Tag: IPG

London, United Kingdom – Creative innovation agency R/GA has announced its return to independence as a privately-owned company after 23 years as part of IPG, following a new partnership between R/GA’s global management and private equity firm Truelink Capital. 

R/GA’s Global CEO Robin Forbes and Chair & Global Chief Creative Officer Tiffany Rolfe are two of the global leaders, together with others, who are investing in the company as part of the deal. R/GA’s next chapter will be fueled out of the gate by a $50m Innovation Fund, enabling the company to invest in new skillsets and talent, and acquire new capabilities, emerging tools and platforms. 

Additionally, R/GA has established a Strategic Advisory Council of senior marketing and technology executives to support emerging AI client transformation opportunities across multiple sectors. 

As an independent company, R/GA is activating an AI-enabled model to better serve clients, unburdened by the restrictions and overheads of traditional corporate structures. New remuneration models based on outcomes, agile new team structures, and scaling up its flexible talent model ‘R/GA Associates’, are among the initial changes being implemented. 

Robin Forbes, global CEO at R/GA, said, “Today is a landmark moment for R/GA, as we enter an exciting new chapter as a private company supported by our new partners at Truelink Capital. This announcement also signals a stark contrast to a wider trend towards consolidation in the agency business.”

He added, “Most agencies will struggle to make the pivot in this new age, especially at a time when they’re operating within complex agency structures, saddled with legacy business models. There’s never been a better time and there is no better company than R/GA to implement a new model for this new environment.”

Meanwhile, Tiffany Rolfe, chair and global chief creative officer at R/GA, commented, “At R/GA change is a feature, not a bug, and we believe in the power of brands to transform – which is what we do for clients, and now we’re doing it for ourselves. The dominant industry narrative around AI has focused largely on efficiency gains in the traditional marketing approach, which is only part of the equation.”

She added, “We are leaning into the creative potential to help brands differentiate themselves and exceed rising customer expectations through new kinds of intelligent experiences that haven’t been possible before. To us, it’s an opportunity to accelerate our world-class creative work through technology and design.”

In said partnership, Truelink has earmarked a minimum of $50m to R/GA’s Innovation Fund to enable the company to further build generative technology capabilities that will unlock new growth opportunities for brands. R/GA also plans to leverage this Fund to invest in new kinds of skillsets, talent, product development and future acquisitions. R/GA’s newly established Strategic Advisory Council brings together a select group of high-profile experienced external perspectives across specific sectors to help support transformation opportunities with the greatest returns for clients. 

Luke Myers, co-founder and managing partner at Truelink Capital, said, “We see the growth of AI enabled experiences playing an increasingly important role in unlocking value in marketing services. R/GA is both designed and perfectly positioned to help seize that new opportunity for clients. Which is why we’re so excited to back R/GA’s global leadership team through our strategic investment.”

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as financial advisors while Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP provided legal representation to IPG and R/GA.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – IPG Mediabrands today announced that it is expanding its creative content capabilities with the launch of Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS) in Malaysia. The media-born and audience-informed agency will support Mediabrands agencies including UM, Initiative, and Reprise. In addition, the company will offer a holistic suite of services and develop cutting-edge tools to enhance and bolster Mediabrands’ content and production offerings.

MBCS is a media-fueled content practice designed to network and grow Mediabrands’ content and creative capabilities across the world. MBCS Malaysia will focus on the development of short- and long-form original, branded, performance and campaign content. Furthermore, MBCS will provide a suite of entertainment solutions including the development of media, talent, influencer strategies, and production partnerships designed to grow clients’ brands.

Mediabrands has appointed Stanley Clement as CEO of MBCS to lead the said creative efforts across Malaysia, reporting to Bala Pomaleh, CEO of Mediabrands Malaysia. Clement was formerly MD of Reprise Digital overseeing the creative and content business.

“This launch of MBCS in Malaysia reinforces our commitment to continuous evolution in our offerings, by integrating new and innovative content models more tightly into client solutions. By bringing together the best of Mediabrands creativity through the power of our data and media expertise, we will be able to create content experiences that build our brands in more exciting ways than ever before,” said Pomaleh.

Over the past seven years, Mediabrands Malaysia has built a strong presence in the content space. Reprise Creative, SpringCreek and Initiative Studio Malaysia will integrate as one entity under the MBCS banner which will act as the parent creative network, with Ensemble Worldwide remaining as a standalone brand.

