Get A Little Andrew In Your Life: Upcoming Appearances

• August 21-24, 2024, MediaPost, Tahoe: “Start-Up Brand’s Super Surgical Strategy via Data & AI: Illicit Elixirs Case Study”
• Mirren AI & Tech Summit, New York, October 9-10, 2024: “How We’re Transforming Our Agency with AI.”
• FinTech Islands, January 2025, Barbados: “A Friendly Debate between Bitcoin and CBDC.”

Who’s Andrew Eklund?

Over the past 30 years, Andrew has led Ciceron and our clients through the entire history of the digital world. The agency’s success and longevity is a testament to its commitment to always being where the consumer is, not necessarily where brands want them to be.

Request Andrew as your speaker by reaching him at andrew@ciceron.com. 

Andrew has served on the boards of MacPhail Center for Music and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies. In addition, he is an investor in Traction Capital, a VC firm based in the Twin Cities. He also currently serves in a leadership role with TAAN, one of the world’s most distinguished independent agency networks. But for those more interested in his funkier side, he’s also one of the original members of The Big Wu and is debatably the world’s biggest Phish fan.

Speaker Biography

It was 1995. Ciceron was born over drinks and dinner at an Italian bistro in San Francisco as one of the first digital agencies in the US.

The Web was a wee bit back then. There was no Google. No YouTube. No WiFi. No streaming audio, video or on-demand programming. People hated it when web pages had images on them because they would have to wait for them to load.

Fast forward to 2024. The firm Andrew Eklund founded that day has been consistently recognized as one of the most innovative, boundary-pushing by AdWeek, Inc. 5000, and the Business Journal’s Fast 50, having stuck to its guns that digital consumer experience is still the most significant, game-changing business influence of the past century. Entire markets have emerged as a result of disintermediation and disruption of traditional business models. Power shifts constantly. Simply stated, those who are nimble, open, and adaptive win.

Andrew is a sought after speaker on a host of topics related to digital transformation, from the advancement of AI and business intelligence to data-driven marketing performance models.

Request Andrew as your speaker by reaching him at andrew@ciceron.com. 

Recent Speaking Engagements:

• RetailLoco, “Role of Data in Growing Brand Loyalty.” Minneapolis, April 24, 2024
• TAAN Worldwide, “AI’s Future in Agency Land.” Dubrovnic, Croatia, May 2, 2024
• “AI: What You Need to Know.” Midway Chamber of Commerce (St. Paul), 2023
• Twin Cities Startup Week, 2023, “What Business People Need to Know About AI.”
• RetailLoco, Minneapolis, “Data Analytics in Retail,” 2023
• Digiday Programmatic Summit, Palm Springs. “Future of Identity Resolution in a Post-Cookie World,” 2023
• MediaPost Performance Insider Summit, Charleston, 2023 “AI and Performance marketing.”
• MediaPost Brand Insider Summit, Hilton Head, 2023
• ICSMAX Minneapolis, 2022
• MediaPost Retail Summit 2022, Lake Tahoe
• FSC International 2022, “Deep Dive into the Sustainability Minded Consumer”
• MediaPost Forecast 2021, 2021
• Digiday Video Advertising Summit, Palm Springs, 2019
• Brand Marketers Summit, Chicago & Minneapolis, 2019
• MediaPost TV & Video Insider Summits, Lake Tahoe, 2018-19
• MediaPost Brand Marketers Summits, New York; Pinehurst
• MediaPost Data & Programmatic Summits, Captiva Island, FL; Lake Tahoe, CA
• MediaPost OMMA Programmatic
• MMPA Summit & Expo
• MobCon Digital Health
• MobCon
• CorpComm Expo, Chicago,
• CorpComm Expo, Atlanta,
• Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference
• Colorado Springs AAF Conference
• 3M Global Marketing Forum
• MN Council on Non-Profits, Technology Conference
• E-Tourism Summit (New York, San Francisco)
• Governor’s Conference on Tourism (Nevada Office of Tourism; Las Vegas)
• Explore Minnesota Annual Conference, Keynote
• MarketingSherpa Email Summit, (Miami)
• Western Assoc of CVBs, Keynote, (Seattle)
• Guest Lecturer, University of Minnesota
• Guest Lecturer, University of Wisconsin
• Public Radio International Annual Conference, Keynote (San Francisco)
• MIMA Summit

Other Accomplishments

• Honored to be named to the Inc. 5000 fastest growing companies in the US, 2020
• Named a Fast 50 company by the Business Journal, 2020
• Honoree, Reader’s Choice for “Best Ad Agency” by Twin Cities Business, 2020
• Named of the 100 Fastest Growing Agencies by AdWeek, 2019
• Numerous campaign awards from OMMA Awards, 2016-2019
• Winner for “Paragon of Leadership” award, Minnesota Business, 2017
• Selected as one of “The (Real) Power 50 of 2016” by Minnesota Business magazine
• Selected as one of “200 Minnesotans You Should Know” by Twin Cities Business Monthly

Reviews

“Andrew Eklund will blast a hole through your cerebral cortex. Witty, humorous, irreverent and always sharply on point for the target audience you will leave his sessions with the feeling of being challenged and motivated. Attendees always take copious notes because the information Andrew imparts is immediately applicable. Andrew not only uses examples from his own company’s personal experience but pulls in research into a myriad of other relevant industry examples. You’ll leave his sessions feeling like he’s the smartest guy in the room, but not one you want to beat up, more like one you want to have a beer with.”
– Maresa Thompson, VP-Marketing, Albuquerque CVB

“Andrew has been a speaker at several of our tourism conferences, and he has been a HUGE hit. Not only is he well received throughout Minnesota, but Andrew has spoken at travel and tourism events throughout the U.S. It is rare that I would so strongly recommend someone, but you would not go wrong with him.”
– John Edman, Executive Director, Explore Minnesota Tourism

“Andrew does a great job of framing the issues and developing actionable solutions to address goals. His personal style allows for challenging preconceived ideas about current business models and leads to breakthrough insights.”
– Nathanial Opperman, CEO, MSP Communications

“Andrew has long understood the transformative nature of measurable marketing. Andrew was preaching this many years before mainstream media buyers and marketers began shifting more of their spend to the Internet. Andrew is an expert–and he’s been doing it since the pioneering days of the Web.”
– Phil Hotchkiss, Founder & CEO, BigCharts (Acquired by Dow Jones, Inc.)