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Tag: WPP

  • WPP’s Brand Union promotes Toby Southgate to worldwide CEO

    WPP’s Brand Union promotes Toby Southgate to worldwide CEO

    MUMBAI: WPP’s global brand strategy and design agency Brand Union has promoted Toby Southgate to worldwide CEO, effective 1 July.

     

    Southgate will manage the growth of the global network while to continuing his responsibilities in the Americas. He will remain based in New York and will report to Brand Union and FITCH group CEO Simon Bolton.

     

    “Toby is a true professional in our industry and a trusted adviser to senior clients all around our network. He has a unique thought process and leadership style that enables him to have compelling conversations with clients, prospects and talent alike. I have no doubt Toby has what it takes to step into this role on a worldwide stage and take Brand Union to the next level,” said Bolton.

     

    In this new role, Southgate will be responsible for leading the growth of Brand Union across each of its 24 markets. He will manage all of Brand Union’s international teams and lead collaboration with other WPP agencies, delivering on the group’s ‘horizontality’ strategy.

     

    “I love this business and I’m proud to be leading Brand Union beyond the traditional definition of branding. I’m delighted Simon has given me the chance to lead the network. Brand Union is all about creating brilliantly designed and beautifully connected experiences for our clients and their brands. There is much more to come,” said Southgate.

     

    Southgate brings extensive Brand Union experience to this role, having joined the agency in 2008. He has held a number of roles including Brand Union Middle East managing director, Brand Union UK CEO and most recently, CEO Americas. In his latest role, he helped grow the agency’s footprint leading the acquisition of Epigram, a Brazilian brand and communications agency, in 2014.

     

    He has been a key player in the agency’s business development over the last seven years, bringing in major clients like The Coca-Cola Company, Vodafone, Shazam, GlaxoSmithKline and CBRE.

     

    CBRE global chief marketing officer Paul Suchman said, “Toby’s partnership and dedication to our business has been nothing short of outstanding. Under his leadership, Brand Union has helped us find a powerful global voice and significantly strengthen our brand equity in every market we serve.”

  • Mindshare restructures South Asia leadership

    Mindshare restructures South Asia leadership

    MUMBAI: As part of its ongoing commitment to delivering adaptive planning and thinking, for clients and dynamic markets, Mindshare APAC has realigned its senior leadership in South Asia.

     

    Mindshare APAC chief client officer MA Parthasarathy has been named chief product officer for South Asia. In his new role, Parthasarathy will lead a community of communications strategy and analytics across ten Mindshare offices in South Asia.

     

    Ruchir Mathur, currently principal partner on the PepsiCo business has been appointed as leader for client leadership. Mathur will spearhead a range of ground-breaking activity with an experience of over ten years with Mindshare.

     

    Saket Sinha returns to the Mindshare family as principal partner leading rodeos and the east zone. In his previous role, Sinha was championing business in new geographies for GroupM, creating expansions for the network in several new markets.

     

    Sinha will report to Mathur and Mindshare South Asia CEO Prasanth Kumar for the east zone. Parthasarathy and Mathur will report into Kumar directly.

     

    Commenting on the re-alignment, Kumar said, “As pioneers in adaptive marketing, we are focused on creating a team that continues to open up more possibilities and set ourselves apart, with the capability to merge strategy with market intelligence. As we advise our clients to change mindsets that reflect in the communication they partake in, so does our commitment strengthen to ensure our best talent to service the brands we work with. Parthasarathy, Ruchi and Saket have always been an integral part of the Mindshare family. Each one of them brings their expertise to the table and I am confident that they will continue to take Mindshare to greater heights.”

  • WPP’s Mirum buys majority stake in Germany’s RSK Group

    WPP’s Mirum buys majority stake in Germany’s RSK Group

    MUMBAI: WPP’s global digital agency Mirum, which is a part of J. Walter Thompson Company, has acquired a majority stake in Germany’s full-service digital marketing agency RSK Group AG.

     

    RSK offers cross-media services including e-Commerce solutions, websites and mobile marketing. Its clients include RCI Banque Germany, Toshiba, 3M and Nestlé.

     

    RSK employs 25 people and is headquartered in Dusseldorf. Post-acquisition, RSK will rebrand as Mirum and will continue to be led by RSK founder and current CEO Christoph Eßer.

     

    RSK’s unaudited revenues for the year ended 31 December, 2014 were approximately EUR 2.3 million, with gross assets at the same date of approximately EUR 1 million.

     

    Germany is WPP’s fourth largest market after the US, UK and Greater China.

  • Apple pips Google to take top spot as most valuable brand

    Apple pips Google to take top spot as most valuable brand

    MUMBAI: Apple has overtaken Google to reclaim the title of ‘world’s most valuable brand’ in the 2015 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands released by WPP and Millward Brown.

