Radar Report #013 – Week of June 1, 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. Unframe Unframe appeared on the Radar after raising $50 million and adding senior product growth and corporate marketing leaders. Trigger Unframe announced a $50 million Series B in May 2026, alongside strong commercial momentum, including $100 million in total contract value and plans to expand delivery capacity, platform development, and senior leadership. Why This Matters The funding suggests Unframe is moving from early enterprise traction into scale mode. With leaders added across product growth and corporate marketing, the company likely needs sharper positioning, stronger enterprise demand creation, and clearer education around how its managed AI delivery model moves customers from pilots to production. Agency Opportunity Enterprise AI positioning Product marketing ABM and demand generation Analyst and PR strategy Executive thought leadership Smart Outreach Angle Lead with insight on how Unframe can own the “AI implementation gap” narrative by showing enterprises a faster path from use case identification to production-ready AI workflows. Company Context Unframe provides a managed AI delivery platform for enterprise AI use cases. Its model is built around custom AI solutions that integrate with existing systems, data environments, and infrastructure choices. 6. Mud Pie Mud Pie appeared on the Radar after appointing a CMO with deep ecommerce, omnichannel, CRM, and marketplace growth experience. Trigger Jennifer Glover was appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Mud Pie in May 2026, joining after senior ecommerce and marketing roles across consumer, retail, and lifestyle brands. Why This Matters The appointment signals Mud Pie is likely accelerating beyond traditional wholesale into a more integrated growth model across digital commerce, marketplaces, social commerce, customer acquisition, and retention. Glover’s background suggests focus on converting brand affinity into measurable revenue across both B2B and consumer-facing channels. Agency Opportunity E-commerce growth strategy CRM and retention Marketplace optimization Social commerce Integrated brand marketing Smart Outreach Angle Lead with insight on how Mud Pie can connect wholesale strength, digital demand, and customer data into a more scalable omnichannel growth engine. Company Context Mud Pie is a consumer products company with wholesale, marketplace, and digital commerce channels. Its growth depends on brand relevance, seasonal demand, retailer relationships, and efficient customer acquisition.
Riviera Beach CRA Website Redesign Signals Three-Year Digital Services Opportunity
At a Glance Buyer: Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Industry: Public sector / community redevelopment Location/markets: Riviera Beach, Florida Primary scope: Website redesign, development, and hosting Key deliverables/channels: Responsive website, CMS, ADA/WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, English and Spanish pages, content migration, calendars, online forms, staff directories, news, search, analytics, social media feeds, training, documentation, hosting, and post-launch s… 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
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority Looks for Public Awareness Campaign Support
At a Glance Buyer: Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority Industry: Public sector/mental health/human services Location/markets: Alaska statewide and regional markets Primary scope: Public relations and marketing Key deliverables/channels: Strategic communications planning, paid media, earned media, social media, digital content, creative production, stakeholder engagement, event/community meeting support, analytics/reporting Budget: $535,000 per year; proposals above $535,000… 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
State of Texas Seeks Mexico Tourism Marketing Partner for Travel Texas Growth
At a Glance Buyer: State of Texas, Office of the Governor, Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office Industry: Tourism/economic development Location/markets: Primary market is the United Mexican States; secondary markets may be identified as needed Primary scope: Tourism public relations and marketing services Key deliverables/channels: Media relations, social media strategy, consumer promotions, Travel Trade relations, FAM tours, media missions, sales missions, creati… 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
State Of Minnesota Opens Traffic Safety Creative and Media Buying With $3.36M Budget
At a Glance Buyer: State of Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety Industry: Government/public safety/traffic safety Location/markets: Minnesota statewide, including diverse markets and Minnesota media markets Primary scope: Traffic safety multimedia, educational content, creative services, and media buying Key deliverables/channels: Creative concepts, multimedia production, video/audio, out-of-home, digital, social, website, print, research, audience testing, media planning, media placement, trafficking, reporting Budget: Estimated media buys total $2,815,000; estimated creative services total $550,000; amounts are subject to change Contract type/term: Professional and technical services contract; anticipated October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, with options to extend up to four additional years Key dates: Questions due June 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM CT; Q&A addendum by June 12, 2026 at 4:00 PM CT; proposals due June 24, 2026 at 4:30 PM CT; evaluation/selection anticipated by September 1, 2026 Eligibility/must-haves: SWIFT Supplier Portal submission only; deadline compliance; required attachments; cost proposal submitted separately; U.S.-based storage and processing; insurance requirements; federal funding compliance; accessibility/ADA requirements Why This Could Be Interesting The State of Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety is seeking a full-service media agency to support statewide traffic safety communications. The work is tied to public education, enforcement awareness, and behavior-change messaging across Minnesota. This is a broad creative and media engagement, not a narrow placement assignment. The selected agency would develop campaign concepts, produce video, audio, digital, out-of-home, print, website, and collateral assets, and negotiate and administer paid media buys across approved channels. What makes this notable is the combination of scale, visibility, and contract upside. The listed annual media buy estimates exceed $2.8 million across impaired driving, occupant protection, speed, distracted driving, and motorcycle safety campaigns, with another $550,000 estimated for creative services. The base term is one year, but the State may extend the contract for up to four additional years. Best suited for full-service agencies with public-sector experience, paid media buying strength, production capabilities, accessibility discipline, and comfort managing multiple regulated campaigns at once. Proposal deadline: June 24, 2026, at 4:30 PM CT Download the full RFP here.
