Wood to lead the expansion of the multicultural firm’s entertainment division and digital offerings.
LOS ANGELES – NOV. 3, 2023, IW Group, one of the industry’s leading agencies specializing in multicultural youth marketing, has announced the promotion of Karen Tran Wood to Group Director of Entertainment Marketing and Publicity. In this newly created role, Wood will oversee the growth of the agency’s entertainment marketing practice, focusing on diversifying its digital and creator/influencer offerings and spearheading the development of an all-new brand partnerships team aimed at forging buzzworthy collaborations between studios and top consumer brands.
Wood’s promotion underscores IW’s evolution towards innovation- and culture-driven solutions to reach social-first multicultural audiences while building on its industry-leading expertise in engaging AAPI, LGBTQ+, African American and Hispanic Gen Z consumers. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the firm is a fully integrated agency specializing in advertising, social media, publicity, experiential marketing, and Web3.
Wood was previously IW’s Director of Publicity, where she oversaw multicultural theatrical and television marketing and publicity campaigns for such clients as Warner Bros., Disney, Netflix, Hulu and Fox, with recent campaigns including Barbie, American Born Chinese, The Cleaning Lady and Turning Red. Since joining IW Group in 2020, she has also led the agency’s award-winning TikTok and influencer marketing team, who have worked on multicultural and total market campaigns for such releases as Avatar: The Way of Water, Elemental and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Prior to IW Group, she managed festival, digital, and theatrical campaigns as well as led awards and corporate communications accounts at MPRM Communications.
Wood reports to Telly Wong, Chief Content Officer and SVP at IW Group, who said, “The seismic shifts that Hollywood has undergone in the past several years demand a reimagined approach to how we promote content. Under Karen’s leadership, IW has helped our clients meet today’s modern audiences where they truly are — at the intersection of technology and culture. In her new role, she will take our vision even further as we delve deeper into new digital and creator-driven platforms, analytics and XR while reinforcing the creative innovation that our agency is built on.”
“There’s never been a more exciting time than now to be a marketer in the entertainment industry,” said Karen Tran Wood. “Agencies today are being challenged to be as creative and culturally fluent in their approach as the films and shows they promote, which is exhilarating. I’m looking forward to leading this new chapter of IW Group and working with our client partners to explore new, industry-first strategies and tactics that motivate — and resonate — with modern moviegoers and television viewers.”
ABOUT IW GROUP:
IW Group, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, is an award-winning creative marketing agency that specializes in the intersection of culture and innovation. Its diverse roster of clients includes such top entertainment properties as Warner Brothers, Disney and Netflix, along with Fortune 500 brands like McDonald’s, Lexus, Walmart and Jack Daniel’s. Recently named Agency of the Year by the 2003 PR Daily’s Social Media and Digital Awards and Social Shake-Up’s Social Media Marketing Awards, IW group is the Association of National Advertisers’ most-awarded multicultural agency of all time. Headquartered in Los Angeles, IW has additional offices in New York, San Francisco and Dallas. Learn more about IW Group here: https://www.iwgroup.agency/.
