Tag: Omnicom

New York, USA – Global media and marketing holdings company Omnicom has announced that it has agreed to acquire Flywheel, the digital commerce business of Ascential, for US$835m. It should be recalled that Ascential recently integrated its 10 digital commerce sister brands to form Flywheel.

The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024 and is subject to Ascential shareholder approval, regulatory approvals, and customary closing conditions.

Moreover, Flywheel will operate as a practice area within Omnicom and will be led by Duncan Painter, who currently serves as CEO of Ascential.

“By connecting Flywheel Commerce Cloud’s product and transaction data with Omni’s audience and behavioural data, we are poised to offer an end-to-end set of services that outpaces the competition. We aim to empower our clients to automate, optimize, and measure their digital commerce and media spend within an increasingly complex marketplace,” Painter said.

Currently, Flywheel’s services enable top brands to sell more goods across hundreds of digital marketplaces, such as Amazon, Walmart, and Alibaba.

With a workforce of more than 2,000 professionals, Flywheel provides services in retail commerce operations, media execution, and market intelligence to over 4500 brands. These services are reinforced by their advanced technology platform, Flywheel Commerce Cloud, which delivers near real-time insights to improve decision-making and boost sales.

Meanwhile, John Wren, chairman and CEO of Omnicom said, “E-commerce sales worldwide are set to increase by 50%, reaching about $7 trillion dollars by 2025. The acquisition of Flywheel significantly broadens our reach and influence in the rapidly expanding digital commerce and retail media sectors, two of the fastest-growing parts of the industry. Together, we will seamlessly integrate our offerings across retail and brand media, digital and in-store commerce, and CRM, ultimately delivering superior results for our clients.”

Mumbai, India – After a two-year hibernation, Portfolio Night is back in-person with a bang! This event by The One Club for Creativity, a global nonprofit organisation whose mission is to support the global creative community, was conducted worldwide, in different cities. For India, the Portfolio Night 2022 was held in Mumbai last 2 June 2022, and saw 55 new creatives show their work to a jury panel of the industry’s best creative minds. 

The global event was co-hosted by three Omnicom agencies, namely DDB Mudra Group, BBDO India, and TBWA\India. Meanwhile, the event’s panel comprised seventeen creative leaders from Indian advertising, who steered the fast-paced evening of advice, networking, and recruitment opportunities for new creative talent. It kicked off with an opening address by Josy Paul, Chairman, BBDO India. A rigorous 3-hour portfolio review session followed this.

Rahul Mathew, DDB Mudra Group’s chief creative officer, said, “This Portfolio night was much needed. Not just for new talent, but for us senior folks as well. We fed off their excitement and energy as they gathered our opinions and directions around their work.”

Meanwhile, Paul commented, “You could feel the shared passion and expectation in the fast-paced face-to-face interactions. All of us had left something to follow something we love, our creative calling. And you could feel that excitement and love in the room.” 

He also said, “I was looking for the person in the portfolio and I was thrilled that I met many young folks with a unique voice and a different view. Portfolio Night was a waterfall of pure creative energy.”

Parixit Bhattacharya, TBWA\ India’s chief creative officer, said, “The quality of work was astounding. The people behind the work were supremely interesting and from richly varied backgrounds. From architecture colleges to fine art schools to design schools and advertising schools. The excitement for the business in each of them was infectious. I couldn’t be happier to have played a small part in making this singularly energising event happen. Long Live The One Club Portfolio Night!”

The three Omnicom agencies also co-hosted an online pan-India Portfolio Night last 1 June 2022 for those outside of Mumbai.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Omnicom Media Group in Malaysia has announced two key leadership appointments in their agency, namely Kiron Kesav as chief strategy officer at OMG Malaysia and Mayank Bhatnagar as managing director at OMD Malaysia. Said appointments are part of the agency’s vision to continue strengthening its presence within the region as a media agency powerhouse.

Kesav, who was previously the general manager of PHD Malaysia, will be guiding OMG’s agencies towards pushing forward its strategic planning products, business solutions for clients and thought leadership and innovations for the network. Said promotion will provide the agency with the expertise needed to serve its clients and create a positive impact for the agency locally and regionally.

Meanwhile, Bhatnagar has over 20 years of industry experience, managing several blue-chip clients across various markets in Asia. His appointment will see him overseeing OMD Malaysia, ensuring the continuous growth and momentum of the agency and its client accounts.

Both new hires will be reporting directly to Eileen Ooi, chief operating officer at OMG Malaysia, and will officially assume their new roles with immediate effect. For the meantime, Ooi will also be overseeing PHD Malaysia in the interim.

Speaking about the new appointments, Ooi shared, “Both Kiron and Mayank’s appointments are extremely valuable in strengthening OMG Malaysia as a media powerhouse in the local and regional context.”

She added, “[Kesav] has proven his capabilities by successfully leading PHD Malaysia as general manager of strategy and platforms. I am confident that his well-earned elevation will see him contribute immensely to the success of OMG as a whole. [Bhatnagar’s] extensive experience [meanwhile], across the industry, along with how well-accustomed he is with the Malaysian market, will be beneficial to continuing the success of OMD Malaysia.

Melbourne, Australia – eg+ worldwide, Omnicom‘s global implementation and production agency and part of the Clemenger Group in Australia, has appointed Simon Kitching as the agency’s new creative director.

Kitching will take responsibility for the agency’s burgeoning creative output for clients including NAB, L’Oreal, MLC/IOOF and numerous Television Broadcast clients. 

He joins the agency following nearly two decades running his own creative business, in addition to having launched an FMCG food brand. Furthermore, he has led creative output for clients including Honda, Myer, Telstra, Heinz, Holden and more. 

Speaking about his appointment, Kitching said, “I’m looking forward to joining the team at eg+. It’s a great opportunity to work with some wonderful people and blue-chip clients.”

Meanwhile, Ubaldo Merlino, managing director at eg+ worldwide, commented, “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Simon to the eg+ family as we continue the growth of our business and expansion of our offering for clients. We’ve no doubt he’ll make an incredible impact.”

The agency’s presence in the Asia-Pacific region includes Bangkok, Beijing, Dalian, Delhi, Melbourne, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo.