Kepler executes engineered marketing, where every message and ad delivered helps create a more personalized and productive relationship between brands and their consumers. We do this by acting as clients’ agency of record, as their in-house team, or some hybrid of the two – and by harnessing data and technology across all paid digital media and data-driven CRM channels.

Kepler prides itself on being a great place to work. In fact, we’re proud to share that AdAge recognized Kepler among the Best Place to Work in 2022, validating our investment in our team and our clients.

We're transparent with our employees. You'll hear updates on company financials, how we're performing against bonus goals, and how we're responding to challenges we face.
We're growing. For you, that means unparalleled growth opportunities and a role in shaping the direction of the company.
We're fun. You'll work with and learn from the smartest people in the industry and have a blast doing it.

The Role:

As the VP, Head of Activation, you will lead the largest and most dynamic engine within our Client Solutions department. This isn't a role for a spectator. You will be the architect of our execution strategy, overseeing a multi-channel powerhouse that spans all media that Kepler buys, consults, creates, or analyzes on behalf of clients. You will bridge the gap between high-level brand storytelling, agency innovation, and granular technical media execution. We need a visionary who understands that "performance" and "brand" are two sides of the same coin, and who possesses the industry clout and ability to negotiate at the highest levels with ad technology and media partners.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Vision & Innovation

The Future of Agentic Media Activation: Co-develop the "North Star" for how our agency activates media in a rapidly evolving agentic-powered world.
Full-Funnel Integration: Create frameworks that drive profitable, sustainable growth across all media channels.
Omni-Channel Mastery: Ensure teams are implementing a unified strategy across all media partners and channels, via media platforms and Direct IOs, moving away from "channel-first" thinking to "audience-first" activation.

2. Partnership & Ecosystem Management

Deep Relationships: Leverage existing high-level connections at major platforms and publishers to secure first-to-market alphas, better rates, and strategic support.
Diversification: Expand our footprint beyond the Big Three. You should be as comfortable discussing a custom content integration with a niche publisher as you are discussing a YouTube Masthead buy.

3. Leadership & People Operations

Scale the Team: Lead, mentor, and grow the largest sub-department in the agency. You are responsible for the career mapping and retention of a diverse group of specialists.
Culture of Excellence: Foster an environment of continuous testing, learning, and critical thinking.
Global Activation for NAM: Manage high-performing global Activation teams that support Kepler’s North America business.

4. Operational Excellence

Standardization: Develop global best practices for campaign setup, optimization, and reporting to ensure "best-in-class" work is the baseline, not the exception.
Technology Stack: Influence the selection and implementation of Kip, the Kepler Intelligence Platform, and our ad tech stack of preferred 3rd party tools and partnerships (e.g., DSPs, Buying/Bidding Tools, Analytics suites).

The Ideal Profile

12+ Years of Experience: You’ve spent over a decade in the weeds and in the boardroom, with a proven track record of managing $100M+ in aggregate media spend.
Media Partner and PlatformAgnostic: You aren't "a Google person" or "a Social person." You are a Media person who understands how brands grow, how people interact with brands, and which media opportunities will resonate best for sustainable growth.
High EQ: You can translate complex technical jargon into "client-speak" and navigate the internal politics of a large agency or corporate structure with grace.
Data-Fluent: You don't need to be a data scientist, but you must be able to challenge a measurement framework and understand the nuances of advanced measurement methodologies such as MMM (Marketing/Media Mix Modeling) and MTA (Multi-Touch Attribution).

Transparency is fundamental to Kepler’s culture. Our compensation strategy is designed to attract, reward, and retain the talented employees that drive Kepler’s growth and success. We aim to offer competitive direct compensation and a rich indirect compensation program that demonstrates the value we place on our employees and their wellbeing.

