Radar Report #012 – Week of May 25, 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. Playa Bowls Playa Bowls hit the Radar after adding Tim Hackbardt as CMO, bringing deep restaurant turnaround, franchising, menu, and growth strategy experience. Trigger Tim Hackbardt started as Chief Marketing Officer in March 2026. Playa Bowls is a fast-growing superfood restaurant brand with 400+ locations, expanding primarily through domestic and international franchise partnerships. Why This Matters Hackbardt’s background suggests a growth and brand-scaling mandate. He has led restaurant turnarounds across QSR, fast-casual, family dining, and casual categories, with experience in CRM/mobile app ecommerce platforms, brand reinvention, menu strategy, and franchise growth. Agency Opportunity Franchise growth marketing Restaurant brand positioning Menu and LTO strategy CRM and mobile app marketing Local store demand generation Smart Outreach Angle Lead with how Playa Bowls can translate wellness, GLP-1 relevance, and socially friendly product appeal into repeatable franchise-market demand. Company Context Playa Bowls is a superfood restaurant brand built around bowls, smoothies, fresh produce, and wellness-oriented ingredients. Its opportunity is tied to fast unit growth, franchise consistency, and broader consumer discovery. 6. Sigma Computing Sigma hit the Radar after raising Series E funding while adding growth-enterprise sales leadership and product marketing depth. Trigger Sigma raised $80M in Series E funding at a $3B valuation after surpassing $200M ARR, 2,000+ customers, and 100%+ YoY growth. The company also added Growth Enterprise sales leaders in February 2026 and a VP of Product Marketing in September 2025. Why This Matters The funding points to an enterprise-scale-up push around AI apps, agentic analytics, and governed data workflows. Mark Sarbiewski’s background in SaaS GTM, PLG, category creation, and positioning suggests sharper product-market storytelling may be a priority. Agency Opportunity B2B product marketing Enterprise demand generation ABM strategy Category positioning Analyst and PR support Smart Outreach Angle Lead with the challenge of turning Sigma’s AI analytics momentum into executive-ready enterprise narratives for CIO, data, and business-user buyers. Company Context Sigma is a cloud data and analytics platform helping teams build AI apps and workflows on governed enterprise data.
CMO Moves – Week of May 25, 2026
Highlights Tim Castree named CMO at DoorDash DoorDash is a local commerce platform best known for delivery across restaurants, retail, and everyday needs. Castree joins as DoorDash continues expanding how customers engage with the platform beyond restaurants and food delivery. The move points to a broader brand-building push as the company works to make its value proposition feel local, useful, and relevant across more markets. Agency lens: Expect emphasis on brand … 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
Louisville Zoo Website Rebuild and Digital Support Opportunity With Long-Term Upside
At a Glance Buyer: Louisville Zoo/Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government Industry: Public sector/Tourism/Attractions Location/markets: Louisville, Kentucky; public-facing regional visitor audience Primary scope: Website rebuild and ongoing digital support services Key deliverables/channels: WordPress modernization, reusable templates, content migration, hosting, accessibility compliance, ticketing/ecommerce integrations, maintenance, and support Budget: Not specified C… 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
Texas Veterans Commission Wants Digital Marketing Agency for Statewide Veteran Reach
At a Glance Buyer: Texas Veterans Commission – Communications and Outreach Department Industry: Government/veterans services/public sector Location/markets: Texas; statewide veteran audiences, including rural, urban, underserved, women veteran, transitioning service member, and older veteran populations Primary scope: Digital marketing advertising services, paid media planning and execution, OTT/connected TV, campaign optimization, lead generation, and reporting Key delivera… 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
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Website Redesign With Multi-Year Renewal Potential
At a Glance Buyer: Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi/Harte Research Institute Industry: Higher education/research institute Location/markets: Corpus Christi, Texas Primary scope: Website redesign, hosting, maintenance, CMS implementation, and web development Key deliverables/channels: Discovery, content audit and strategy, information architecture, visual design, CMS build-out, front-end development, content migration, SEO, analytics, accessibility, hosting, and suppor… 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
Pittsburgh Regional Transit Seeks Agency Support Across Campaigns and Research
At a Glance Buyer: Pittsburgh Regional Transit/Port Authority of Allegheny County Industry: Public transportation Location/markets: Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Primary scope: General marketing services Key deliverables/channels: Advertising, design, promotion, market research, direct mail, video/radio production, language support, employee appreciation, public engagement logistics Budget: Not specified Contract type/term: Pool of agreements; 4-year term with one optional 1-year extension; work order basis Key dates: Proposal deadline June 9, 2026; questions due 10 calendar days before proposal due date Eligibility/must-haves: Electronic registration through PRT eBusiness; PDF proposal submission; relevant experience, case studies, work plan, cost summary, key personnel, financial information, and DB participation details where applicable Why This Could Be Interesting Pittsburgh Regional Transit is one of the largest and most diversified public transit agencies in the U.S., serving Allegheny County with buses, light rail, ACCESS paratransit, and the Monongahela Incline. This is not a single campaign brief. PRT is building a bench of marketing partners across seven categories, from advertising and design to research, direct mail, video/radio, translation, employee recognition, and public engagement. The agency-side opportunity is the breadth. PRT flags several initiatives that may need support, including ReadyFare, the University Line, customer satisfaction research, Bus Line Redesign, climate and sustainability work, safety campaigns, and employee events. Why this matters: the structure creates potential for recurring work without requiring every firm to cover every capability. Proposers can submit for one or more categories, and services will be issued through work orders as needs are approved. Best suited for agencies and specialist shops with public-sector discipline, transit or civic-engagement experience, strong project management, and the ability to plug into a multi-vendor bench. Proposal deadline: June 9, 2026 Download the full RFP here.
