Quad (NYSE: QUAD), a marketing experience company that solves complex marketing challenges for its clients, today announced that Rise, its omnichannel media agency, is included as a Contender in The Forrester Wave™: Media Management Services, Q4 2026.
The report, authored by Forrester vice president and principal analyst Jay Pattisall, evaluates and scores the most significant media management services providers in the marketplace. For Rise, its inclusion in this report reflects the agency’s positioning that long-term growth opportunities are found through incremental market improvements rather than optimization for national performance averages.
Forrester’s evaluation describes Rise as pushing “beyond performance optimization to marketing intelligence optimization,” and as “a good fit for North American marketers with complex, brand-to-local needs who want hands-on execution and full-funnel media.” Customers interviewed for the report like Rise’s “buying execution, local market understanding, search expertise, and data collaboration.”
“We believe Rise’s inclusion in the Forrester Wave report reflects the value of the model we’ve been working hard to build over the last several years: marrying deep media expertise with data-informed audience strategy and planning, transparent pricing and media investment, business-outcome-focused measurement, and access to Quad’s creative, production and commerce capabilities. For our agency, this is a meaningful milestone and a sign of the momentum our team is creating as we continue to grow our capabilities and deliver greater value for clients,” said Joshua Lowcock, Chief Media Innovation and Data Officer at Quad.
The Wave report inclusion follows demonstrated in-market traction for Rise. Earlier in 2026, the agency received a Bronze Effie Award, finalist recognition in the 2026 AdExchanger Awards and a Jay Chiat Silver Award. Rise was also recognized in Forrester’s Media Management Services Landscape, the report that precedes the Wave evaluation.
With that strength building, the agency’s focus is on helping marketers see growth opportunities more clearly and act with more confidence.
“Marketers are being asked to do more across more channels, with more data and less room for error, and they need a media partner who can turn complexity into clear decisions and measurable progress,” said Cari Bucci-Hulings, President of Quad’s agencies, Betty, Favorite Child and Rise. “Forrester’s recognition of Rise as a top media agency is undeniably exciting, but the opportunity it creates extends beyond any one agency. As Rise grows, it strengthens what Quad’s agencies can offer together, and we’re committed to investing in the technology and talent that will make that collaboration even more powerful for clients today, tomorrow and in the years ahead.”
For more information, access a complimentary copy of the report.
The Forrester Wave™: Media Management Services, Q4 2026, Forrester Research, Inc., November 4, 2026.
Forrester does not endorse any company, product, brand, or service included in its research publications and does not advise any person to select the products or services of any company or brand based on the ratings included in such publications. Information is based on the best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. This report is part of a broader collection of Forrester resources, including interactive models, frameworks, tools, data, and access to analyst guidance. For more information, read about Forrester’s objectivity.
