Key Points
- Graeme Douglas-Kilgannon has joined Stitchy London as chief executive officer (CEO) and principal consultant.
- Stitchy London is an independent social and strategy agency founded at the end of 2024 by Angela Kilgannon.
- Angela Kilgannon, co-founder of Stitchy, and Ruth Nichols, partner and CSO, expressed excitement about Douglas-Kilgannon’s appointment, stating they have “BIG plans” and his experience will be “invaluable for our growth”.
- Douglas-Kilgannon recently stepped down as CSO at Bicycle London.
- He married Angela Kilgannon at the weekend before his appointment.
- Stitchy positions itself as an agency for the “post-social world”, addressing gaps where social agencies lack brand strategy and brand agencies lack social expertise.
- The agency was born from industry tensions, aiming to deliver full-stack marketing combining marketing science, brand strategy, creator, and content marketing.
- Stitchy Ltd is registered at 13 Hawley Crescent, Work.life Camden, London NW1 8NP, incorporated on 18 February 2024, with initial director Anna-Chiara B.
- Another registration for STITCHY LONDON LTD exists at 14 Tavistock Road, London E18 2AP, incorporated 9 October 2024.
- Stitchy has 11-50 employees, headquartered in London, in the marketing services industry.
- Douglas-Kilgannon describes the post-social world as one where social influences everything, with fragmented attention requiring scientific marketing approaches.
Graeme Douglas-Kilgannon, a seasoned strategist, has taken up the role of CEO and principal consultant at Stitchy London, marking a significant leadership boost for the young agency. As reported by Campaign Live, “Graeme Douglas-Kilgannon has joined social and strategy agency, Stitchy London, as chief executive and principal consultant.” This appointment, announced in early March 2026, comes as Stitchy positions itself at the forefront of marketing evolution in a fragmented media landscape.
The news has generated buzz in the advertising world, with LinkedIn posts from Stitchy team members highlighting the strategic fit. On LinkedIn, Ruth Nichols shared: “Big news for Stitchy today 👀 Ange and I are beyond excited to have G on board as CEO. We’ve got BIG plans and G’s wealth of experience is going to be invaluable for our growth and what’s next. Angela Kilgannon G Douglas-Kilgannon.”
Who is Graeme Douglas-Kilgannon?
Graeme Douglas-Kilgannon brings over 25 years of experience in marketing and advertising to his new role. He recently stepped down as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at Bicycle London, a move confirmed via his LinkedIn activity. Prior roles include work at renowned agencies like Wieden & Kennedy, where creativity was paramount, and more rigorous data-driven environments.
In a detailed MediaChat interview with MediaCat UK, Douglas-Kilgannon elaborated on his worldview, rooted in Ehrenberg-Bass principles and Byron Sharp’s theories. “My worldview is very rooted in Ehrenberg-Bass and Byron Sharp. I’ve seen it work,” he stated. He emphasises low-attention processing, drawing from Robert Heath’s Seducing The Subconscious, arguing most brand communication operates unconsciously to build memory structures.
Douglas-Kilgannon advocates for creative compounding, repetition, and brand assets, blended with creativity. “Creative compounding, repetition, brand assets — all underpinned by a massive obsession with creativity — is basically how brands grow today,” he explained. His personal life intersects professionally, having married Angela Kilgannon just before joining Stitchy.
What previous roles shaped his expertise?
Douglas-Kilgannon’s career spans agencies balancing creativity and science. At Wieden & Kennedy, he experienced “hyper creative” environments that avoided Ehrenberg-Bass talk, contrasting with data-focused shops. He supports positive wastage in out-of-home (OOH) media, calling it “the last great broadcast channel”, essential for brand fame beyond one-to-one digital targeting.
He critiques over-reliance on lower-funnel metrics: “Way too much money is put into lower-funnel or last-click things because you can measure it.” Instead, he views performance advertising as “physical availability” rather than brand-building.
What is Stitchy London?
Stitchy London emerged in late 2024 to bridge industry gaps. As described by CEO Graeme Douglas-Kilgannon in MediaCat UK, “It’s an agency that was started around 14 months ago. It was born from a tension in the industry, which was social agencies don’t tend to do brand strategy or marketing science very well, and brand agencies don’t do social well.”
The agency targets “full-stack marketing for a post-social world”, where attention is fragmented but marketing science laws endure. Founders Angela Kilgannon and Ruth Nichols bring digital publishing experience from Joe Media, Buzzfeed, and agencies. Company records show Stitchy Ltd incorporated 18 February 2024 at Work.life Camden, London NW1 8NP. A related entity, STITCHY LONDON LTD, registered 9 October 2024 at 14 Tavistock Road, E18 2AP.
Stitchy employs 11-50 staff in marketing services, headquartered in London. Its website is www.stitchylondon.com.[7]
How does Stitchy define the post-social world?
Douglas-Kilgannon clarifies: “It’s also predicated on the idea of post-social, which means social is so important now that it’s not a vertical, it’s not a channel, it’s not a medium — it’s a space that affects everything.” Platforms have shifted from friend graphs to interest graphs, reducing peer-to-peer interactions to content, creator, brand, or culture-first exchanges.
“Social media has totally changed the way we share content, we buy products, we talk about brands, culture is created,” he added, even off-platform. Brands face myriad touchpoints but struggle with mass culture in fragmentation.
Why did Stitchy appoint Douglas-Kilgannon?
The hire aligns with ambitious growth. Ruth Nichols and Angela Kilgannon’s LinkedIn post underscores: “Ange and I are beyond excited to have G on board as CEO.” His expertise in navigating publishing, creators, and culture fits Stitchy’s insider approach.
Agencies must adopt “genuine neutrality” across touchpoints, per Douglas-Kilgannon. Stitchy’s team has “creator or platform or digital publishing experience. They understand how to build audiences from within.” He proposes a Hollywood production model: core strategists managing freelancers, with AI centralised for research.
This is Douglas-Kilgannon’s first CEO role, as noted by Campaign magazine on X: “Graeme Douglas-Kilgannon lands first CEO role.”
What is the post-social world according to experts?
Douglas-Kilgannon expands: “Attention is obviously completely fragmented. People are consuming media in different ways. And brands have to understand how to grow in a different way.” He references monoculture’s decline since Coronation Street eras, now one-to-one eyeballs hindering collective culture.
He hopes big brand messages endure despite Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez’s views. Distinctiveness trumps pure differentiation: “If you’re not distinct, and you’re not building memory structures, differentiation on its own is not enough.”
Creators mimic radio’s “trusted friend” via parasocial bonds. Nike’s All Conditions Gear exemplifies post-social success: consistent orange assets across Olympics-tied content, branded trains, episodic delivery.
How should agencies adapt?
“Adopt a bit more of a Hollywood model of production. A core team of smart people who understand platforms,” Douglas-Kilgannon advises. AI is “non-negotiable”, outsourcing research but not creativity.
What challenges does the industry face?
Fragmentation demands scale via OOH and Channel 4. “Brands are built at scale by people that don’t use them now,” via positive wastage. Emotion drives purchases: “It’s emotion over reason. It’s system-one thinking.”
Implications for marketing professionals
This appointment signals Stitchy’s push into integrated strategies. Professionals seeking to master Digital Marketing amid post-social shifts can elevate their skills through targeted training. For those aiming to blend strategy and social like Douglas-Kilgannon, exploring Advertising & Communications programmes offers practical insights into Ehrenberg-Bass applications and creator economies.
Douglas-Kilgannon’s insights underscore timeless principles in evolving channels. As Stitchy grows under his leadership, the agency exemplifies adaptation, drawing from founders’ publisher roots and his agency tenure.
The marriage of personal and professional ties adds a human element, with Angela Kilgannon’s vision now amplified. Industry watchers anticipate Stitchy’s role in redefining full-stack marketing.