In a digital advertising landscape where generic strategies no longer deliver meaningful results, one agency is making a calculated and powerful move to deepen its expertise and redefine performance marketing with a human touch. The Digital Picnic (TDP), a national independent agency, has announced a significant expansion of its paid advertising division, signaling a decisive step toward industry leadership. This move is not merely about increasing headcount; it represents a strategic response to the growing demand from businesses for more sophisticated, transparent, and results-oriented paid media solutions. By integrating four highly skilled specialists into its team, TDP is reinforcing its commitment to delivering commercial success without sacrificing its core values.
A Strategic Leap in Paid Media Expertise
The Digital Picnic has officially unveiled a major enhancement of its national paid advertising capabilities with the appointment of four seasoned experts. This strategic investment is designed to scale the agency’s capacity to manage complex, multi-channel campaigns for its growing roster of clients. The announcement comes at a critical time when advertisers are increasingly seeking partners who can navigate the intricate technical landscapes of search, social, and programmatic advertising while delivering measurable returns on investment.
This expansion is a direct answer to a clear market trend: the demand for deeper technical proficiency and integrated creative solutions. As businesses become more discerning with their advertising spend, the need for agencies that can blend data-driven optimization with compelling creative has never been greater. TDP’s deliberate move to bolster its team with specialized talent underscores its understanding of this evolving client need and solidifies its position as a forward-thinking partner dedicated to performance.
The Rise of a Values-Led Digital Agency
Since its inception, The Digital Picnic has charted a unique course in the competitive world of digital marketing. What began as a startup has evolved into a formidable multi-million-dollar national agency, distinguished not only by its results but by its foundational principles. The agency’s growth has been a testament to its ability to attract and retain top-tier talent while delivering exceptional work for its clients.
At the heart of TDP’s identity is the leadership of CEO and Founding Director Cherie Clonan, a prominent advocate for inclusivity, empathy, and neurodiversity in the workplace. Under her guidance, the agency has cultivated a culture that prioritizes its people, resulting in remarkable team retention and a collaborative environment. This commitment to a values-led approach has become the agency’s key differentiator, proving that a focus on human connection can fuel both cultural health and commercial success.
Introducing the New Paid Media Powerhouse
The four key appointments represent a significant injection of talent and experience, creating a formidable paid media division capable of tackling the most demanding advertising challenges. The new team members bring a diverse set of skills honed at some of the industry’s most respected organizations, collectively strengthening TDP’s ability to deliver end-to-end paid advertising services, from high-level strategy to meticulous execution.
Jeevi Siva Steering Strategy as Account Director
Leading the strategic direction of the expanded team is Jeevi Siva, who joins as Account Director. In this pivotal role, Siva is responsible for overseeing client strategy and ensuring that paid media initiatives align with broader business objectives. Her leadership is crucial in translating client goals into actionable, high-impact advertising campaigns.
Siva brings extensive experience from her time at Sentius Group, where she managed large-scale budgets and complex, multi-faceted campaigns for a diverse portfolio of clients. Her proven ability to lead teams and drive strategic growth makes her an invaluable addition to TDP, equipping the agency to handle increasingly sophisticated client demands with confidence and precision.
Karina Flores Driving Performance as Senior Account Manager
Karina Flores steps into the role of Senior Account Manager, where she will focus on the data-led optimization of campaigns to maximize client returns. Flores is tasked with analyzing performance metrics, identifying growth opportunities, and implementing strategies that drive high return on ad spend (ROAS).
Her background includes a significant tenure at Chemist Warehouse, a fast-paced retail environment where performance is paramount. This experience has endowed her with a sharp focus on commercial outcomes and a deep understanding of how to leverage data to achieve them. Flores’s expertise ensures that TDP’s campaigns are not just creatively compelling but also rigorously optimized for performance.
Sunny Pawar Specializing in Technical Execution
Bringing deep technical expertise to the team is Sunny Pawar, who joins as a Paid Media Specialist. Pawar is responsible for the hands-on execution of campaigns across various digital channels, ensuring that strategies are implemented flawlessly and technical setups are optimized for success.
