Karsh Hagan | Madden promotes Melissa Pert to SVP of Integrated Media

Why it matters: - Karsh Hagan | Madden is elevating integrated media as a core growth driver for clients facing a more fragmented advertising market. - Pert’s role is designed to connect creative, data and media investment so brands can reach the right audiences with more precision. - The promotion signals the agency’s push to compete as an independent alternative to larger holding-company models.

What happened: - Karsh Hagan | Madden announced the promotion of Melissa Pert to senior vice president of integrated media on May 27, 2026. - Pert will oversee integrated media strategy and investment across channels. - The agency said Pert will help brands navigate a rapidly evolving advertising landscape. - The promotion also expands Pert’s leadership over a unified media discipline that blends Karsh Hagan’s performance and analytics background with Madden Media’s focus on community-driven consumer intent.

The details: - Pert will lead the agency’s focus on media strategies built around precision, transparency and audience connection. - Karsh Hagan | Madden said digital media is becoming more fragmented because of expanding programmatic inventory, AI-generated content and more sophisticated ad technologies. - Pert said clients want results they can see and trust, not just more impressions. - Pert said the agency’s job is to place creative in the right places for the right people and to use data and precision-targeted media with intention. - Dan Janes, CEO of Karsh Hagan | Madden, said the agency rejects opaque media arbitrage and treats every dollar as an investment in trust. - The company said its media approach has already delivered measurable results for clients. - Visit Tucson saw a 500% increase in Spanish-language traffic and won a Governor’s Tourism Award. - Door County produced a 144% lift in paid search and new lead generation. - Retail clients including Applejack Wine & Spirits, Smashburger and MSU Denver generated a 444% return on ad spend. - The agency said the results came from strategic, omnichannel storytelling rather than generic digital buys. - Karsh Hagan | Madden said the promotion supports clients in tourism, hospitality, financial services and related sectors. - The agency’s website is khm.agency.

Between the lines: - The promotion suggests the agency is betting that integrated media expertise can be a differentiator as AI and automation make ad buying more complex. - The emphasis on “impact efficiency” reflects a shift away from scale-only buying toward measurable outcomes. - The agency is positioning itself against holding companies by arguing that transparency and trust matter as much as efficiency.

What’s next: - Pert will co-host an exclusive webinar with Karsh Hagan | Madden and The Trade Desk on June 9 at 12 PM EST. - The session will focus on newly released research on the traveler’s path to purchase. - The webinar will examine travel motivations, behaviors and preferences. - The Trade Desk and Pert will discuss how brands can use those insights and the open internet to build connected campaigns that drive measurable action. - The agency is expected to continue leaning on integrated media as a central part of its pitch to clients.

The bottom line: - Karsh Hagan | Madden is turning a leadership promotion into a broader statement about where agency value now lives: in connected, measurable media strategy rather than simple reach.