When Wendy Clark departed DDB to take over as CEO of Dentsu International (formerly Dentsu Aegis network) she probably expected a lot on her plate but maybe not this much.
There’ve been lots of redundancies, Publicis has pulled out of its Out of Home media buying deal with Dentsu’s Postercope and now Vizeum, the long-time second media network to Dentsu’s Carat, is history too, being merged into digital-based operation iProspect.
Newly minted global president Amanda Morrissey (left), who joined from Publicis Media last year, says: “iProspect is designed for clients at the intersection of brand and performance. We believe brand drives performance, and performance drives brand. We no longer exist in an ecosystem where these elements can be planned and bought separately. We must look at business and brand goals through a combined lens, and this will mean accelerated growth for our clients.
“By focusing on how consumers behave in their digital world and applying that to real world scenarios via a highly connected and creative use of all channels, we position our clients to combine the learnings from the short and long term to drive more effective business growth today and tomorrow.”
Not entirely sure what any of this means. Were clients clamouring for an enlarged iProspect? Or weren’t there enough of them at Vizeum?
Anyway, media agencies look destined for a year of what is euphemistically known as “consolidation.” At least Dentsu is getting in first.