    Apple has increased its brand value to $247 billion, a rise of 67 per cent year on year. Google (no.2) also grew, achieving a nine per cent value increase to reach $173.7billion. Microsoft, now worth $115.5billion, is the new no.3, rising one position with value growth of 28 per cent.

    Though the AppleWatch has proved extremely popular, it is the success of the iPhone 6 that has been the main driver of Apple’s brand value growth.

    Millward Brown’s Global Head of BrandZ Doreen Wang said, “Apple continues to ‘own’ its category by innovating and leading the curve in a way that generates real benefits for consumers. It meets their rational and emotional needs, and makes life easier in a fun and relevant way. Apple is clear on what it stands for, and never stops refreshing its message to sustain the difference that makes it so desirable.”

    The total brand value of the Top 100 now stands at $3.3 trillion, a 14 per cent increase on 2014 and a 126 per cent growth over the 10 years since the ranking was first launched.

    WPP’s The Store CEO, EMEA and Asia David Roth said, “Brand value has risen substantially despite a disruptive decade. This is a pivotal moment for brand builders. We’re at the threshold of a new normal, and a changing consumer. The past 10 years of valuing brands proves that investing in creating strong, valuable brands delivers superior returns to shareholders.”

    Highlights and key findings from this year’s BrandZ Top 100 study include:

    •Technology is the fastest-growing category – up 24 per cent in the last year, the tech brands in the Top 100 are worth more than $1 trillion, nearly a third of the value of all brands in the ranking.

    •Facebook is the fastest riser, with 99 per cent growth achieved through its successful strategy of acquiring and integrating other social apps such as Instagram and WhatsApp, and an understanding of how to monetise and cross-sell its platforms.

    •E-commerce boosts retail brand value as Alibaba enters ranking and overtakes Amazon – Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba entered the retail ranking at $66.4billion, helping to grow the retail category ranking by 24 per cent and overtaking both Amazon and Walmart. The most valuable retail brands Alibaba and Amazon, which lack physical stores, are now worth more than Walmart, which has 11,000 stores worldwide.

    The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands is now in its tenth year. Analysis of the 10-year trajectory of the brands in the ranking has revealed that:

    •Europe’s brand powerhouses stagnate as Chinese brands grow and US brands make a comeback. The number of Chinese brands continues to grow with 14 brands in the Top 100, up from one in 2006, and an increase of 1004 per cent in value. The value of US brands grew by 137 per cent in the last 10 years (up 15 per cent in the last year) compared to just 31 per cent in Europe (down -9.3 per cent in the last year). There are now just 24 brands from Europe in the ranking (down from 35 in 2006). This represents a shift from West to East; most of the brands that have been ‘pushed out’ of the Top 100 by China were from Europe.

    •High value brands provide faster bottom-line growth and shareholder value. In the last 10 years, a measurement of the strongest brands from the Top 100 as a ‘stock portfolio’ shows their share price has risen over three times more than the MSCI World Index and almost two thirds more than the S&P500.

  • WPP’s Always to acquire Singapore-based marketing company 3ree

    WPP’s Always to acquire Singapore-based marketing company 3ree

    MUMBAI: Sir Martin Sorrell led WPP is on an acquisition spree. The company’s China-based field and shopper marketing unit Always Marketing Services has acquired Singapore based has integrated marketing company 3ree.

     

    Financials of the deal were not disclosed.

     

    Founded in 2010 by Tan Li Li and Isabel Cheong, 3ree offers event management, sourcing and production of marketing premiums, project management for exhibitions and activations, and design and creative services, as well as digital marketing. 

     

    3ree has implemented projects in key Asian markets, including India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Korea and Australia. Clients include Microsoft, Mitsubishi Electronic, Seagate and StarHub.

     

    Always, which is majority-owned by WPP’s J. Walter Thompson, offers trade marketing, including merchandiser management and retail audit; retail marketing, including promoter management, in-store activation and retail environment designs; as well as shopper marketing, including point of sale design, events and road shows, as well as premium design and production. 

     

  • Carat appoints Navaneeta Das as international client president

    Carat appoints Navaneeta Das as international client president

    MUMBAI: Carat has appointed Navaneeta Das as international client president for Mondelez International based out of Singapore for Asia Pacific.

     

    Das will head up the Carat media strategy and planning operations for Mondelez, with responsibilities for the wider Dentsu Aegis Network offering. Longer term she will move into a global role within Carat. Das joins from Johnson & Johnson and will report to Carat Asia Pacific CEO Sean O’Brien.

     

    O’Brien said “Nav’s balanced exposure to digital and traditional media and her knowledge of strategy, data and trading makes her the right fit for us as we continue to redefine the business value we deliver to our clients through media. Mondelez International is an innovative business, looking to drive significant growth, and with Nav’s expertise now within Carat we are in a great position to continue to support them on this journey.”