CMO Moves – Week of June 1 2026
Highlights Jill Cress named Chief Marketing Officer at Babylist Babylist is a platform for expecting and new parents, built around registry, commerce, and parenting resources. The appointment comes as Babylist expands beyond its universal registry into a broader digital destination for modern parenting. The release also points to new growth opportunities across financial services and education. Agency lens: Cress will lead brand, performance, content, and experienti… 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
The Performance Marketer Reframing What Modern CMOs Do
Executive: Colette Dill-Lerner, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Company: Growth Channel Industry: Ad Tech / Programmatic Advertising Company Snapshot: Growth Channel helps agencies and in-house marketing teams simplify programmatic advertising across CTV, audio, display, retail media, and more through one platform. Format: CMO Journeys Interview Why It Matters Colette Dill-Lerner did not plan her way into marketing. She backed into it, laughed about it, and built a career around the pressure most people try to avoid. Her story moves from political science to dog walking, consulting, direct response, content, and ad tech. For agencies, her journey is worth studying because she sees marketing through two lenses: the human story and the business math underneath it. Their Path, in Short Colette’s career began with a twist that sounds almost too cinematic to be real. She studied political science and thought she might become an academic. Instead, she found herself in New York City, walking dogs, doing odd jobs, and figuring out what came next. One of those dogs belonged to a woman who was a venture capitalist. That connection opened a door. Colette stepped through it. She describes her path as accidental, not scripted. “I have a plan only when I look back at what happened,” she said. But the pieces do connect. As a child, she was curious, political, and deeply interested in people. She wrote to Ronald Reagan when she was six, read the newspaper young, and always had a book in her hands. To Colette, great marketing starts with understanding human behavior. Her direct response foundation shaped almost everything that followed. At Guthy-Renker, she saw marketing as a business engine: customer acquisition, revenue, lifetime value, CAC, and the drivers of the business. She came to brand and storytelling later, but always through whether they help the bottom line. At PopSugar, she learned that great content is hard, expensive, and not the same as making a commercial. Then came consulting, transformation work, software, and Growth Channel, where she now serves as Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer. The title fits because she leads marketing and client success, while helping agencies and brands think through campaigns, go-to-market plans, and board-level stories. Big Themes From the Conversation Colette is drawn to pressure. Not drama for drama’s sake, but high-stakes moments where things need to move. She realized at PopSugar that she was good in crisis situations and large, bold moments. She is also honest about not fitting the tidy executive mold. She calls herself emotional, expressive, and “all over the place,” then speaks with affection about Boris Shimonowski, the mentor who helped her feel seen. He was controlled and organized. She was not. That contrast mattered. There is practical empathy in how she talks about marketers. Teams are smaller. Expectations are higher. Tools cost money. The job can feel existential. Colette talks like someone who has sat in the chair and knows how heavy that pressure can feel. She is also clear about what AI cannot do. It can help with production, patterns, and tested media plans. But it cannot replace creative judgment, because humans are, in her words, unknowable. If people were easy to understand, every campaign would work. They do not, and that is why human creativity still matters. Watch Or Listen CMO Journey Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners When I asked Colette about agencies, she did not treat them as vendors waiting to be replaced. She sees them as important partners, especially when marketing teams are under pressure and companies may not be eager to rebuild large internal teams. Her philosophy is simple: do not cut agencies out. Growth Channel is intentional about working with agencies because agencies do not need another platform trying to go around them. They need partners who help them serve clients better. What does that look like in practice? Listening comes first. Colette’s answer to what Growth Channel should build internally versus where it should lean on agency partners was direct: “We just ask them.” She believes people understand what they need for their business. She also views credibility through the CFO’s lens. Agencies are often farther away from that conversation, but a useful partner understands that the CMO may be fighting for budget, the work, and the reason marketing deserves investment. She notices partners who reduce pressure instead of adding it. Do not hand someone a requirements document with 950 things they must do before they can work with you. Make it easy to see value. Be flexible. Run tests. Connect what you do to something meaningful in their business. When it comes to discovery, Colette talks less about awards and trade press and more about relationships, useful content, and meaningful conversations. She is investing in in-person connection because people want to do business with people they know, like, and respect. At events, what works is talking about something the other person can connect to their business. The same standard applies to thought leadership. She wants content that is true to the brand, free of contradictions, and meaningful. Her bar is clear: relevance, usefulness, and business value beat empty volume. What Stood Out The most revealing part of Colette’s story may be how comfortable she is with contradiction. She is analytical, but emotional. She is performance-driven, but deeply human. She believes in metrics, but she also believes people are too strange and unpredictable to be reduced to them. And then there is knitting. Colette says she is not great at sitting still. Knitting lets her watch a movie, sit on a plane, or calm her mind while still feeling like she is doing something. That feels like the whole interview in miniature: motion, craft, pressure, and curiosity.
