Where will they all end up? As the ad holding companies retrench – WPP’s GroupM into WPP Media and Omnicom/IPG especially – there are going to be lots of capable people on the market.
One such, Michelle Whelan, formerly chief client officer for VML in the UK and Geometry CEO at WPP – has surfaced as global chief business officer of independent commerce and distribution platform Komerz. Commerce, formerly ecommerce, is one area where agency groups are anxious to increase trading on their own account.
Whelan is certainly well connected, having worked on Coca-Cola, Mondelez, Philips, Diageo, Nestle, Ford, Bayer, and Unilever. She has also held senior roles at M&C Saatchi Shop, Arc Worldwide, Iris Experience, and BBDO Vancouver.
Whelan (above) says: “Komerz brings a whole new dimension to this by combining deep commercial understanding with cross-border channel expertise, giving challenger brands the capability to truly unite marketing and sales.
“Consumers don’t care where they buy, only that the brand is relevant, available, and frictionless to access. Komerz eliminates traditional silos between online and offline, marketing and distribution, by becoming a single operating layer across channels.”
