- WPP Q1 Trading Statement: growth in all regions and business sectors.
- Kantar takes stake in auto customer analysis company, Enprecis.
- Infosys and WPP unveil cloud-based platform to simplify digital marketing.
- Penn Schoen Berland acquires First Movies International.
- WPP Digital makes strategic investment in mySupermarket.
- Kantar takes stake in UAE retail consultancy, GME.
- Cohn & Wolfe opens in India.
- Mobile is raising the bar for brand communications, reports TNS.
- GroupM study says global internet ad spend hit $85 billion in 2011.
- Burson-Marsteller lists 200 most influential political voices on Twitter across G-20.
- Hill+Knowlton Strategies named global PR agency for 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
- PRISM appointed by Lotus F1 team sponsors, Trina Solar.
- Mitch Markson appointed President of Ogilvy Public Relations’ Global Consumer Practice.
- Madhvi Pahwa named Global Talent Director at Maxus.
- Ogilvy & Mather and Cohn & Wolfe both named one of the 'Best Places to Work in Marketing & Media' by Advertising Age.
- MediaCom Australia named Agency of the Year and Network of the Year at the AdNews Awards.
WPP Q1 2012 Trading Statement
Kantar takes stake in auto customer analysis company, Enprecis
- Revenue growth of 7.6%, with like-for-like growth of 4.0%, 3.4% growth from acquisitions and 0.2% from currency.
- Growth in all regions and business sectors, characterised by particularly strong growth geographically in Asia Pacific and Latin America and functionally in advertising and media investment management and direct, digital and interactive.
- Like-for-like gross margin growth up 4.0%.
- Average net debt increased by £416m (-19%) to £2.644 billion reflecting an improvement on the 2011 comparative year end position.
- Net new business of $1.855 billion in the first quarter, compared to $1.346 billion in the first quarter last year.
Kantar has taken a minority stake in Enprecis Inc, a US company which uses a proprietary online platform to collect and analyse data about consumer experience for the automotive industry. Founded in 2006 and based in Seattle, Washington, the company employs 30 people and has offices in Paris and Shanghai. The company’s customer feedback analysis tool connects automobile manufacturers and car owners with unprecedented speed and detail. Enprecis will be aligned with the automotive practice in TNS. Infosys and WPP unveil cloud-based platform to simplify digital marketing
Infosys, the global consulting, outsourcing & technology leader, and WPP have unveiled Infosys BrandEdge™ in partnership with Fabric, a WPP company. This first-of-its-kind comprehensive cloud-based offering simplifies digital marketing by bringing together integrated marketing and technology expertise on a single unified platform. It transforms the full spectrum of digital marketing activities including creation and management of digital properties, data management, coordination with multiple partners, and campaign execution. Penn Schoen Berland acquires First Movies International
Strategic communications consultancy Penn Schoen Berland has acquired First Movies International which has operations in London and Los Angeles. Founded in 2000, First Movies is a research-based strategic consultancy that serves film companies on a global basis. Clients include many of the major film studios, independent distributors, production companies and industry affiliates. The business employs research consultants in the US and UK and key partners include Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox. WPP Digital makes strategic investment in mySupermarket
WPP Digital has taken a minority stake in Dolphin Software Ltd., doing business as mySupermarket, a company which operates a shopping site that allows consumers to compare prices of entire shopping baskets and buy from the major UK online grocery and health &beauty retailers. It has over two million monthly unique users in the UK and is growing approximately 100% year on year. Founded in 2006 and with principal operations in the US, the company employs 70 people and has offices in London, New York, Tel Aviv and Tokyo.
Kantar takes stake in UAE retail consultancy, GME
Kantar is taking a minority stake in Dubai-based GME, which offers retail insight and consultancy services to clients across all business sectors, including Arla, BP, Heineken, J&J and Samsung. GME has been Kantar Retail’s franchise partner since 2007 and now becomes a full member of the Kantar Retail network.
Cohn & Wolfe launches in India
Cohn & Wolfe has opened wholly-owned offices in Mumbai and Delhi to meet growing client needs for a presence in India.
Mobile is raising the bar for brand communications, reports TNS
Based on 48,000 conversations with people in 58 countries, TNS’s Mobile Life is an annual investigation into the behaviours, motivations and priorities of the world’s mobile phone users. As the most multi-dimensional channel available to marketers, mobile is enabling interaction with consumers on a personal level, offering new forms of engagement and rewards, while providing retailers and brands with valuable data and digital advertising opportunities. With global mobile penetration at 92% across the markets studied, and great swathes of the world accessing the internet for the first time via mobile, now is the time for marketers to put mobile at the heart of their strategy.
Explore the key findings at www.tnsglobal.com/mobilelife
GroupM study says global internet ad spend hit $85 billion in 2011
A new report from GroupM says that internet advertising now accounts for more than 17% of all global measured ad expenditures. North America led the pack, with Asia Pacific second and Western Europe in third place. The study predicts that global digital ad spending will reach $98.2 billion in 2012.
Burson-Marsteller lists 200 most influential political voices on Twitter across G-20
Burson-Marsteller has released the G20 influencers, a list of the top 10 most influential political voices on Twitter in each of the countries represented in the ‘Group of Twenty’ or G-20 nations, with the exception of China, where Twitter is unavailable.
TNS identifies new syndrome, Information Obesity
Consumers are overwhelmed by the amount of data and information they are exposed to, both on and offline. As a result, they are becoming resistant to what they see as the invasive and disruptive marketing messages sent out by brands. To help brands cut through the “noise”, TNS UK has carried out research to understand how different audiences “consume” information. The research results have identified five different consumer ‘eating plans’: Supplementers, Fast foodies, Balanced dieters, Carnivores, and Fussy eaters. Take TNS’s quiz to find out which eating plan you are on:
Beefeater – Grass Roots Group UK
Trinar Solar (F1 sponsorship) – PRISM
Sacoor Brothers – Grey Group Singapore
SpiceJet – Grey Delhi
Anheuser-Busch; GlaxoSmithKline (Lucozade); TSKF-CONTACONT; Amway – G2 Star Echo, China
Dom Perignon; Shell V-Power Racing; Darmatix – G2 Malaysia
Nestle – G2 Brasil
Allianz; Sportline – G2 Colombia
2014 Incheon Asian Games – Hill+Knowlton Strategies Asia
Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas – Hill+Knowlton Strategies US
NUK USA – Hill+Knowlton Strategies US
ADK Fortune Communication; GFB Great Foods; Mannapuram Finance – Maxus India
Denker Lexus; Huawei; JW Paper Product; Uni President Instant Noodle – Maxus China L'Oreal; Viet Hung Foods – Maxus Vietnam
Maxim's Caterers – Maxus Hong Kong
Patate Selenella; Valvenosta – Maxus Italy
Praktiker Online – Maxus Hungary
Red Bull – Maxus Malaysia
Sportmaster – Maxus Ukraine
Uniqlo – Maxus Philippines
Tempo Group – MEC Indonesia
Asia Foods – MEC Vietnam
House Fun; Blizzard Entertainment – MEC Taiwan
Einhell AG – MEC Germany, Austria and Poland
Hasbro – MEC Turkey
Tazovsky – MEC Romania
Cellularline – MEC Italy
Landmann – MEC Germany
Harinera Del Valle – MEC Colombia
Spinpalace – MEC Uruguay
Beds R Us – MEC New Zealand
Pinwin; Illva Saronno S.p.A. – MEC Mexico
Touch – JWT Beirut
OGILVY & MATHER
UPC Business – Ogilvy Hungary
TM Lewin – Ogilvy Sydney
YOUNG & RUBICAM GROUP
Haier Group (Casarte) – Burson-Marsteller China
Invesco PowerShares; Monument Wealth Management; Berkeley Point Capital – Cohn & Wolfe New York
Migros Selection – Wunderman Zurich
Verbund – Wunderman Austria
Mobly; Tricae; Kanui; WestWing – VML Brazil
Jeffrey Ross, President of RTC, has added CEO duties to his role.
Nicky Lim promoted to Area Director for Grey Malaysia and Thailand.
Luke Waldren promoted to Chief Executive Officer, Grey Australia.
Nick Hoadley appointed Regional Planning Director, G2 Asia Pacific.
Yohei Irie joins Grey Group Japan as Chief Creative Officer.
Pratik Thakar named Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Grey Greater China.
Mike Tunnicliffe named Chief Growth Officer at GroupM.
Madhvi Pahwa named Global Talent Director at Maxus.
Michael Dick joins MEC Global Solutions London as Head of Strategy.
Charlie Wright moves to MEC Global Solutions Singapore as Head of Strategy.
Francesca Ronfini joins as Strategy Partner at MEC Global Solutions London.
Maria Kolosova promoted to General Manager, MEC Russia.
Scott Berwitz named Corporate Communications Director for Mindshare North America.
Eric Lee promoted to Managing Director at JWT Shanghai.
Mauro Cavalletti named Chief Integration Officer of JWT Group Brasil (JWT, Casa and I-Cherry).
OGILVY & MATHER
Mitch Markson appointed President of Ogilvy Public Relations’ Global Consumer Practice.
James Hurman joins Ogilvy & Mather Shanghai as Planning Partner.
Andrew Ure named Managing Director, OgilvyEarth, Ogilvy PR Australia.
Phoebe Tan joins OgilvyAction Malaysia as Shopper Marketing Director.
Mike Beckerleg and Lorrie Helliwell named Joint Managing Directors at Ogilvy Impact Australia.
YOUNG & RUBICAM GROUP
Brandon Geary joins Blast Radius as SVP Strategy to lead its North American Strategy Practice.
Morten Petterson promoted to CEO at Burson-Marsteller Norway.
Danny Phan named Managing Director at Burson-Marsteller Singapore.
David Gong joins Burson-Marsteller China as Senior Advisor on Corporate Social Responsibility.
Burson-Marsteller Asia-Pacific CEO Bob Pickard named PR Agency Head of the Year at the Campaign Asia PR Awards
Elaine Carroll promoted to Managing Director of Cohn & Wolfe Switzerland.
Amy Ferranti appointed to lead Designkitchen’s Global Client Service Practice.
VML CEO and President Jon Cook and Director of Innovation Strategy Mike Lundgren were selected as “KC Magazine 100” featuring 100 people who have changed life in Kansas City forever. VML Chief Technology Officer Jeff Geheb was honored in Ingram’s 40 Under Forty program.
Camellia Tan promoted to new role of Director of Network Development at Y&R Asia.
G2 USA won a Silver Reggie for Dos Equis at the PMA Reggie Awards.
Maxus Bangalore won Best Use of Emerging Technology at the Festival of Media for Titan HTSE.
Maxus India won Agency of the Year at the Indian Digital Media Awards held by Exchange4Media.com, together with 11 other awards including six Golds and three Silvers .
Maxus Italy named Best Media Agency at the NC Awards.
Maxus' Sibel Trice won Xaxis Agency Star for innovative audience targeting solutions for Welch's and Bausch & Lomb.
MEC Global Solutions (London) took four Silvers at the Travel Marketing Awards and Grand Prix and Silver at the International-ist Innovation in Media Awards.
MEC Austria won Print Advertiser of the Year for Erste Bank and Innovative Advertising in Print for Chanel at the Publishers’ Association of Austria Awards.
MEC Access UK won Print and Radio Sponsorship category at the Hollis Sponsorship Awards.
MEC India won Best Use of Creative Media at the Festival of Media.
Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada ranked one of the Best Workplaces in Canada by the Great Place to Work Institute Canada, for the sixth consecutive year.
JWT Shanghai picked up three Yellow D&AD Pencils for its multi-award winning ‘Heaven & Hell’ work for Samsonite.
JWT Melbourne was awarded two Yellow D&AD Pencils for its work for the Melbourne Writers Festival.
At the Meios & Publicidade Festival 2012: JWT Lisbon took Silver for its Christmas TV campaign for Vodafone.
OGILVY & MATHER
Ogilvy India topped the agency rankings at Goafest 2012, winning 51 awards including one Grand Prix, 11 Golds and 16 Silvers.
Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia won a Yellow Pencil at D&AD for Lego.
Ogilvy Hungary topped Hungary’s annual league table of creative agencies, M-Lista.
YOUNG & RUBICAM GROUP
Burson-Marsteller China won Product Brand Development Campaign of the Year at the Asia PR Awards.
PR News CSR Awards has named Burson-Marsteller to its CSR A-List.
Burson-Marsteller and Taco Bell Foundation for Teens won PR News CSR Awards 2012: Stakeholder Engagement Award.
Burson-Marsteller won the PR News Nonprofit Award in the Green PR/Marketing category.
Cohn & Wolfe Paris won the Special Digital Prize TOP/COM/Yellow Pages award and Gold in the Event Website Category for the French Alcohol Beverage Makers Association.
Periodista Digital has ranked Cohn & Wolfe Spain as one of its Top 10 PR Agencies in Spain.
VML US won seven District ADDY Awards including one Gold and six Silvers.
Y&R Malaysia brought home two Silvers from the ANDY Awards in New York.