneca Falls Development Corporation Industry: Economic development/tourism/placemaking Location/markets: Seneca Falls, New York Primary scope: Community-wide marketing and place-based strategy Key deliverables/channels: Strategy report, brand and messaging toolkit, implementation roadmap, digital-ready assets and guidelines, final presentation; digital, print, experiential, website, social media, content, media relations, placemaking, signage, and gateway… 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
Visit Broken Arrow Seeks Strategic Marketing Partner for Destination and Experience Campaigns
At a Glance Buyer: Visit Broken Arrow Industry: Destination marketing/tourism Location/markets: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; open to qualified firms nationwide Primary scope: Comprehensive destination marketing services as a strategic marketing partner Key deliverables/channels: Strategic planning, campaign development, paid media, CTV, social, search, display, print, SEO/AEO, website content, email, video/photo, print collateral, reporting Budget: Not specified Contract type/ter… 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
California Department of Corrections Recruitment Marketing Contract With $1.65M Programmatic Scope
At a Glance Buyer: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Industry: Public sector/corrections/workforce recruitment Location/markets: California statewide, with potential out-of-state media buys in markets such as Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas Primary scope: Programmatic marketing and recruitment advertising to increase Correctional Officer applications Key deliverables/channels: Digital marketing, media planning and buying, TV, radio, billboards… 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
Middle Georgia State University Needs Brand Strategy Partner for Multi-Campus Creative Refresh
At a Glance Buyer: Middle Georgia State University Industry: Higher education Location/markets: Georgia; residential campuses in Cochran, Eastman, and Macon, with further offerings in Dublin, Warner Robins, and online Primary scope: Market research, brand positioning refinement, messaging framework development, and creative asset development Key deliverables/channels: AAU study, competitive positioning analysis, stakeholder workshops, research report, brand positioning framework, university tagline, ad templates, billboard designs, print ad, digital display suites, story packages, photography gallery, website and social media assessment Budget: Not specified Contract type/term: Project-based engagement Key dates: Proposal deadline May 1, 2026; project period July 2026 through March-April 2027 Eligibility/must-haves: Supplier must conduct research and discovery, lead stakeholder workshops, develop strategic brand positioning, create print and digital assets, provide recurring status/results reporting, and support monthly electronic invoicing Why This Could Be Interesting Middle Georgia State University is a public university in the University System of Georgia with multiple campus locations and online offerings. It serves more than 8,800 students and is positioning this work as part of its next chapter. This is not just a creative refresh. MGA wants an agency to assess current ads, collateral, website, and social media, then use that research to sharpen brand positioning and build a more unified messaging system. The interesting signal here is the mix of strategy and production. The scope stretches from AAU research and competitive analysis to stakeholder workshops, tagline development, ad templates, story packages, and a photo library spanning five campus locations. That gives this opportunity more depth than a typical messaging assignment. It also suggests meaningful visibility across leadership, faculty, students, alumni, parents, and community stakeholders, which can make the work more influential if the agency knows how to manage complexity. Best suited for agencies with higher-ed branding experience, strong research chops, stakeholder facilitation skills, and in-house creative production across print, digital, video, and photography. Proposal deadline: May 1, 2026 Download the full RFP here.
CMO Moves – Week of April 13, 2026
Highlights Alexandra London named CMO at G2 G2 is a software marketplace and review platform used by buyers and sellers. G2 framed the hire around an AI-driven shift in how software is discovered and purchased, with trust becoming more central to decision-making. London’s remit includes finding new areas for growth and differentiation while positioning G2 as a trusted voice in the age of AI. Agency lens: This points to work around brand positioning, discoverability… 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
Adobe’s Next Marketing Chapter Takes Shape Around AI
At a Glance Interviewee: Lara Balazs, Chief Marketing Officer and EVP, Global Marketing Company: Adobe Location: San Jose, California Website: adobe.com Industry: Software for creativity, productivity, and customer experience Company Notes: Adobe is a scaled global software company with major platforms across Creative Cloud, Document Cloud, and Experience Cloud Best-Fit Agencies: Brand strategy, enterprise creative operations, AI-enabled content production, customer experien… 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
Ace Hardware Opens New Agency Paths Through Loyalty and Media
At a Glance Interviewee: Kim Lefko, Chief Marketing Officer Company: Ace Hardware Estimated Revenue: $10B Location: Oak Brook, Illinois Website: acehardware.com Industry: Hardware retail and home improvement Company Notes: Ace is a retailer-owned cooperative with more than 5,200 stores and a model that blends national scale with local store autonomy Best-Fit Agencies: Retail media, CRM and loyalty, shopper marketing, local activation, experiential retail, digital commerce So… 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
