Goodbye, Brand Management

Hello, Digital.My role at Stone Ward has officially changed. As of today, I am the Director of Digital Strategy and Planning. And I couldn't be more excited about taking on this challenge at our agency. I hope to bring my passion for all things digital to the experience and knowledge I have about all our clients and work with them and our agency to make their digital presences more robust, integrated and successful. And, I'll be taking the research part of my last role with me as I continue to manage the "insight" part of our process (which is the "planning" part of my new title).As I leave our Brand Management group, I am reflecting on the things I will miss and those things I won't miss at all. I will definitely miss working with and coaching the talented group that I am leaving (though I'm not going far, in fact, my office isn't even moving).I strongly believe in the importance of leadership in an agency's brand management department. This group is the hub of all communications, efforts, knowledge and relationships related to our client work. At Stone Ward, we have great people that make up this group, each bringing and contributing different skills and experiences, and they learn from each other to make the group stronger each and every day. They work hard to earn the trust of clients and the respect of their agency colleagues. They are smart and confident in their advisory roles and strategic contributions. And they are just generally likable people. I'll miss the day-to-day interaction that I get to have with them all, though I know we will still be collaborating on client projects and learning to work together in a different way.I'm kicking off my new role in digital with the annual trek to South by Southwest Interactive in Austin, TX. Be on the lookout for updates from Texas over the next week.And cheers to new beginnings!