Sam Levison flourishes in his return to DCX Growth Accelerator

When DCX Growth Accelerator’s longtime VP of strategy decided to leave in 2021, the agency called upon a familiar face to pave the way forward. It’s safe to say Sam Levison, who returned to the Brooklyn, New York-based shop after being named its first junior brand strategist nearly a decade ago, has been up for the task. See all of the 2024 Small Agency award winners here Levison, who runs a one-person department, has spent the past year spearheading strategic cultural initiatives for consumer brands including PepsiCo Beverages North America, Hatch and Ben & Jerry’s. For the ice cream brand, he helped develop “Progress Comes in Many Flavors,” a campaign urging consumers to be activists around a range of causes, such as climate change, gun control and book bans. To establish the campaign’s ideology, Levison and DCX looked to Nike, another brand with the goal of inspiring masses of people. In a spin on the sportswear giant’s doctrine, the campaign was built on the idea that “If you have a heart, you can be an activist.” “You have the tools for doing good in the world,” the campaign’s spot says. “And the greatest tool is your own unique flavor.” Levison’s insights are gleaned through exhaustive research: He conducted more than 200 hours of one-on-one ethnographic research with consumers over the past year, with a specific emphasis on Gen Z. This enabled him to identify an opportunity for Newman’s Own to regain cultural leadership among social enterprise brands. He created the “Good Tastes Better” brand platform for Newman’s—which helped open the door for more work—and received a rapturous response from the company’s board, with many deeming it “better than any other tagline the business has ever had,” according to the agency’s entry. See all of the 2024 Small Agency award winners here Levison’s contributions to the agency extend far beyond strategy. He also contributes to account management and new business development, playing a crucial role in pitching and winning Svedka, DCX’s largest advertising account in years.

Sam Levison flourishes in his return to DCX Growth Accelerator

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