New solution addresses critical “people-first” gap as 74% of companies struggle to unlock value from AI investments.

CHICAGO (November 11, 2025) – Golin, an Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) agency, today announced Lighthouse 360, a new service helping companies transform their business with AI by putting people first. The service meets a critical need: organizations worldwide struggling with the human side of AI adoption. Success depends less on choosing the right technology and more on addressing human factors like change fatigue, uncertainty, and cultural resistance.

While AI tools have spread rapidly across industries, recent research shows that 74% of companies struggle to get real value from their AI investments. Golin achieved its own transformation—going from 15% to 95% employee AI adoption in under a year while reaching the lowest turnover rate in company history. The agency has since advised more than 50 organizations across consumer goods, healthcare, financial services, retail, and food and beverage industries on successful AI integration.

“What started as a revolution built on technology is actually an evolution that depends on people,” said Kris MacAuslan, EVP of Transformation at Golin. “The organizations delivering transformative AI results understand that successful integration is 10% technology and 90% people. Lighthouse 360 brings together insights from Golin’s own AI journey, proving that when you design experiences that transform people – from anxiety to excitement, resistance to readiness, and skeptics to adopters – you create a competitive advantage others can’t copy.”

Three-Phase Transformation Journey

Lighthouse 360 provides a flexible, three-phase approach that meets organizations wherever they are on their AI journey:

• PULSE – Measures how ready an organization is for AI transformation. Through program analysis, employee surveys, and risk evaluations, organizations receive a custom readiness score and top focus areas to guide their journey.
• PATH – Creates tailored roadmaps through workshops focused on people and culture. This phase identifies champions, addresses concerns, and builds engagement strategies that inspire action rather than resistance.
• PROPEL – Turns plans into action with hands-on support. This includes AI pilot programs, role-specific training, ongoing guidance, and real-time adjustments based on actual adoption results.

Proven Impact Through Human-First Approach

“Companies pour millions into AI tools, then wonder why adoption stalls at 20% or why their ROI never materializes,” said Jeff Beringer, Chief AI Officer at Golin. “The answer is simple: they’re managing technology rollouts when they should be designing human experiences. Our approach transforms the narrative from ‘here we go again with another tech implementation’ to ‘this is our moment to shape the future.’”

Golin’s own transformation demonstrates the power of this approach. In less than 12 months, the agency achieved 97% participation in AI training across 50 global offices, with more than 90% of employees now using AI to uplevel their client work daily. In the past year, the agency’s employees have created over 1,200 AI-assisted workflows to support their work, while 85% of clients are now leveraging Golin’s enhanced AI capabilities.

“The real reason AI transformations fail is that companies get blinded by shiny new technology but forget that people have to believe in it, adopt it, and make it successful every single day,” MacAuslan added. “The companies that deliver transformative value will bring their teams along at the right pace, with messaging that stays true to their core values, business strategy, and reputation. Because the more artificial our intelligence becomes, the more human our leadership must be.”

Comprehensive Support Across the Organization

The launch of Lighthouse 360 adds to Golin’s growing portfolio of AI-powered solutions for clients, including First Answer to optimize AI visibility, FitCheck to vet influencers in new ways, and Emotiv Intelligence to assess real-time reactions to content. As a leader in both internal transformation and client innovation, Golin is committed to helping modern communicators integrate AI and reshape the future of communications.

For more information about Lighthouse 360, contact our team at [email protected].