Publicis consolidates its media arm into four agencies and names three regional CEOs
Publicis has announced a new structure for its media arm in an effort to simplify the organization.
The moves come after the ad holding company announced a sweeping restructuring plan last year.
Moving forward, Publicis Media will consolidate its six global agency brands – Starcom, Mediavest, Spark, Zenith, Optimedia and Blue 449 – into four entities. Starcom and Zenith will continue to operate as separate entities while Mediavest|Spark and Optimedia|Blue 449 will round out Publicis Media’s offerings.
Agency network names Starcom Mediavest Group and ZenithOptimedia Group will dissolve, while Vivaki – Publicis’s programmatic branch – will become integrated across Publicis Media’s seven “global practices” areas, which include the following: data, technology & innovation; content; trading & buying, performance; business development and communications; business transformation; and analytics, research & insight.
Steve King, chief executive of Publicis Media, said of the changes: “Publicis Media is a fresh opportunity to simplify our organisation, invent more modern approaches to gain efficiency, introduce structures for greater collaboration and effectiveness, and drive new levels of scale and client value. The new Publicis Media imagined by Steve King is fully equipped to fit the future and best serve our clients.”
Maurice Lévy, chairman and chief executive of Publicis Groupe, added: “A leaner and simpler structure will bring more value to our clients and will further accelerate our growth.”
As part of the restructuring, chief executive of ZenithOptimedia North America Tim Jones will now serve as regional chief executive of the Americas for Publicis Media while Iain Jacob, chief executive of Starcom Mediavest Group EMEA, will now become Publicis Media’s regional chief executive of EMEA. Gerry Boyle, global managing partner and UK chairman of ZenithOptimedia, will serve as Publicis Media’s regional chief executive for APAC.