Signals Behind Chomps’ Next Phase of Retail Growth
At a Glance Interviewee: Stacey Hartnett, SVP, Marketing Company: Chomps Location: Chicago, Illinois Website: chomps.com Industry: Better-for-you meat snacks, protein snacks, omnichannel CPG Company Notes: Chomps is scaling from a DTC challenger into a national retail snack brand Best-Fit Agencies: Retail media, shopper marketing, experiential, brand strategy, creative production, measurement and analytics Source: Adspeak The Big Picture Chomps is moving from a functional, … 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
Inside e.l.f.’s Speed-Led Culture and Growth Priorities
At a Glance Interviewee: Kory Marchisotto, President, e.l.f. Brands Company: e.l.f. Beauty Estimated Revenue: $1.3B net sales Location: Oakland, CA Website: elfbeauty.com Industry: Beauty, cosmetics, skincare, and consumer products Company Notes: e.l.f. has grown from a U.S. color cosmetics challenger into a global, multi-brand beauty house Best-Fit Agencies: Cultural strategy, social-first creative, creator marketing, performance marketing, retail experience, commerce innov… 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
How Linda Bethea Blends Creativity, Focus, and Business Judgment
Executive: Linda Bethea, Chief Marketing OfficerCompany: Danone North AmericaIndustry: Food and Beverage/Consumer Packaged GoodsCompany Snapshot: Danone North America manages a large portfolio that includes global brands, U.S.-specific categories, billion-dollar businesses, emerging brands, and acquired brands.Format: CMO Journeys Interview Why It Matters Linda Bethea did not grow up planning to become a CMO. She was shy, loved reading and writing, and once thought she might become a teacher. Then a college class on the history of advertising changed her path. It showed her that marketing could combine creativity, psychology, and business. Her journey is useful for agencies because she has led inside large, complex organizations and knows what makes outside partners truly valuable. Their Path, in Short When Linda was 18, she would not have predicted a future in marketing. She had no clear plan for what she wanted to become. She was drawn first to reading, writing, and psychology. Advertising pulled those interests together. A class on the history of advertising helped her see marketing as a study of people. It was not just about campaigns. It was about why consumers behave the way they do. From there, she knew she wanted to be a marketer. Her first major chapter began at Frito-Lay after business school. During the interview process, she said she wanted to work on a big brand like Lay’s. She got that assignment. Then she learned an early lesson: the biggest brand is not always the best learning ground. On Lay’s, she was part of a large team. She realized colleagues on smaller brands were often getting broader experience. They had more chances to roll up their sleeves, see more of the business, and make a real impact. That mindset shaped what came next. After several years in marketing, Linda raised her hand for a field role. She moved into a hybrid sales and marketing position in Frito-Lay’s North Business Unit. Suddenly, she was managing sales professionals who were older and more experienced than she was. It was humbling. It was also one of the most important learning periods of her career. She had to listen, learn, and lean on people who knew the field better than she did. That lesson stayed with her across later roles at PepsiCo, Diageo, and Danone North America. As her responsibilities grew, so did the complexity. Instead of managing one brand, she was managing portfolios, teams, and enterprise-level decisions. Big Themes From the Conversation One clear theme in Linda’s story is that growth often comes from the less glamorous assignment. The “big” job may look best from the outside. But the role that forces you to learn the business from the ground up can shape you more deeply. Another theme is the shift from doing to leading. Linda said marketers often get promoted because they are strong executors. Then the job changes. You are no longer responsible for doing every piece of the work. You are responsible for building the team that can do it well. That requires trust. It also requires letting go. Your team may not do the work exactly the way you would. That does not mean it will fail. For Linda, strong leadership means setting clear direction, removing obstacles, and giving people room to execute. Her story also shows how someone can grow into a voice they did not always have. Linda describes herself as a classic introvert who was painfully shy when she was younger. She did not speak in class. She avoided eye contact. Yet marketing pushed her toward consumers, boardrooms, conferences, and stages. Over time, she learned how to connect. She became comfortable speaking in public. That evolution says a lot about her career: she kept moving toward the uncomfortable thing until it became part of her strength. Focus is another major theme. Linda is comfortable saying no. To her, leadership is not only about bold yeses. It is also about rejecting distractions that do not align with the brand strategy. And then there is creativity. Linda believes big ideas can drive brand and business outcomes. But she is honest about how hard it can be for bold ideas to survive inside large organizations. Consensus by committee can kill creativity. Great ideas often make people uncomfortable. Sometimes, that discomfort is the signal that the idea is worth pursuing. Watch Or Listen CMO Journey Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners When I asked Linda how agencies should think about large organizations, her answer was direct: understand who really makes the decision. Agencies often pitch the brand contact and assume that person is the final decision maker. Linda said that is usually not the case. Someone else may be influencing the call behind the scenes. Agencies need to understand that structure and build relationships with the right people. But relationships alone are not enough. Linda wants agencies to understand the business, not just the brand. It is not enough to know the positioning, values, or creative brief. The best partners understand what marketing is trying to achieve from a business standpoint. They can speak to objectives, KPIs, and how the work will be judged. That is where strong agency relationships start to feel different. Linda said the best partners become extensions of the brand team. They want to know the consumer deeply. They join research. They may even conduct research of their own because they care about finding the insight that will make the work better. They are also not boxed in by the scope of work. Linda notices partners who bring ideas the team did not brief. Not because they are trying to sell more work, but because they are excited about the brand and the consumer. She also sees room for different agency models. Bigger brands may need larger full-service agencies. Smaller or more focused brands may benefit from specialists. In her experience, both can matter. Internal teams also have a role. At Danone, Linda said internal creative capabilities helped support smaller brands and helped agency partners turn big ideas