Barry Lowenthal

Barry Lowenthal, CEO, The Media Kitchen

As digital has moved to the forefront in the advertising/media world, The Media Kitchen’s Barry Lowenthal has led the agency’s transformation into a digital-first, global cloud-based entity, utilizing ad tech firms’ leading technology to solve problems for international brands, while strategists on the ground build customized transparent local campaigns.

Within the last three years, Lowenthal has spread this approach to markets in the U.S. and around the world with the agency opening offices in Montreal, Toronto, Minneapolis and Shanghai, as well as Sweden under its partnership with the new Forsman & Bodenfors.

As an integral part of this transformation, Lowenthal and his team of “chefs” (their term for employees) deploy “Signal Planning,” a hallmark of The Media Kitchen’s media campaign process. Eschewing the traditional marketing funnel, surveys and panels, Signal Planning leverages the rise of data-driven digital media as consumers give out signals on their journey to purchase. For example, customers may talk about the brand on Facebook, visit a competitor’s store or install a competitor's app on their phone. Those are all examples of signals The Media Kitchen buys and leverages transparently. The ability to capture such signals in real time makes targeting more precise and awareness building a secondary pursuit.

Equally important, Lowenthal has made the collaboration between media and creative part of The Media Kitchen’s DNA. He believes that having media and creative work on parallel tracks creates the ultimate consumer experience. Lowenthal honed this strategy by leveraging The Media Kitchen’s longtime relationship with partner agency Forsman & Bodenfors.