Esi Eggleston Bracey on Leadership, Change, and Doing You
Executive: Esi Eggleston Bracey, Former CMOCompany: UnileverIndustry: Consumer GoodsCompany Snapshot: Global consumer brands companyFormat: CMO Journeys Interview Why It Matters Esi Eggleston Bracey did not set out to become a marketer. She thought she was headed toward a very different future. But once she found brand building, she found the thing that matched how her mind works: solve problems, understand people, create value. That is what makes her journey worth studying. It is not just a story about rising through big companies. It is a story about trusting your own instincts, growing through discomfort, and staying human while leading at scale. For agencies, her view is especially useful because she is clear about where outside partners matter most. Their Path, in Short Esi grew up in Chicago and describes herself as a kid who loved numbers. Math was her favorite subject. She was curious, active, and, in her words, precocious. Her mother was a lawyer and civil rights activist. Her father was a math teacher. Marketing was not on her radar. She calls herself an “accidental executive,” and that feels like the right place to start. She did not map out a career in business or brand management. What pulled her in was something simpler: she loved solving problems, and she loved people. Once she started at Procter & Gamble, the fit clicked. She realized marketing let her connect insight, creativity, and business in one place. Some of her earliest lessons came from small moments that turned into big ones. As a young brand assistant on Comet Cleanser, she looked at the tear tape on the package and saw more than packaging. She asked whether it could help build awareness for a new product. It could. That simple idea became a major driver of awareness. For her, it was an early lesson in what happens when focus, creativity, and analysis meet. That pattern kept showing up. She talked about helping develop Febreze by connecting a real human tension to a business need. She talked about CoverGirl and listening to people who did not feel seen by narrow beauty standards. Across those stories, her approach stayed the same: understand what people need, then build something that answers it in a way that helps the business grow. Her career also stretched her personally. Moving to Geneva while expecting her second child was one of those moments. Leaving the culture of P&G and stepping into new environments was another. She does not tell those stories like they were easy. She tells them as moments of uncertainty. Then she tells you what she did next: she jumped in. Big Themes From the Conversation The biggest theme in her story is growth through challenge. Esi said every challenge is an opportunity for growth. That is not just a leadership line for her. It is how she has moved through both professional and personal change. Scary moments, in her telling, often became the most transformative ones. Another theme is individuality. Early in her career, she realized she had been trying to conform. She thought success meant studying the environment and matching what she saw. Over time, she learned the opposite. One of her clearest principles is, “Do you. It’s your superpower.” She says it simply, but it carries weight because it came from experience. She also talks about energy in a way that feels practical and personal. She said she manages energy, not just time. Time is limited. Energy can be renewed. That tells you a lot about how she thinks. She is not interested only in output. She is interested in what allows people to keep growing, leading, and showing up fully. And throughout the conversation, she keeps coming back to people. Not just consumers in a narrow sense, but whole people with tensions, needs, and desires. Even when she talks about building brands, she talks about helping people first. That is part of what makes her leadership style feel warm instead of abstract. Watch CMO Journeys Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners When I asked her how she thinks about agencies, she started by zooming out. The fundamentals of brand building, she said, have not changed. You still have to understand people, create desire, and turn that desire into commerce through reach, engagement, and conversion. What has changed is the ecosystem around that work: the tools, the channels, the speed, the expectations. That matters because it shapes how she sees agency value. In her experience, the most irreplaceable thing agencies bring is ideas and creativity. Not just campaigns. Not just ads. Ideas that can travel. Ideas that connect to culture. Ideas strong enough to live across different voices and formats. That is where she sees real outside value. She was equally clear about what marketers need to own. In her view, the marketer has to be the integrator. The ecosystem is too complex to outsource the full picture. Data, commerce, media, innovation, and creative thinking all have to connect, and the brand owner has to hold that together. Agencies can support that work with media strategy, planning, execution, insights, and intelligence. But support is different from ownership. That is also why she pushes back on the simple idea that AI means cutting agency spend. She does believe there is waste in the system. She does believe productivity should improve. But she separates that from the bigger question. The better question, she says, is this: what creates irreplaceable value for growth, and who is best equipped to deliver it? That is her standard. Agencies that stand out are the ones that challenge the status quo, bring breakthrough ideas, and help translate those ideas into productive growth. The roles may evolve. The need for value does not. What Stood Out What stayed with me most was her clarity about identity. She said, “I loan myself to my job. My job is not me.” That is a striking line. It explains why she can talk about change