     

    With 17 years’ of media and marketing experience, Das previously worked at Mindshare, at WPP’s econometrics and consulting offering (ATG and Mindshare Business Planning), and most recently at Johnson & Johnson where she was director of digital analytics and marketing analytics.

     

    “Carat embodies an honest, down-to-earth, warm and collaborative culture. The company has grown rapidly over the past few years due to strong communication and marketing capabilities driven by their culture. I am looking forward to working with the teams across the region to drive further success for Mondelez International and in turn grow our business,” said Das. 

  • WPP’s Grey Healthcare acquires minority stake in PARx Solutions

    WPP’s Grey Healthcare acquires minority stake in PARx Solutions

    MUMBAI: WPP’s wholly-owned operating company Grey Healthcare Group has acquired a minority stake in US based PARx Solutions, Inc.

     

    PARx has built a platform designed to support physicians and pharmacies as they manage prescription prior authorization requirements that are put in place by payers for an increasing number of branded prescription drugs.

     

    The company’s web-based portal helps physicians and pharmacies manage prior authorization requirement for prescriptions in a streamlined, user-friendly manner, thereby allowing more patients to receive the medications that their physicians have prescribed. The company is headquartered in Burlington, MA, with offices in Louisville, KY, and San Jose, CA, and was founded in 2008.

     

    This investment continues WPP’s strategy of investing in digital and important markets such as the US.

  • WPP acquires sports marketing agency Two Circles

    WPP acquires sports marketing agency Two Circles

    MUMBAI: WPP has acquired a majority stake in London based sports marketing agency Two Circles.

     

    Following the deal, Two Circles will become part of ESP Properties, GroupM’s newly launched company serving rights holders from the worlds of sports and entertainment.

     

    Founded in 2011, Two Circles employs 55 people and works with leading sports rights holders across 10 markets internationally, enabling them to deliver the right messages to the right customers at the right time and in doing so, deliver commercial growth across all key revenue streams.

     

    The agency’s clients include England and Wales Cricket Board, Valencia CF, Liverpool FC, Lawn Tennis Association, Ascot Racecourse, Harlequins, Bath and Wasps Rugby.

     

    Two Circles will continue to operate as a stand-alone business within ESP Properties and be led by CEO Matt Rogan and managing director Gareth Balch. The agency’s consolidated revenues for the year ended 31 August, 2014 were ?2.7 million, with gross assets of ?1.0 million as at the same date.

     

    This investment continues WPP’s strategy of developing its services in fast-growing and important markets and sectors and strengthening its digital capabilities. WPP’s digital revenues were $6.9billion in 2014, representing 36 per cent of the Group’s total revenues of $19billion. WPP has set a target of 40-45 per cent of revenue to be derived from digital in the next five years.

  • GroupM ventures into sports and entertainment rights under brand ESP

    GroupM ventures into sports and entertainment rights under brand ESP

    MUMBAI: GroupM is expanding its sports and entertainment offering under a new global agency brand, ESP, which will comprise two separate businesses: ESP Properties and ESP Brands.

     

    Both businesses will be part of WPP’s media investment management company GroupM, but remain independent of its media-buying operations.

     

    ESP Properties will be GroupM’s first company dedicated to serving rights holders from the worlds of sports and entertainment, including federations, leagues, events, teams, publishers and venues. It will offer a thorough assessment of their commercial programs, and advise how to grow the revenue they generate through a full range of services across data, digital and content development. It will also offer global partnership sales on behalf of rights holders, both to existing WPP brand clients and beyond.

     

    ESP Properties will be formed through new hires, the integration of existing GroupM business units including leading sponsorship agency IEG, and the acquisition of data-driven sports marketing agency Two Circles. It will collaborate with specialists from the WPP network to deliver a full range of marketing services. It will also work with GroupM Entertainment on new programming concepts and, where mutually beneficial, provide direct finance for new projects.

     

    ESP Properties will launch with over 150 staff in hubs across New York, Chicago, London and Singapore, plus additional teams in Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and Dubai amongst others. It launches with a roster of globally recognised clients including the All Blacks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Valencia CF, England and Wales Cricket Board, Pele, and City Football Group.

     

    WPP CEO Martin Sorrell said, “There is significant and growing demand on the part of clients to invest more in content and sports but few in our industry have had a serious response to this. Our new ESP Properties will bring creative power and commercial insight to rights holders for the first time, providing unmatched opportunities to better tailor their offerings to the needs of today’s brand sponsors. ESP will also work hand in hand with our recent investment in Bruin Sports to provide our clients with access to many high-value media and sponsorship opportunities.”