Total Compensation:

Base Salary: $210,000 - $230,000
Target Annualized Discretionary Bonus: 20% (42,000 - $46,000)
Target Total Cash: $252,000 - $276,000

Benefits:

Healthcare/Dental/Vision
Unlimited PTO
401k Contributions
$75/mo Wellness Stipend
$100/mo Mobile Phone Stipend
$50/mo Internet Stipend
$500/yr Annual Learning Stipend
$2,000/yr Annual Tuition Stipend
One-time $200 New Hire Home Office Equipment Stipend
Parental Leave - 16 week primary caregiver / 6 week secondary caregiver leave
Annual Work From Anywhere 4 weeks per year

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About the company

Kepler Group helps global brands improve their marketing using a mix of data analytics and human creativity. It analyzes data to uncover insights about audiences and how they respond to campaigns, then turns those insights into tailored marketing strategies and creative executions. The Kip technology system is used to convert complex data into usable recommendations and actions for campaigns. Revenue comes from consulting fees, licensing its technology, and performance-based incentives tied to results. The company differentiates itself by combining deep data science with creative execution and by offering integrated solutions across strategy, technology, and creative work. Its goal is to demystify the digital marketing landscape for brands and drive measurable, data-driven results.”}$

Company Size

501-1,000

Company Stage

Acquired

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

New York City, New York

Founded

2012

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

Kepler activated ChatGPT campaigns for over ten brands by May 2026, proving demand.
EMEA and APAC operations doubled over three years, forcing new offices and AI investment.
Digiday named Kepler a 2026 Most Innovative Media Agency after its AI-led repositioning.

What critics are saying

OpenAI and Pacvue can disintermediate agencies once ChatGPT ads self-serve scales in 2026.
Toby Hack replaced Mallory Simmonds in March 2026, signaling regional leadership churn.
Kepler's differentiation depends on platforms like Amazon, Google, and Pacvue controlling measurement.

What makes Kepler Group unique

Kepler's Kip platform ingests 200 million data points per minute across campaigns and partners.
Kepler became Pacvue's inaugural ChatGPT ads agency partner on May 5, 2026.
Kip AIR launched June 2026, giving Kepler a proprietary AI-discovery measurement product.

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Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Unlimited Paid Time Off
401(k) Contributions
Phone/Internet Stipend
Home Office Stipend
Professional Development Budget
Parental Leave
Remote Work Options

Company News

Digiday

Jun 16th, 2026

Kepler, Samsung Ads and Kraft Heinz are among the 2026 Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards winners.

Kepler, Samsung Ads and Kraft Heinz are among the 2026 Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards winners. This year's Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards winners reflect a media landscape increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, data-driven decision making and integrated audience strategies. Across categories, organizations used AI to identify and engage high-value audiences, while adapting campaigns in real time to improve performance. Successful programs also embraced omnichannel planning, coordinating activity across platforms to maximize reach and effectiveness. Strategic partnerships with publishers, platforms and creators played a central role, helping brands extend their influence through trusted voices and targeted collaborations. Together, the winners demonstrated how technology, data and partnerships are reshaping modern media strategy. Kepler spent 2025 expanding beyond its roots as a media agency, positioning itself as an intelligence-led growth consultancy built around artificial intelligence, earning the Most Innovative Media Agency award. Central to that effort was Kip, its proprietary platform that combines audience data, media buying, creative production and measurement in one system. The agency introduced Kip AIR to help brands understand their visibility in generative AI environments such as ChatGPT and Gemini, while deepening partnerships with Amazon and Google. The strategy helped Kepler win new business across multiple sectors while maintaining strong client retention and long-term relationships. Samsung Ads and media agency Havas partnered with Domino's to launch the first European campaign using GameBreaks, an interactive CTV format designed to make ad breaks part of the entertainment. Viewers used their TV remotes to answer pizza-themed trivia before seeing a message promoting Domino's Ultimate Gunpowder Chicken pizza. Running on Samsung TV Plus, the campaign turned passive viewing into active participation and tested whether interactive television could deliver stronger engagement and brand impact than traditional CTV advertising. The initiative exceeded industry benchmarks, helped establish a new model for audience interaction on streaming television and secured Samsung Ads the award for Best Connected/Streaming TV Campaign. Heinz Away From Home - a division of Kraft Heinz - turned consumer brand loyalty into a recruitment tool for independent restaurants through its Heinz Verified program, landing it the award for B2B Media Campaign of the Year. Created to help operators stand out in a crowded market, the initiative identified restaurants serving Heinz products and promoted them through a national B2C2B media strategy. Heinz combined trade media, digital lead generation, creator partnerships and an integration with Uber Eats to connect restaurant enrollment with consumer demand. Active across six major markets, the campaign generated more than 300 million impressions and demonstrated how consumer influence can drive measurable growth in the B2B foodservice sector. Explore all the winners of this year's Digiday Media Buying and Planning Awards below. B2B Media Campaign of the Year * Kraft Heinz & Salt XC - Heinz Verified Best Agency Partnership * Fossil Q4 Campaign: Assembly x ReachTV x Digital Culture Group Best AI Platform - NEW * Cognitiv's DLAP Brings Intelligence to Advertising Best Connected/Streaming TV Campaign * Samsung Ads x Havas x Domino's: Launch of Gamebreaks for CTV Best Creative * Steph Curry Shoots the Moon Best Creative Use of AI - NEW * Southeast Toyota & 22squared - The Truck Like You Truck Tool Best CSR Initiative * MobileFuse Best E-Commerce Strategy * Podean & WaterWipes: Full-Funnel Approach to Scaling Growth Best Emerging Technology Campaign * Old Navy & Gamefam: Building Brand Love on Roblox Best First-to-Market Strategy * First-to-Market Strategy - StreetTalk Conversation Creative Best Influencer Partnership * Henry Rose & Good Moose - Crystal Nicole Partnership Best Omnichannel Campaign * Old Navy & Gamefam: Building Brand Love on Roblox Best Out-of-Home Campaign * Steph Curry Shoots the Moon Best Retail Media Strategy * Mindshare & Dove - Born to Run Best Social Commerce Strategy * Taylor Farms Social Commerce Launch with TikTok & Instacart Best Use of AI in Planning - NEW * Ljubljana Airport FLY 2.0: AI-Optimized Media Planning Best Use of AI in Search - NEW * Joybird x Go Fish AI Search Best Use of Audio - NEW * Mindshare & Booking.com - Booking.Yeehaw Best Use of Data * First Horizon Bank x Mindgruve Brand Media Study Best Use of Media Mix Modeling * Croud x Nespresso: Turning MMM Into a Media Decision Engine Best Use of Technology * Mindshare & Vaseline - Vaseline Verified CEO of the Year - NEW * David Krupp - billups Media Campaign of the Year * DUDE Wipes & Powers of Reasoning - The Big Dump Media Plan of the Year * Salt XC & JusRol - Reimagining The Holiday Playbook Most Innovative Independent Media Agency Most Innovative Media Agency * Kepler - Putting the Future in Focus Strategy Executive of the Year * NBCUniversal - Gina Reduto, EVP of Strategy

Associated Press

May 5th, 2026

Pacvue partners with OpenAI to manage ChatGPT ads, with Kepler as first agency client

Pacvue, an AI-powered commerce media platform, has become a technology partner for ads in ChatGPT, enabling brands to launch and manage advertising campaigns within the AI chatbot. Kepler is the inaugural agency partner, activating campaigns for over ten brands through Pacvue's integration. The partnership allows advertisers to manage ChatGPT campaigns alongside retail media channels like Amazon, Walmart and Target from a single platform. Pacvue's integration provides enterprise-grade capabilities including attribution measurement, cross-channel management and AI-powered insights. Pacvue currently powers 12% of global retail media ad spend and serves over 70,000 brands and agencies across 100+ marketplaces. The integration positions brands to reach shoppers during decision-making moments in ChatGPT whilst maintaining the measurement and automation capabilities they use across other commerce media channels.

Thomasville Times-Enterprise

May 5th, 2026

Pacvue becomes a technology partner for the ads in ChatGPT pilot, announces Kepler as its inaugural agency partner to help enterprise brands reach and convert high-intent shoppers directly within ChatGPT. GlobeNewswire | Pacvue Yesterday at 11:33am PDT SEATTLE, May 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Pacvue, the leading AI-Powered Commerce Media OS, today announced it has become a technology partner for ads in ChatGPT, enabling brands and agencies to launch and scale high-performing ad campaigns in ChatGPT with the same control, automation, and measurement they rely on across retail media. Kepler is Pacvue's inaugural independent agency partner using Pacvue's integration to activate ad campaigns in ChatGPT on behalf of over ten leading brands. The integration gives advertisers the ability to reach more customers at the point of decision making within ChatGPT, positioning Pacvue clients at the forefront of the conversational commerce revolution. This means brands can move faster, reduce manual work, and confidently invest in conversational AI as a measurable performance channel, not an experiment. As conversational discovery grows, the path from discovery to purchase is becoming increasingly compressed, expanding commerce media beyond retail into social, search, and now conversational AI. ChatGPT is increasingly a place where shoppers explore options, compare choices, and work through decisions. Ads in ChatGPT are designed to help advertisers show up in these moments with useful, relevant, and timely messages built around the user experience. For brands accustomed to managing campaigns across retail media, social, and search, the emergence of AI-native advertising represents both an enormous opportunity and a new layer of complexity, one that Pacvue is uniquely equipped to solve. Unlike point solutions or native-only interfaces, Pacvue's integration brings the same enterprise controls that power over 12% of global retail media ad spend to ads in ChatGPT. Advertisers can now manage ChatGPT campaigns alongside Amazon, Walmart, Target, Instacart, and 100+ other channels from a single mission control, eliminating channel fragmentation, reducing manual workflows, and unlocking more efficient, data-driven budget allocation across the entire commerce media mix. "Conversational AI is the most significant new channel since the rise of retail media, and brands need more than a native UI to compete. They need the automation, control, and cross-channel attribution that drive real performance at scale," said Melissa Burdick, President and Co-Founder of Pacvue. "By integrating ChatGPT into our Commerce Media OS, we're giving brands the ability to activate on ChatGPT with the same rigor and intelligence they bring to every other channel in their portfolio. This is about turning ChatGPT into a measurable, scalable revenue-driving channel from day one." "We are thrilled to be the pilot ChatGPT ads agency partner for Pacvue, as this aligns perfectly with our mantra, the Future in Focus," said Remy Stiles, Global CEO of Kepler. "Our clients jumped at the opportunity to be early movers on ChatGPT, gaining first hand experience in a new environment where so many shoppers are learning about brands and making buying decisions." Unlocking Enterprise-Grade Capabilities for ChatGPT Advertising The Pacvue integration delivers a differentiated layer of intelligence and automation alongside ads in ChatGPT, purpose-built for enterprise brands and agencies: * Attribution & Measurement: Connect ChatGPT ad exposure to downstream commerce outcomes using Amazon Attribution and Pacvue's proprietary measurement suite. * Unified Cross-Channel Management: Plan, launch, and manage ChatGPT campaigns alongside retail media, social, search, and CTV all from a single platform to enable holistic budget allocation and performance comparison. * AI-Powered Insights & Reporting: Leverage Pacvue's real-time analytics and AI-driven recommendations to understand how conversational AI ads perform relative to other channels, and optimize creative and targeting strategies accordingly. By bringing ads in ChatGPT into the same operating environment as their commerce media in Pacvue, enterprise advertisers can extend a consistent, measurable approach into conversational AI, preserving the user experience that makes ChatGPT distinct while giving brands the opportunity to invest in conversational AI alongside the rest of their channel mix. "The brands that win in conversational AI advertising will be the ones that invest in learning it with rigor from the start," added Burdick. "Pacvue exists to give brands a unified operating system for every commerce media channel that matters. OpenAI is now one of those channels, and our clients will have a meaningful head start." About Pacvue Pacvue is the only AI-Powered Commerce Media OS that seamlessly unifies retail media, commerce management, and advanced measurement to power growth across 100+ global marketplaces - including Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Instacart. Fueled by industry-leading AI technology, real-time data, and actionable insights, Pacvue's first-to-market platform enables over 70,000 brands and agencies to maximize advertising performance, increase profitability, drive incrementality, capture market share, and expand their reach throughout the commerce universe - all from a single mission control. As of 2025, Pacvue powers 12% of total retail media ad spend worldwide. Leveraging the combined strengths of Pacvue's enterprise suite and Helium 10's SMB solutions, Pacvue delivers the industry's most comprehensive platform for businesses of all sizes. Founded in 2018, Pacvue is building the future of connected commerce with a global presence spanning Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., London, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Discover more at pacvue.com. About Kepler Kepler is a global marketing services firm built for a digital world. We help clients harness the immense power of AI, data, technology, and human understanding to transform their marketing, forge more personalized consumer connections, and achieve breakthrough business impact. Services include media planning and optimization, marketing systems design and integration, data-driven creative, and media in-housing. Founded in 2012, the company is a member of kyu, a strategic operating unit of Hakuhodo DY Holdings Inc. Fellow kyu companies include: IDEO, Sid Lee, SYPartners, Godfrey Dadich, and BEworks. More information can be found at www.keplergrp.com and www.kyu.com. Media Contact Chelsea Suls Pacvue [email protected] This is a paid placement. For further inquiries, please contact GlobeNewswire directly.

