The retirement of Rob Young as PHD’s SVP of marketing sciences in late 2019 was regarded as one of the biggest media moves of the year. Following his departure, the agency quickly got to work hiring and promoting in the marketing sciences department. It also charted a new vision, established at the global level, called “Make The Leap.” The mindset boils down to encouraging clients to go beyond incremental jumps and aim for “disproportionate returns from imaginative leaps,” says PHD president Caroline Moul. To support its mission, particularly during the pandemic – when measurement became even more important – the agency brought renewed focus on data and insights and even got clients to dabble in testing the effectiveness of newer offerings, such as digital audio.