McKinney President Gretchen Walsh Named to ADWEEK 50

November 1, 2024

What inspires you at work?

I’m inspired every day by the way our people at McKinney are embracing change – changes in the industry, in our clients’ needs and how we service them, in culture and the winds of social media, and of course advancements in technology, especially AI. The resiliency and the enthusiasm – from our veterans to our youngest talent – is something I rely on to navigate all the change, myself. 

Where have you recently played a significant role supporting your organization through an innovation or change?

In my role as President, it’s my job to encourage and support ideas and innovations from all corners of the agency. One of our greatest cases of entrepreneurship and collaboration within the agency is our AI Taskforce. This group of hand-raisers came forward at the beginning of 2023 and asked for sponsorship and investment to lead the agency’s AI exploration, experimentation and implementation. It was obvious to me that supporting this initiative would change the trajectory of the agency and put us in a position of strength while navigating the changes AI would bring to our business. 

So we built a private AI Server, our “AI Playground,” offering a protected environment for agency-wide experimentation. The best practices, top vendors and guest speakers and cutting-edge initiatives that our AI Taskforce have brought to the table benefit everyone at McKinney, from our Media and Health practices to our Strategy, Creative and Account teams. Investing in and empowering the humans driving the AI Taskforce has been critical to growing our agency’s capabilities and helping our clients stay ahead of the curve.

What data can you provide to illustrate the success of this recent achievement?

The AI Taskforce has produced several of our most exciting innovations at the agency. For one, a new client offering we call BrandAI, a proprietary tool that helps our clients measure the amount and quality of the attention they’re getting in the competition for minds, culture and wallets. Another is  “Are You Blacker Than ChatGPT,” a provocative game we launched in time for Black History Month this year that sheds light on how AI bias can manifest in AI technology. We were also recently named to Fast Company’s list of 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators, recognizing the extensive and pioneering work of our AI Taskforce.

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