CHICAGO: Salient Holdings is rebranding its three previously distinct agency brands, Honeymoon Creative, Candor and Salient Agency, as Honeymoon.
The new name, previously used by the group’s creative agency, will allow the firm’s external branding to reflect its internal integration, the company said in a statement.
The teams within Honeymoon Creative, PR and marketing firm Candor and experience shop Salient, have been collaborating extensively over the past couple of years across a range of clients and accounts. They have shared personnel and perspectives daily in order to win business and improve work, according to Salient Holdings CEO Tricia Ewald.
Salient acquired Oklahoma City-based marcomms agency Candor in 2023. Honeymoon Creative launched in November 2021 alongside the founding of Salient Global.
Ewald said that the time and effort required to manage three companies means less time is spent focused on clients and addressing their problems. Housing multiple agencies under one holding company can provide access to a variety of skills, services and integrated thinking, she added, but it often inadvertently puts up barriers based on the structure of the organization.
“We’re doing the opposite, which is working together, integrating as one team, and now we’re in a place to really go out as one single brand,” said Ewald.
When the company made the decision to come together as one brand, it evaluated against its three brands as well as the option to create an entirely new moniker, Ewald said. In order to have a brand that is adaptable, can grow and is familiar to clients, the team decided to borrow the word Honeymoon from Honeymoon Creative to represent the future of the agency.
“Whether you’ve ever gone on a honeymoon, everyone wants to go on a honeymoon. Importantly to us, everyone wants to stay on their honeymoon,” Ewald said. “Our challenge for our people and our clients is to create a proposition or a brand where people want to work with us and also want to stay with us. That was the heart of why we chose Honeymoon.”
The network will organize its three previously independent firms around national and regional clients, rather than siloed PR, creative and experiential capability teams. The company comprises about 60 full-time employees, Ewald said, in addition to a team of contractors, partners and freelancers.
Ewald, a former PRWeek Woman of Distinction and 40 Under 40 honoree, will continue to serve as CEO of the newly combined agency. Ally Glavas, who previously served as president of Candor, will become regional president.
Other appointments include chief creative and strategy officer Josh Lohrius, chief corporate strategy officer Guy Cierzan and chief financial and operations officer Chris Romo.
Daniel Welch will continue to serve as head of growth and Jenny Garner as head of people. All leadership will report directly to Ewald.
“The name of the game right now is to make sure that we are able to have a strong foundation with our business so that we can pivot and bring in new things,” Ewald said of the purpose for the rebranding. “That means you have to have the foundation in motion and the structure in motion to be able to help bring that in quickly.”
Salient Global was founded by Bryan Specht in 2021. Specht, who served as founder, chairman and CEO of the firm, died in 2023 at age 50. Ewald succeeded Specht as CEO.
Since its launch, each of Salient’s agency revenues have increased by double digits. Over the past 12 months, the company’s revenue growth was up by 20%, according to Ewald.
Honeymoon is hoping for another double-digit growth year in 2026 and beyond, the CEO said, noting the firm has been able to attract large national clients while maintaining strength in its regional business during its first few years.
The agency’s portfolio of clients includes Sazerac, Post Consumer Brands, Wells Enterprises, Gallo and Old Second Bank.
