Bear, a future-forward digital commerce agency, is excited to announce new integrated positioning and enhanced digital-solutions capabilities that empower brands to scale and grow, with the addition of executive-level brand and design innovator Mick McCarthy as Chief Design Officer (CDO). Today’s announcement follows Bear’s ongoing strategic evolution led by CEO Thomas McCutchen, who took the helm after last year’s merger of Bear Group and Scoutside, where McCutchen was founder and CEO.

Along with McCarthy’s appointment, Bear’s rebrand, new website, and enhanced offerings now showcase the Bear team’s experience and expertise in the digital commerce space. McCutchen’s strategic vision was fueled by client demand and a clear market need for a comprehensive solution that integrates front-end design and development and backend engineering, tailored to the changing requirements of mid-market businesses across sectors such as manufacturing, B2B services, and direct-to-consumer (D2C) eCommerce brands. Today, Bear offers a full-service range of digital commerce services including user research, analytics, strategy, creative, UX/design, engineering, and conversion rate optimization (CRO). 

“For the past year, we’ve collaborated with clients, partners, and other stakeholders in positioning Bear to help mid-market ecommerce brands and businesses succeed in an increasingly complex and competitive environment,” McCutchen said. “The market has been telling us it needs integrated strategy, human-centered design, engineering, and performance optimization capabilities under one roof, which is why Mick’s addition to our leadership team is so exciting.”

McCarthy’s people-first approach and brand strategy leadership has been instrumental in aligning creative direction with business goals to help top brands like Vince, Universal Parks, Johnson & Johnson, and Unilever scale their brands, strengthen market presence, and drive long-term growth. His work to date with McCutchen on Bear’s rebrand and new site has already strengthened Bear’s branding, design, and user-experience positioning, with more to come.

“I am thrilled to be joining Bear as the agency’s first Chief Design Officer and to work with Thomas on the next stage in Bear’s journey,” McCarthy said. “We're excited about the insights that our cross-collaborative research and strategy teams can offer clients. What sets Bear apart is our ability to connect the dots across the entire customer journey to optimize outcomes for the brands we work with.” 

McCutchen said that today’s announcement provides a first look at Bear’s new capacity. “The site now reflects our new brand vision and Mick’s influence. In effect, it’s a case study of Bear’s capabilities and approach to digital transformation.”