Clement will be supported by Phang Mei Jeng as MD of MBCS and Didi Pirinyuang as ECD of MBCS, while they continue leading the Ensemble Worldwide. 

MBCS’s launch in Malaysia is part of MBCS’s larger international growth strategy, which plans to expand the global agency from 12 to 20 territories by the end of 2022. 

“Malaysia has always been very strong creatively, so formalizing their content offerings by way of launching MBCS in the market was a natural next step for us. We’re excited to see the work Malaysia will produce with the added support of MBCS’s global network,” said Alfonso Marian, MBCS’s global chief creative officer and Global CEO.

Marian was inaugurated into the position only in February of this year. Meanwhile, in Greater China Region, Melinda Po was recently appointed as CEO of Mediabrands. 

MBCS was launched by Mediabrands in November 2020.

New York, USA – Global advertising company The Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG) is the latest advertising company that has announced its exit from the Russian market following the Ukrainian crisis caused by Russian invasion.

In a public letter posted by its CEO Philippe Krakowsky on LinkedIn, he stated that they immediately applied all international sanctions and informed clients in Russia who are prohibited parties that they would no longer continue working with them. Krakowsky also added that since IPG never owned a media business in Russia, they did not have significant concerns that their media buying was either fueling the local economy, or funding media being used by the state.

“As you know, we are first and foremost a company that always strives to live up to our values. We believe in speaking up against oppression, whether that has to do with issues of race, or on behalf of other marginalised communities, and speaking up on behalf of democratic principles. We’re committed to initiatives that support sustainability. And we have always been clear that we value and stand by our people and their well-being,” he said.

The Interpublic Group of Companies is composed of five major networks namely FCB, IPG Mediabrands, McCann Worldgroup, MullenLowe Group, and Marketing Specialists.

Krakowsky also added that they will leave their Russian team, approximately around 200 of them, with enough capital on their balance sheet to pay their people for a minimum of six months.

He further said that they will also be engaging with the team in the coming weeks, as they cede control of all aspects of management and operations to the local leadership team, in order to ensure continuity for any non-Russian clients who remain active in the market.

“We have always been clear that we value and stand by our people and their well-being. That’s core to our culture, since the nature of our business requires that we have the industry’s best talent – and that we each act as part of an interconnected global network, showing up for each other and working together for the common good,” Krakowsky said.

IPG is the latest advertising group to exit the Russian market after WPP previously announced that it will be discontinuing its work in Russia. Outcry in the advertising industry has been rampant regarding the crisis, including a statement from the renowned award-giving event Cannes Lions, which said that it has banned Russian entries and delegates for this year’s awards ceremony.

Tokyo, Japan – After numerous suspensions, the Tokyo Olympic 2020 games finally pushed through this year, but despite successfully making its run, the lockdowns and social restrictions that had been in place since the pandemic affected how the organization and its brands and media partners spent their ad budget and the platforms they chose to invest in. According to data by IPG’s media investment and intelligence arm MAGNA, the muted vibrancy of the Olympics had a direct effect on the growth of several ad markets. 

The report showed that the net impact of the Olympics on television advertising revenues was relatively minimal overall, as some brands opted not to run creatives tied to the Olympics before and during the event, due to the mixed feelings of the public towards the Games. Still, revenues for the major television networks were up by double-digits in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the second quarter of 2020 but were flat or down compared to 2019. 

In addition, the Olympics also had a relatively mild impact on OOH advertising, as the games were held during a state of emergency during which people were discouraged from going outside or using public transportation. Additionally, people were barred from entering the areas near the Olympic stadiums. 

OOH revenues, both static and digital, were ultimately up just +3% for the full year, reaching US$3.8b (¥400b). Transit mobility was slow to recover in 2021 and was still down -19% in November 2021 compared to the January 2020 baseline, contributing to reduced exposure to advertising. 

Television fared slightly better, with revenues rising +7% to reach US$14.7b (¥1.6t), around 95% of the pre-COVID total. Radio, cinema, and print continued to lag through 2021. Radio revenues eroded by another -2%, cinema by -4%, and print by -3%. 2022 is expected to bring a recovery for these linear ad formats, in addition to continued growth for television (+4%) and OOH (+5%). Over the long term, however, the report anticipates that linear advertising formats will continue to lose share to digital, with total linear revenues eroding by -3% to -5% per year and falling to US$20.8b (¥2.2t) by 2026, a 34% market share.

