growth playbook · Oct 26, 2026

Prophet growth playbook

Prophet is building an in-house media practice in Atlanta, Austin and Chicago: an Associate Media Director with a financial services focus (asset growth, net flows, advisor engagement), a Media Director for B2B ABM, content syndication and data flows, a paid search and social specialist, media planners and a talent network for contract media staff, alongside a BD team that acts on buyer intent.

The website does not yet sell that practice: the English financial services URL redirects to a German page, the English Industries hub is Lorem Ipsum, case archives are German-only by industry, and few case studies show media results.

This playbook gives the media team English front doors and proof first, runs Prophet's own paid search, and routes intent signals to consultants, then adds an ABM page, a budget-split planner, an FS guide, launch-media attach on brand projects and a fixed-scope media review, with a client-facing simulator, an FS index and mid-market retainers as big bets.

Growth Score

Biggest Opportunity

Sell media to the financial services and B2B clients Prophet already knows from brand work, with English pages, numbers-led cases and entry offers that make the new practice easy to buy.

Biggest Risk

B2B brand-to-demand agencies such as Stein and brand consultancies such as Landor and Interbrand compete for the same CMOs, and a media practice without visible proof or English sector pages will be seen as a brand firm's side line.

Start here

The three moves to make first. Each one is written up in full below.

Give the new financial-services media team an English front door
Replace the Lorem Ipsum on /services/industries/ and stop the English financial-services URL redirecting to German.
High impact First result in 1 month
Publish English industry archives for case studies, starting with B2B
Re-tag the Save the Children case and publish the English B2B archive.
Medium impact First result in 1 month
Run Prophet's own paid search for the services the media team sells
Pick ten terms and check current landing pages.
High impact First result in 1 month

Your idea portfolio

20 ideas, grouped by when to run them. Open any idea for how to run it: the steps, who to approach, copy you can use, and how to measure it.

7 ideas are marked Unexpected: plays you are unlikely to have tried.

This week 6

Quick wins with a clear first action.