Pawar’s experience at the global agency network Publicis Group has provided him with a strong foundation in multi-channel strategy and execution across search, social, and programmatic platforms. His technical acumen is essential for navigating the complex ad-tech ecosystem and ensuring that client campaigns are efficient, effective, and at the forefront of industry best practices.
Izza Abdul Karim Coordinating for Digital Excellence
Rounding out the new team is Izza Abdul Karim, who joins as a Digital Coordinator. In this role, Karim serves as a vital link between strategy, creative development, and campaign execution. She is responsible for managing creative assets, coordinating campaign timelines, and ensuring seamless collaboration across the paid media division.
Karim’s background at Zib Digital has given her a solid understanding of the operational mechanics of a successful digital agency. Her focus on creative asset development and campaign coordination is critical for ensuring that all elements of a paid media campaign work in harmony to achieve the desired results, enhancing both efficiency and impact.
More Than Growth a Calculated Move for Market Leadership
The decision to bring on these four specialists was a calculated one, reflecting a deeper industry shift. Clients today demand more than just campaign management; they require partners with profound technical expertise, advanced optimization frameworks, and the ability to integrate paid strategies with broader marketing efforts. This expansion directly addresses that need, equipping TDP with the specialized skills necessary to lead in a performance-driven market.
Furthermore, this growth spurt is guided by TDP’s distinctive hiring philosophy. CEO Cherie Clonan has consistently emphasized that technical prowess must be matched by strong character and cultural alignment. The selection of Siva, Flores, Pawar, and Karim was as much about their values and collaborative spirit as it was about their résumés, ensuring that the agency’s growth strengthens, rather than dilutes, its empathetic and inclusive culture.
Bolstering Capabilities for Todays Advertiser
With these new appointments, The Digital Picnic’s paid media division is now powerfully equipped to manage complex, full-funnel campaigns across the entire digital ecosystem. The team’s combined expertise in search, social, and programmatic advertising allows the agency to offer a truly integrated service, delivering cohesive and impactful strategies that drive conversions and build brand equity.
This enhanced capability positions TDP to meet and exceed the evolving expectations of modern advertisers. The agency is better prepared than ever to deliver strong commercial outcomes, providing clients with the strategic guidance, technical execution, and performance optimization required to thrive in a competitive marketplace. The expansion solidifies TDP’s reputation as an agency that pairs ambitious growth with an unwavering commitment to client success.
Reflection and Broader Impacts
The strategic expansion of The Digital Picnic’s paid media team marked a pivotal moment for the agency. It was an affirmation of its growth trajectory and a clear signal of its ambitions within the digital marketing landscape.
Reflection
The primary strength of this strategic move was the thoughtful fusion of diverse, high-caliber talent. Each new hire brought a unique and complementary skill set that, when combined, created a far more powerful and comprehensive service offering. However, a key challenge the leadership considered was the inherent difficulty of maintaining a tight-knit, empathetic culture during a period of rapid scaling. Integrating new team members while preserving the agency’s core values required deliberate effort and a continued focus on people-first leadership.
Broader Impact
The Digital Picnic’s growth model sets a compelling new standard for the digital marketing industry. It actively demonstrates that rapid expansion and a values-led, empathetic culture are not mutually exclusive; in fact, they can be mutually reinforcing. This approach challenges the traditional, often cutthroat, agency model by proving that commercial success can be achieved through a commitment to inclusivity, collaboration, and the well-being of its team. TDP’s journey serves as an inspiring example for other agencies seeking to grow sustainably and ethically.
The Future is Performance-Driven and People-Focused
The strategic appointments of Jeevi Siva, Karina Flores, Sunny Pawar, and Izza Abdul Karim fundamentally reinforce The Digital Picnic’s position as a leader in the paid advertising space. This expansion is more than an increase in capacity; it is a deepening of expertise that directly addresses the complex needs of today’s advertisers while staying true to the agency’s foundational commitment to its people and its values.
As The Digital Picnic continues its upward trajectory, its model of blending high performance with profound empathy is set to make a lasting impact. The agency is not just building successful campaigns; it is building a new blueprint for what a successful, modern digital agency can and should be—a place where top-tier talent thrives, clients achieve remarkable results, and a people-focused culture drives sustainable growth.