Generally, digital ad sales in Japan will continue to drive market growth, with total digital net advertising revenues anticipated to rise +15% to reach US$30.5b (¥3.3t), with a 56% market share. Linear net ad revenues will also see some growth, +4%, though will remain well below 2019 levels: US$24.4b (¥2.6t) compared to $26.9b (¥2.9t) in 2019. 

Japan remains the third largest ad market in the world and the second largest in APAC, behind China, with US$50b (¥5.3t) net ad revenues in 2021 and US$55b (¥5.6t) expected by the end of 2022. Meanwhile, the APAC region’s advertising economy grew by +16.5% in 2021, following the recession of 2020 (-0.8%). In 2022, the Asia-Pacific ad market will expand by +11.2%, close to the global average of +12% and in line with the pre COVID long-term regional growth.

Singapore – Interpublic Group (IPG) has appointed Mish Fletcher, former executive vice president and global growth officer at creative data and CRM agency FCB/SIX, to assume the newly created role of chief growth officer for APAC.

Prior to her role at FCB/SIX, Fletcher has spent several years as the managing director and global head of marketing at digital company Accenture Interactive, where she led a global team that drove business growth and record revenues through new capabilities, thought leadership, and demand generation, as well as sales enablement activities. Fletcher has also previously worked with traditional marketing firm OgilvyOne Worldwide and communications agency MacLaurin PR in the United Kingdom.

In this newly created position, Fletcher will be IPG’s first regional executive at the holding company level in APAC. She will be based in Sydney, Australia, and will work across the region, partnering with IPG agencies to ensure that the company is delivering the best marketing solutions to help drive growth for clients. Fletcher will report directly to IPG’s Senior Vice President and Chief Growth Officer Simon Bond.

Commenting on her appointment, Fletcher said that she is thrilled to be taking on the new role, which will allow her to leverage key assets that IPG has invested in, including Acxiom, Kinesso, and Matterkind, as well as Hedy, and IPG Studios on behalf of clients in the region.

“Uniting these technologies, data and agile production capabilities creates a transformational performance machine that has the power to supercharge creativity, bringing new possibilities to marketers, seamlessly and efficiently,” said Fletcher.

Meanwhile, Bond commented that Fletcher is a true globalist with extensive experience in leveraging data and technology to deliver creative, personalized marketing communications on behalf of brands, at scale.

“She has a deep industry background helping clients drive conversion and effectiveness with their marketing,” noted Bond.

IPG’s Chief Executive Officer Philippe Krakowsky said that as the complexity of media and marketing continues to increase, they are increasingly seeing clients ask for holistic thinking and solutions.

“Mish is the right person to ensure that we can deliver on these kinds of briefs. She has all of the requisite expertise and is also a great fit with our culture, which values and rewards curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. Mish and her team can deliver these integrated, modern marketing solutions in order to help clients achieve their business goals and thrive in the digital economy,” said Krakowsky.

Sydney, Australia – Independent media agency Match & Wood has announced the appointment of former IPG executive Stuart MacDougall, to the newly created role of national performance director.

Through his new role, he will be leading the paid search and social performance for Match & Wood’s clients across Australia, with offices in Melbourne and Perth.

Prior to his new role, he worked as paid media director at IPG Mediabrands, handling across key accounts such as Officeworks, Kmart and RAC. Prior to this, he led paid search for Reprise Perth, and also worked as a search specialist at Mediacom in Sydney.

“I’ve watched them grow into one of the best and most successful independent media agencies in Australia. The thing that excites me the most are the fresh ideas and great culture that is immediately present all the way through the business. I can’t wait to work across the diverse client base and further develop their performance product,” he stated, regarding his appointment.

MacDougall is the latest hire for Match & Wood which have been steadily adding to their ranks across both Perth and Melbourne in recent months. Former The Brand Agency media planner/buyer Jodie Allen has joined as communications advisor, Keleigh Moore has been appointed as communications manager from OMD and Tiffany Doan joins from Nunn Media as digital communications manager.

Match & Wood chief operating officer, Chris O’Keefe, said: “We’re so excited to have such an accomplished digital specialist join our national team. Having worked with Stuart in the past I know that he will bring a unique perspective and strategic, data-fuelled decision making to our clients’ businesses.”

The new additions come as Match & Wood wins a number of clients including Curtin University, Pentanet and Intelicare.