Prophet is building a media team in Atlanta, Austin and Chicago, and its new Associate Media Director post puts "a particular focus on financial services": asset growth, net flows, advisor engagement. But a US marketer who types prophet.com/services/industries/financialservices/ is redirected to a German page ("Finanzdienstleistungen"), the English Industries hub shows only Lorem Ipsum placeholder text, and the English Financial Services case archive opens with a Save the Children story. The sector the media team is built for has no English page that sells it.
High impactLow effort First result in 1 month Head of Marketing
First action
Replace the Lorem Ipsum on /services/industries/ and stop the English financial-services URL redirecting to German.
How to measure it
FS business inquiries via the contact form
Now
–
Target
10 a month
By
90 days
Steps
Fix the redirect
English URL serves an English page; hreflang links the German one.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 day
Replace the hub
Real industry index in place of Lorem Ipsum.
Digital Marketing Manager 2 days
Write the page
Outcomes, services, media and ABM, proof.
Financial Services Practice Lead 1 week
Curate cases
Eight to ten English financial cases; move Save the Children to its own sector.
Head of Marketing 2 days
Route inquiries
Contact form tagged financial services to the FS and media leads.
Business Development Senior Associate 1 day
Promote
Paid search on financial services agency terms; BD outreach.
Paid Search & Social Specialist 2 weeks
Report
Inquiries and meetings monthly.
Business Development Senior Associate monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Head of Marketing
Smallest test
Publish a one-screen English FS page with five cases and point the old URL to it.
Why it works
Ready to use
ChecklistEnglish financial services page
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Every case-study industry archive in the sitemap except luxury is German-only, and the English Financial Services archive shows a non-profit first. The new media team serves "B2B and consumer clients" and B2B buying committees, but there is no English B2B archive a prospect can browse.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 month Head of Marketing
First action
Re-tag the Save the Children case and publish the English B2B archive.
How to measure it
Industry archive visits
Now
–
Target
+50%
By
90 days
Steps
Audit tags
Industry tag per English case.
Head of Marketing 2 days
Fix mis-tags
Non-profits to their own sector.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 day
Enable archives
English B2B, FS, healthcare, industrial.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 day
Add to sitemap
English archive URLs.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 hour
Link
From service pages and the index.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 day
Measure
Archive visits and inquiries.
Head of Marketing monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
$0
Owner
Head of Marketing
Smallest test
Publish the B2B archive this week.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Prophet is hiring a Paid Search & Social Specialist for clients' lead generation and pipeline. The same skills can fill Prophet's own pipeline: CMOs search for "B2B ABM agency", "financial services marketing agency" and "brand and demand agency", where B2B specialists like Stein compete.
High impactLow effort First result in 1 month Paid Search & Social Speciali…
First action
Pick ten terms and check current landing pages.
How to measure it
Paid-search business inquiries
Now
–
Target
8 a month
By
90 days
Steps
Pick terms
Ten high-intent terms.
Paid Search & Social Specialist 2 days
Fix landing pages
One page per term.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 week
Set tracking
Form by inquiry type in GA4.
Paid Search & Social Specialist 1 day
Launch
Google and Microsoft Ads.
Paid Search & Social Specialist 1 day
Optimise
Weekly.
Paid Search & Social Specialist weekly
Report
Monthly to BD.
Associate Media Director monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
$5,000-10,000 a month
Owner
Paid Search & Social Specialist
Smallest test
Run one ad group on "financial services marketing agency" for a month.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
The Atlanta and Austin location pages are only lists of job titles, two of which are no longer on the Greenhouse board. These are the cities where the media team is being built, and candidates and nearby clients land there first.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 2 weeks Head of Marketing
First action
Remove the closed roles today.
How to measure it
Location page inquiries
Now
–
Target
+30%
By
90 days
Steps
Remove stale roles
Sync with Greenhouse.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 day
Write the intro
Team and work.
Head of Marketing 2 days
Add leaders
Photos and bios.
Head of Marketing 2 days
Add contact
Business inquiries.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 hour
Feature work
Two cases per office.
Head of Marketing 1 day
Measure
Visits and applications.
Head of Marketing monthly
First result
2 weeks
Cost
$0
Owner
Head of Marketing
Smallest test
Add a paragraph and a contact link to the Atlanta page.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Real visitors wait 3.5 s for the homepage's main image, failing Google's 2.5 s limit, with a 1.6 s server response; the page downloads 3.4 MB and the hero slides appear twice in the HTML. The rest of the site passes at 2.4 s.
Medium impactMedium effort First result in 1 month Digital Marketing Manager
First action
Compress the hero image and remove the duplicate slides.
How to measure it
75th-percentile largest paint
Now
–
Target
under 2.5 s
By
60 days
Steps
Compress hero
Mobile sizes, modern format.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 day
Remove duplicate slides
One carousel.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 day
Defer scripts
Non-critical.
Digital Marketing Manager 2 days
Edge cache
Homepage HTML.
Digital Marketing Manager 2 days
Test
Lab and field.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 week
Monitor
Monthly field data.
Digital Marketing Manager monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
Developer time
Owner
Digital Marketing Manager
Smallest test
Compress the hero image today.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
The BD Senior Associate is hired to act on buyer-intent signals from Eloqua and ZoomInfo and to support consultants who originate meetings. The new media and financial services pages, and downloads of the 2026 CMO Guide, are strong signals.
High impactLow effort First result in 1 month Business Development Senior A…
First action
Tag the five media and FS pages in Eloqua.
How to measure it
Intent-triggered meetings
Now
–
Target
6 a month
By
90 days
Steps
Tag pages
Media, ABM, FS.
Business Development Senior Associate 1 day
Set alerts
Two visits in a week.
Business Development Senior Associate 2 days
Write messages
Media review offer.
Associate Media Director 2 days
Brief consultants
At Outreach Acceleration Day.
Business Development Senior Associate 1 day
Follow up
Within 48 hours.
Senior Partner ongoing
Review
Weekly pipeline review.
Business Development Senior Associate weekly
First result
1 month
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Business Development Senior Associate
Smallest test
Run alerts on one page for two weeks.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence

This quarter 9

The core plays for the next three months.

