AKQA Veterans Launch Said Differently Reinventing the Agency Model, Capitalizing on Globally Curated Teams and Pioneering Technology to Provide Award-Winning Services for Clients including TrueFit, End Well, and National Democratic Training Committee

Said Differently, an untraditional global agency solving the hardest design, digital innovation, and business challenges, today announces its formal marketplace launch as founders Rachel Barek and Brian Skahan break away from the one-size-fits-all agency model for a technology-driven, professional services startup offering tailored client teams sourced from around the world. The result is a client roster that spans the gamut of nonprofits, to VC-backed startups through to Fortune 500 brands including TrueFit, Crisp, the Democratic Training Committee, and End Well.

In today’s rapidly evolving digital world, marketing has become too multifaceted for a single agency to successfully execute on brands’ holistic business goals. Today’s marketers need specialized, scalable and tailored teams to deliver on key performance indicators and goals. Barek and Skahan created Said Differently to solve this industry-wide dilemma, offering each client a hand-selected, integrated team of specialists strategically sourced to meet and exceed specific client goals, under a single-point of strategic management. Not only does this unique model provide brands and marketers with the best specialists and leadership, it offers a more cost-efficient and relevant way to work in today’s global, post-COVID world.

Industry veterans with more than 45+ years of combined experience, Barek and Skahan held leadership positions at AKQA, Digitas, JWT, CP+B and Publicis. Since Said Differently’s inception, the founders have partnered with a variety of forward-thinking clients including not-for-profits such as the National Democratic Training Committee and tech startups including WorkReduce, an innovative media technology company, where they solved a spectrum of business challenges from brand positioning to technology and organizational design.

Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider, physician, speaker, producer of two Academy Award-nominated films, medical news contributor and founder of non-profit End Well had this to say: “The global pandemic was a catalyst that compelled us to partner with Said Differently to help us transform our annual symposium into a virtual experience that would impact a diverse, multi-disciplinary community. Said Differently assembled and managed a global team of world-class specialists to create a new brand identity, and execute our marketing, advertising, design, development and production work. Our work together delivered a digital transformation that successfully inspired a redefining experience for people around the world, through shared stories and solutions on end-of-life topics.”

“The traditional agency-of-record model is dead,” said Rachel Barek, Partner at Said Differently. “Marketers and advertisers are in dire need of a lean and modern professional service agency model, to manage the complexities of today’s marketing world customized to each brand in each moment in time. We built Said Differently to solve the challenges marketers will face over the next decade and beyond. We provide clients with a nimble model that offers the best tools, talent, leadership, and resources to come out ahead of their competitors.”

Said Differently offers a three-pronged solution for its clients acting as a consulting partner, Virtual AOR™, and providing Team Design™. With expertise helping Fortune 100 companies and startups alike, Barek and Skahan consult directly with clients, embedding in their leadership teams, to solve problems leveraging their strategic expertise in digital transformation. The Virtual AOR™ offering provides clients with access to best-in-class specialists and studios -- including ENV.studio, Foxhole QA, Purpose WorldWide, Winona International, and a network of over 3000 individuals -- while serving as the single point of accountability. As marketing steadily evolves, Said Differently also offers Team Design™ to design, build, train, and run client’s in-house creative teams.

Elias Ekantour, founder of ENV.Studio and award-winning creative director whose portfolio spans Chanel, Rolls Royce, and BMW said: “What we appreciate most about partnering with Said Differently is that Rachel and Brian are extremely hands-on and know how we work and what projects are the right fit. Their approach removes the inefficiencies that many projects have in briefing and feedback loops. Partnering with Said Differently allows us to focus on our goals and what we do best.”

To learn more about how you can partner with Said Differently for a personalized approach for solving marketing challenges contact: [email protected]

About Said Differently

Reinventing the outdated “agency model,” Said Differently offers an untraditional global approach to strategic consulting, design and development services that garner award-winning campaigns, products, and platforms for the most innovative companies in the world, from nonprofits, to VC-backed start-ups through to Fortune 500 brands. Leveraging a global footprint, Said Differently creates bespoke teams for each client based on needs and talent preferences to provide a maximum return on investment for all stakeholders.

Launched in 2020 with founders based in Colombia, Portland, and Washington DC, Said Differently’s network of over 3,000 specialists are geographically distributed across globe to service the gamut of clients across industry verticals, time zones, and languages.

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