Booms Shakes Mays Moves Brand Makeovers Big Moments And More

Creative Boom: News Booms & Shakes Booms & Shakes: May's moves, makeovers, moments and more Consolidation is accelerating, branding is back on the agenda, and wins are coming from some unexpected places. Check out the industry developments that are grabbing our attention this month. Written By: Tom May 19 May 2026 INVNT co-founder Kristina McCoobery stepping into a leadership role alongside the existing Nth Degree team Welcome to Booms & Shakes, our regular monthly round-up of the hires, promotions, partnerships and stories making waves across the creative world. And right now, there's a lot to keep up with. Brand consultancies are restructuring at pace.

McDonald's has a new CMO and a new voice. And a new social studio has launched with arguably the best founding philosophy we've seen all year; inspired by a Brian Wilson warning about lollipops. Read on to find out who's been busy, who's making noise, and who's worth keeping an eye on. Story of the month The Belfast studio that built a $4bn brand If you need proof that great work can get you a long way, check out what Belfast creative studio Pale Blue Dot have been up to lately.

Not content with sizeable clients such as Emirates Airlines, OakNorth Bank and Guy Ritchie's Cashmere Caveman Co, the 18-strong team has just named and built the brand identity for Tomoro.ai. Never heard of Tomoro? Us neither to be fair, but this Edinburgh-based applied AI consulting firm has just been acquired by OpenAI as the founding acquisition of its new $4bn Deployment Company. Not too shabby. Pale Blue Dot has led Tomoro.ai's work from day one: naming, brand identity, positioning, messaging, video production and website. The name was central to the brief.

"Everyone's future begins with tomorrow," said Jaime Steele, co-founder of Pale Blue Dot. "We all want a better one, and AI is part of how we get there. We needed something simple to say, easy to remember and distinctive enough for the team to own. Tomoro did all three." Pale Blue Dot Hires and promotions McDonald's gets a new CMO, and a new voice McDonald's UK & Ireland made two big announcements in quick succession this month. Tim Kenward's been appointed chief marketing officer, bringing more than 15 years of McDonald's system experience to the role.

As senior marketing director for the International Operated Markets business unit, he oversaw the reinvention of value strategy in key markets and, most recently, the World Menu Heist: McDonald's first truly multi-market campaign, which began as a UK & Ireland initiative. Meanwhile, and perhaps more visibly, actor Stephen Graham has become the new voice of the brand, taking over from Dexter Fletcher, whose voice has been a defining part of McDonald's advertising for years. Stephen's first four voiceovers, for McCrispy, Big Arch and Breakfast Done Properly, went live at the end of April.

Seems like smart casting: the Adolescence actor brings a killer combo of cultural credibility, everyday warmth and cross-generational appeal. Tim Kenward WPP Brand & Design gets a new structure If you needed proof that branding is back in the heart of business strategy, the reorganisation of WPP Brand & Design makes it abundantly clear. Global CEO Jane Geraghty has announced a new leadership structure that connects specialist capabilities across the group's portfolio (which spans—deep breath—Landor, Design Bridge and Partners, amp, ManvsMachine, Coley Porter Bell, BDG, CBA Design and DeepLocal) and includes two newly created global roles.

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The article discusses a significant shift in brand strategy that is highly relevant to industry professionals, highlighting the importance of cohesive branding in a changing market, which is both impactful and somewhat novel in its emphasis on long-term identity over short-term gains.