Bdaily

Apr 12th, 2026

Jungle Creations appoints chief executive.

Jungle Creations appoints chief executive. London-based, global social-first publisher and creative agency Jungle Creations has appointed Mallory Simmonds as chief executive as it enters its next phase of growth. Mallory joins from Kepler Group, where she most recently served as chief executive across EMEA and APAC, bringing extensive experience in data, media and commercial strategy. She will now lead Jungle Creations' growth, building on its publisher-powered model and strengthening client partnerships. Her appointment completes an all-female senior leadership team, further reinforcing Jungle Creations' leadership as it continues to scale. Mallory said: "Social is a proven growth driver, and the brands winning today are those treating it as a business priority. "Jungle is uniquely positioned to support this shift, operating at the intersection of world-class social publishing and outcomes-focused partnerships. "The owned audience data and scaled creative infrastructure that power Jungle's iconic media brands also supercharge its ability to deliver true business impact for clients. "I am incredibly excited to be joining a team with both the talent and the ambition to define the next era of social." Katie O'Reilly, chief operating and finance officer at Jungle Creations, added: "Mallory stood out from the moment we met. "She has a strong commercial mind, a genuine understanding of data and insights and appreciates what it takes to grow a business with real rigour behind it. "She recognised what we are building at Jungle immediately, and that instinct matters as much as the experience she brings. "We are incredibly excited to welcome her and know we are lucky to have her." Want your business, product or service to be seen regionally and nationally? Bdaily helps you get your story in front of the right audience, every day. Find out how Bdaily can help Join more than 55,000 subscribers by signing up to our daily bulletin each morning here. Explore these topics. Enjoy the read? Get Bdaily delivered. * Occasional offers & updates from selected Bdaily partners

Campaign Asia

Mar 16th, 2026

Toby Hack joins Kepler as APAC and EMEA CEO

Toby Hack joins Kepler as APAC and EMEA CEO. Exclusive: Longtime PHD executive steps into the role following the exit of Mallory Simmonds, who previously led Kepler's APAC and EMEA business. Global digital marketing agency Kepler has appointed longtime PHD executive Toby Hack as chief executive officer for APAC and EMEA, seven months after he stepped down from the Omnicom Media Group network in August 2025. Hack replaces Mallory Simmonds, who previously served as CEO of APAC and EMEA and has left the company for a new role yet to be announced. During her tenure, Simmonds led Kepler to become Amazon's first-ever sales partner in the UK and Europe in 2019. The partnership grew into a multi-million-dollar business and delivered more than 100% YoY revenue growth for three consecutive years. Based in London, Hack will report to global CEO Remy Stiles and helm Kepler's operations across the two regions. Hack spent 15 years at PHD in a series of senior global and regional roles. He was appointed the network's first EMEA CEO in 2023 and previously served as CEO of PHD Global Business, where he played a key role in winning major global accounts, including Volkswagen and HSBC. He joins Kepler as the company says its EMEA and APAC operations have more than doubled in size over the past three years, prompting new office openings and investment in AI-led capabilities spanning creative, influencer and brand intelligence tools. "What drew me to Kepler is the clarity of that approach and the strength of the team behind it. I'm excited to join the business at such an important moment and to work with colleagues and clients across EMEA and APAC to build on the agency's strong momentum." Remy Stiles, global CEO of Kepler, said Hack's experience leading global clients and scaling agency operations would support the company's next phase of regional growth. "Toby brings an exceptional track record of building high-performing teams and guiding global clients through an increasingly complex media landscape," said Stiles. "As we continue to expand across the globe, Toby's leadership will help us further scale our regional capabilities while staying true to what defines Kepler."

Kepler Group

Vice President, Head of Activation

About the job