     

    GroupM is also expanding its support for brands to plan, negotiate and activate sports and entertainment partnerships by growing the specialist teams in its individual media agencies. These specialist teams will be underpinned in key regions by the second business within ESP, ESP Brands. ESP Brands will be an evolution of the former partnerships consultancy GroupM ESP.

     

    GroupM Global president and ESP chairman Dominic Proctor added, “The global launch of ESP Properties brings leading commercial and creative capabilities to some of the world’s most celebrated names across sports and entertainment. Sport is a driving force in media and we want to serve the market better by assisting rightsholders in optimizing their properties and creating more winning partnerships with leading brands. At the same time we will ensure we work more efficiently on behalf of brands by providing even more resources for the specialist sports and entertainment practices that are embedded in our GroupM agencies, underpinned by a central team in key regions, ESP Brands.”

     

    GroupM ESP global CEO John Kristick will lead the new ESP Properties as CEO. Kristick is a senior sports marketing executive with nearly two decades of international experience, including being appointed managing director for the USA Bid Committee to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and previously working for more than ten years in Europe serving as an executive director for Infront Sports & Media from its inception.

     

    The business will be led regionally by Jonathan Hill (EMEA), Laren Ukman (North America) and JinWei Toh (APAC). ESP Brands will be managed regionally in North America by Bryce Townsend and through the individual GroupM agencies in other regions.

     

    Kristick said, “ESP Properties’ offering is truly unique in meeting the changing needs of the world’s leading federations, events, leagues, teams and other rightsholders. We have brought together a range of experts from across GroupM, such as IEG with over three decades of experience in sponsorship consulting, and our new partners Two Circles who have been leading the way in data-driven sports marketing. By combining this strategic expertise with unmatched understanding of how to navigate potential brand partnerships, we can uncover new revenue opportunities for rights holders worldwide.”

     

    It may be recalled that WPP recently invested in Bruin Sports Capital and this move is part of the agency’s growing commitment to content.

     

    Bruin Sports Capital founder George Pyne said, “ESP Properties provides rights holders around the world with a very powerful combination of strategic services and sales expertise. The ability to access the group’s unmatched global resources and corporate client base will be very helpful as we create value for the relevant businesses Bruin operates. We also anticipate collaborating with ESP Properties to jointly deploy capital and create new businesses as opportunities arise.” 

  • Refinery29 raises $50 million from WPP and Scripps

    Refinery29 raises $50 million from WPP and Scripps

    MUMBAI: Digital lifestyle media company Refinery29 has raised $50 million in new funding from WPP and Scripps Networks Interactive, via WPP Ventures.

     

    This brings the company’s total funding to $80 million with previous investors including Stripes Group, Floodgate, Lead Edge Capital, First Round Capital, Lerer Ventures and Hearst Corporation.

     

    Refinery29 will use this latest round of funding to accelerate its mission to become the global media company for a new generation of women, powering inspirational, smart entertainment and discovery tools and resources across lifestyle categories. The company will expand internationally by launching new markets and building communities abroad, develop its distinguished video and entertainment offerings, and further connect its content and technology platform to the mobile and social web.

     

    “Media is at an inflection point. Over the next five years, multi-billion dollar media brands will grow out of the digital core, from which Refinery29 was born and is the leader. We are focused on vastly expanding our media and entertainment brand, creating smart, provocative editorial, video, and social content at the intersection of style, culture, and independence,” said Refinery29 co-founder and co-CEO Philippe von Borries.

     

    Refinery29 has nearly doubled in growth in each of the last three consecutive years and the business is profitable. In the last year, the company expanded its content from its core style focus to deliver coverage of politics, culture, food and technology that connects with women across all dimensions of their lives.

     

    Scripps Networks Interactive chief development officer Joseph NeCastro will join Refinery29’s Board of Directors, along with a representative from WPP Ventures.

     

    With his past experience in broadcast operations, media and finance, NeCastro will act as an important advisor for the Refinery29 team as the company looks to scale into a global media brand for millennial women.

     

    “Scripps Networks Interactive has built its global business on a deep understanding of the creation of compelling content that appeals to women across multiple geographies and devices. Refinery29 is committed to building an influential brand that connects with millennial women across the world, and we’re excited about the prospect of working in partnership with the team as they continue to expand their coverage and reach,” said NeCastro.

     

    “Refinery29 operates at the intersection of content, shopping and social media—all areas of focus for WPP Ventures. We’re delighted to make this investment alongside Scripps,” said WPP Ventures president Tom Bedecarre.

     

    Refinery29 co-founder and co-CEO Justin Stefano added, “Having Scripps Networks Interactive and WPP Ventures as partners will elevate Refinery29 in building the next global chapter of the business. Both bring decades of experience to the table, having built and funded globally-renowned media brands and developed exceptional lifestyle programming. Their deep insight into the ever-evolving media and advertising landscape will be invaluable in building out Refinery29’s editorial and entertainment teams.”