The Media Director, Digital is hired to architect "1:many, 1:few and 1:1" ABM with 6sense or Demandbase, content syndication and event surround-sound. On the site, ABM is one word in a list on the campaigns page.
High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Media Director
First action
Draft the three-tier model on one slide.
How to measure it
ABM-tagged inquiries
Now
–
Target
5 a month
By
2 quarters
Steps
Write the model
Three tiers.
Media Director, Digital 1 week
Add proof
Two B2B cases.
Head of Marketing 2 weeks
Design page
With sample plan.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 week
Publish
Link from B2B archive.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 day
Promote
Paid search and LinkedIn.
Paid Search & Social Specialist ongoing
Measure
Inquiries.
Business Development Senior Associate monthly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Media Director, Digital
Smallest test
Publish the page with one case.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Prophet's Gold MarCom-winning "Brand & Demand" report gives six ways to balance brand and demand investment, and the new AMD role builds "scenario plans and forecasts" for clients. A CMO can read the report but not apply it to their own budget.
High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Associate Media Director
First action
Write the rules for the planner from the report.
How to measure it
Completed plans
Now
–
Target
150 a quarter
By
2 quarters
Steps
Define rules
From the six ways.
Associate Media Director 2 weeks
Design
Five inputs.
Chief Creative Officer 2 weeks
Build
Web tool.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 month
Gate the detail
Full plan by email.
Head of Marketing 1 week
Route leads
To media and BD.
Business Development Senior Associate 1 week
Measure
Completions to meetings.
Business Development Senior Associate monthly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Development time
Owner
Associate Media Director
Smallest test
Publish a one-page worksheet version first.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
The AMD role names asset growth, net flows and advisor engagement, and Prophet has cases with Invesco, Amova and an investment advisory firm. Asset-management marketers face a shift to AI-assisted research by advisors and investors.
High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Financial Services Practice L…
First action
Interview three FS clients on their media questions.
How to measure it
FS guide downloads
Now
–
Target
400
By
2 quarters
Steps
Interview
Three clients.
Financial Services Practice Lead 2 weeks
Write
Guide.
Associate Media Director 1 month
Compliance check
Claims.
Legal 1 week
Publish
On the FS page.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 day
Webinar
For FS CMOs.
Head of Marketing 1 month
Follow up
Intent alerts.
Business Development Senior Associate ongoing
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Financial Services Practice Lead
Smallest test
Publish one chapter as a blog post.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Prophet sells AEO under its Augmented Intelligence menu. When a CMO asks an AI assistant for a financial services brand and media agency, Prophet's own English pages (redirected or placeholder) give it little to cite.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 quarter Head of Marketing
First action
Ask five assistants who does financial services brand and media work.
How to measure it
Audit requests
Now
–
Target
15 a quarter
By
2 quarters
Steps
Baseline
Ten questions.
Head of Marketing 1 week
Fix pages
FS, industries, media.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 month
Re-measure
Monthly.
Head of Marketing monthly
Publish results
Short case.
Head of Marketing 1 month
Offer audits
On the AEO page.
Business Development Senior Associate ongoing
Deliver
One-page audit.
AEO Lead per request
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Head of Marketing
Smallest test
Run the ten questions today and save the answers.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Prophet says its media plans are "fully managed in-house" and that campaigns come "without any handoffs". Its brand work for UBS, Beazley and TruStage ends at launch, when the client buys media elsewhere.
High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter VP
First action
List current brand projects launching in the next six months.
How to measure it
Brand projects with media
Now
–
Target
30%
By
3 quarters
Steps
List projects
Launching soon.
VP, Business Development 1 week
Create the option
Proposal module.
Associate Media Director 2 weeks
Train partners
How to position it.
VP, Business Development 2 weeks
Propose
Every brand project.
Senior Partner ongoing
Deliver
Launch plans.
Associate Media Director per project
Track
Attach rate.
Business Development Senior Associate quarterly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
VP, Business Development
Smallest test
Propose launch media on one current project.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
The AMD role is about defining success in business terms and using incrementality, lift studies and media mix modelling. CMOs under budget pressure want to know what their current media is doing before changing agencies.
High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Associate Media Director
First action
Write the review scope and price.
How to measure it
Reviews sold
Now
–
Target
4 a quarter
By
2 quarters
Steps
Scope
Four weeks.
Associate Media Director 1 week
Price
Fixed, credited.
VP, Business Development 1 week
Template
Report and scenario.
Associate Media Director 2 weeks
Publish
On service pages.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 day
Sell
Via BD and consultants.
Business Development Senior Associate ongoing
Convert
To retainers.
VP, Business Development per review
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Associate Media Director
Smallest test
Offer the review to three current prospects.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
JBi Digital joined Prophet to "transform strategy into measurable growth through exceptional digital experiences", while the new media team owns tagging, CRM data flows and conversion. Clients often split websites and media across agencies and lose the link between them.
Medium impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Media Director
First action
Find one client served by both teams.
How to measure it
Joint engagements
Now
–
Target
3 in two quarters
By
2 quarters
Steps
Find a client
Shared work.
VP, Business Development 2 weeks
Write the offer
Experience plus media.
Media Director, Digital 2 weeks
Shared measurement
One framework.
Associate Media Director 2 weeks
Publish
Both pages.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 week
Sell
Through BD.
Business Development Senior Associate ongoing
Case study
First result.
Head of Marketing 1 quarter
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Media Director, Digital
Smallest test
Pitch the joint offer to one prospect.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Of 179 English case studies, about five mention media, campaigns or demand, and the investment advisory case reports only "a direct lift in sales and better ROI". Media buyers compare cost per lead, pipeline and lift; AbbVie's case shows Prophet can report numbers.
High impactMedium effort First result in 2 quarters Head of Marketing
First action
Ask three clients for permission to publish media results.
How to measure it
Media-tagged inquiries
Now
–
Target
+50%
By
2 quarters
Steps
Pick clients
Three with measurable results.
Associate Media Director 2 weeks
Get approvals
Client sign-off.
VP, Business Development 1 month
Write
Metrics-led format.
Head of Marketing 1 month
Design
Charts.
Chief Creative Officer 2 weeks
Publish
Service pages.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 day
Use in pitches
Media proposals.
Associate Media Director ongoing
First result
2 quarters
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Head of Marketing
Smallest test
Rewrite the investment advisory case with indexed results.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Prophet runs a Media Talent Network for all levels, full-time and contract, and is hiring several media roles at once in Atlanta, Austin and Chicago. Media talent chooses agencies by the work and the people.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 quarter Head of Marketing
First action
Write the page with the media leads.
How to measure it
Qualified applicants
Now
–
Target
+30%
By
2 quarters
Steps
Write page
Team and method.
Head of Marketing 1 week
Film voices
Three team members.
Head of Marketing 2 weeks
Link jobs
All media posts.
Talent Acquisition 1 day
LinkedIn series
Monthly.
Head of Marketing monthly
Track
Applicants by source.
Talent Acquisition monthly
Refresh
Quarterly.
Head of Marketing quarterly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
$0
Owner
Head of Marketing
Smallest test
Post one team-member story.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence

Big bets 3

Larger plays that can change the trajectory.

The campaigns page mentions an "investment planning-simulation tool", and the AI Foundry team runs MAIA with "client-facing applications" in scope. Clients usually see scenario plans as static slides.
High impactHigh effort First result in 3 quarters Senior Product Manager
First action
Show the simulator to two clients and gather feedback.
How to measure it
Media retainers with tool access
Now
–
Target
50%
By
4 quarters
Steps
Assess tool
Readiness for clients.
Senior Product Manager, AI Foundry 1 month
Pilot
Two clients.
Associate Media Director 1 quarter
Security review
Client data.
IT Security 1 month
Package
In retainers.
VP, Business Development 1 month
Train
Client teams.
Associate Media Director ongoing
Measure
Retention of media clients.
VP, Business Development quarterly
First result
3 quarters
Cost
Product time
Owner
Senior Product Manager, AI Foundry
Smallest test
Run one live scenario session with a client.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Prophet publishes yearly research (the AI-Powered Consumer Report, Brand & Demand) and is building a financial services media practice. Asset managers, banks and insurers lack a shared view of how brand investment links to flows and accounts.
High impactHigh effort First result in 4 quarters Financial Services Practice L…
First action
Agree the five headline measures.
How to measure it
FS meetings from the launch
Now
–
Target
25
By
4 quarters
Steps
Design
Survey and data.
Financial Services Practice Lead 1 month
Field
Marketers and consumers.
Insights Associate 2 months
Analyse
By sub-sector.
Insights Associate 1 month
Write
Report.
Head of Marketing 1 month
Launch
Roundtable and press.
Head of Marketing 1 month
Follow up
Meetings.
Business Development Senior Associate ongoing
First result
4 quarters
Cost
$40,000-80,000
Owner
Financial Services Practice Lead
Smallest test
Publish a short pulse survey first.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
The Demand Marketing page promises "A Right-Sized Performance Marketing and Media Practice" with transparent dashboards. Mid-market B2B firms want brand and demand together but cannot afford a full consulting engagement.
High impactMedium effort First result in 3 quarters VP
First action
Price the three sizes.
How to measure it
Mid-market retainers
Now
–
Target
8
By
4 quarters
Steps
Define sizes
Scope and price.
Associate Media Director 1 month
Build dashboard
Standard template.
Media Director, Digital 1 month
Publish
On the demand page.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 week
Sell
BD outreach.
Business Development Senior Associate ongoing
Deliver
Media team.
Associate Media Director ongoing
Review
Margins quarterly.
VP, Business Development quarterly
First result
3 quarters
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
VP, Business Development
Smallest test
Sign one pilot retainer.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence

Wildcards 2

Unexpected experiments, each with a cheap way to test it.

Prophet has an Aaker section on its site, and its new media team will sell brand and demand together. Aaker's view on brand equity is the natural counterweight to short-term performance media.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 quarter Chief Creative Officer
First action
Agree three topics with Aaker.
How to measure it
Series views
Now
–
Target
50,000
By
2 quarters
Steps
Agree topics
Six.
Chief Creative Officer 2 weeks
Record
Two sessions.
Head of Marketing 1 month
Edit
Clips.
Head of Marketing 1 month
Promote
Paid social.
Paid Search & Social Specialist ongoing
Link
Media pages.
Digital Marketing Manager 1 day
Measure
Views and inquiries.
Head of Marketing monthly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Production costs
Owner
Chief Creative Officer
Smallest test
Record one conversation.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
The media team is centred in Atlanta, home to many payments and fintech companies, and Prophet already has a case with a major payments provider. Local relationships are how agencies win regional accounts.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 quarter VP
First action
List 30 Atlanta payments and fintech marketing leaders.
How to measure it
Meetings per roundtable
Now
–
Target
4
By
2 quarters
Steps
List guests
Atlanta leaders.
Business Development Senior Associate 2 weeks
Book venue
Breakfast for 15.
Head of Marketing 2 weeks
Pick topic
One question.
Associate Media Director 1 week
Invite
Personal invites.
Senior Partner 3 weeks
Run
Quarterly.
Associate Media Director quarterly
Follow up
Meetings.
Business Development Senior Associate 1 week
First result
1 quarter
Cost
$2,000 per event
Owner
VP, Business Development
Smallest test
Hold one breakfast.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence

How Programmable can help

Where an idea in this playbook is something Programmable builds or runs, it's listed here with what we'd do. Everything else is yours to run.

Talk

Fill the events in this plan

These ideas are events. Talk gets registrants for them and tells you who's coming and what their company does before the day.

Plan an event

Other companies we have researched, each read from what they are hiring for.

See every playbook and website review

30/60/90 roadmap

What to focus on in each month, and the ideas that carry it.

Days 1 to 306 ideas
English FS page and industry hub, English case archives, own paid search, location hubs, homepage speed and intent alerts.
Days 31 to 6011 ideas
ABM page, budget-split planner, FS guide, AEO audit, launch media, media review, JBi joint offer, media cases and recruiting content; Aaker series and Atlanta roundtables.
Days 61 to 903 ideas
Commit to the client simulator, the FS index and mid-market retainers.

Prophet growth playbook

Diagnosis

Give the new financial-services media team an English front door

Publish English industry archives for case studies, starting with B2B

Run Prophet's own paid search for the services the media team sells

This week 6

How to run it: Give the new financial-services media team an English front door

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Ready to use

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Publish English industry archives for case studies, starting with B2B

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Run Prophet's own paid search for the services the media team sells

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Turn the Atlanta and Austin pages into media-team hubs

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Bring the homepage under 2.5 seconds for real visitors

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Send intent signals on media and financial services content straight to consultants

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

This quarter 9

How to run it: An ABM service page built on the Media Director's tiered model

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Turn the Brand & Demand research into a budget-split planner

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: A financial-services media guide for asset managers: advisors, net flows and AI search

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence