Stagwell and Code and Theory Debut Unified Marketing Operating System ‘The Machine’
Stagwell, the challenger network built to transform marketing, has launched 'The Machine,' marketing's first agentic operating system. Built by Code and Theory, Stagwell's digital transformation agency and Adweek's Most Innovative Agency of the Year, The Machine doesn't replace marketers’ tools; it makes them more effective and predictive.
The Machine enhances the data systems and tools marketers already use, including Figma, Slack, Teams, Adobe, and performance dashboards. The Machine turns disconnected workflows into a unified system powered by AI agents and amplified by Stagwell's agencies, products and data. With The Machine, every brief, creative asset and media plan feeds a system that learns, adapts and compounds. Each campaign makes the next one faster, smarter and more effective.
"The launch of The Machine, combined with our recent release of newvoices.AI and strategic partnerships with Palantir and Gradial, marks another milestone in cementing Stagwell as a leader in marketing AI," said Mark Penn, chairman and CEO of Stagwell. "This moment underscores Stagwell's ability to deliver best-in-class solutions for clients and lead the industry through the AI era."
"Most marketing AI tools ask you to rip out your infrastructure and start over," said Dan Gardner, founder and chairman of Code and Theory. "The Machine does the opposite. It works where you work, improves and AI enables the tools you already use, and transforms existing operations into an agentic system. That's the shift from isolated tools to a unified operating system."
Code and Theory clients are already adopting The Machine’s early model. Stagwell will offer demos of The Machine at CES January 6-9 at booth #L2-P2, where attendees will see real use cases across the marketing organisation, including:
- Cross-functional orchestration: Strategy, creative, production and media work from shared intelligence rather than siloed handoffs, reducing friction and accelerating time to market
- Intelligence in context: Mini-Machine plugins directly into the tools marketers already in use, eliminating app-switching and workflow friction
- Unified strategic spine: The Machine connects brand strategy, creative production and media performance into a single source of truth, ensuring every new campaign builds on what has already been learned
- Creative content production at scale: AI-assisted workflows maintain brand integrity while dramatically increasing output velocity
- Real-time tracking: Feeds into creative and strategic decisions, creating a closed loop where optimisation happens continuously
The Machine represents the culmination of Code and Theory's work transforming marketing operations for enterprise clients including Qualcomm, TIME, Stanley Black & Decker, Henry Schein and T. Rowe Price. The agency's historic 2024 included 11 top industry recognitions from Fast Company, Adweek, Ad Age, the ANA, Digiday, Campaign and the Shorty Awards.
"Clients have been asking for a solution that connects people, content, data, and technology to truly realise the value of AI, and The Machine delivers just that," said Michael Treff, CEO of Code and Theory. "We’ve turned marketing operations into a unified system rather than a collection of tools to enable marketers to embrace the next phase of AI transformation."
The Machine will be available for enterprise deployment in Q1 2025.
