Chicago’s Manifest has tapped a longtime BarkleyOKRP executive and Chicago agency veteran to unify its client leadership following last year’s merger with Aisle Rocket.
Betsy Ross joins the midsize independent as chief client officer, the first major leadership hire since the two agencies formally integrated under a single brand. The move signals the agency’s next phase after consolidation: building a consistent client experience across the merged agency.
Ross, who spent seven years at BarkleyOKRP and more than two decades in Chicago agencies, will oversee Manifest’s client organization across its offices in Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., Boston, and Phoenix.
Phase two of integration
The 2025 merger united Manifest’s content strategy expertise with Aisle Rocket’s creative technology and ecommerce capabilities under a single brand, creating a roughly 200-person independent challenger built to own the “middle” of the customer journey, where consideration expands and brands risk losing momentum.
Now, the agency has to deliver. According to Manifest partner and chief growth officer Melissa Bouma, the integrated structure required a single leader to unify what had previously been two client service organizations.
“We are bringing together and creating a new Manifest that we truly hope is going to be that right size agency to serve what clients need at this moment,” Bouma said.
On ‘productized’ agencies
Both executives framed the hire as a response to changing client expectations, with advertisers consolidating their agency rosters under pressure to drive measurable business impact.
At the same time, many agencies are packaging services into standardized, fixed-price offerings. Some agencies, like Stagwell’s Code and Theory, are going further, building proprietary AI tools to handle work that once required large teams.
Ross suggested that trend is creating frustration. “I was coming from a world where the solution was getting a little templated,” she said. “I’m excited to be part of flipping it upside down a little bit to meet what our clients really need.”
Rather than selling lines of service, Ross said her focus is custom work tied to client results, not billable hours. “If I wanted to be in sales, I would have gone into sales,” she said. “I am in relationship management for a reason.”
Growth agenda for 2026
Manifest ended 2025 focused on defining what differentiated the newly integrated agency. In 2026, Bouma said the focus has shifted toward helping more clients take advantage of the integrated offering.
The agency has secured new business in the pharmaceutical, travel, and hospitality categories, with additional announcements expected later this year. Leadership is also exploring further acquisitions, according to Bouma.
