Hearts and Science: What's In a Name?

There are a few interesting things to say about thisFirst the name This must be one of the first media agencies to pick a name that actually means something I always thought it would at least be honest if one of the volumeobsessed media agencies were to be called VBM Very Big Media even if one or two may be able to think of a better word than quotveryquotTempting though it is to name your new agency after the founders like PHD a color palate Blue 499 or even the pub where your plans first saw the light of day the7stars there is something to be said for calling your new baby something you want it to aspire to beamp160HampampS not only means something it means something meaningful It suggests that it will be all about mixing the softer more creative people bit with the harder quantitative technologydriven bitFurthermore it differentiates itself from what the average punter may perceive as the simply monolithic The very name GroupM suggests size and a degree of uniformity and even though Mindshare implies an association with the consequences of what it does MEC Maxus and MediaCom are at the end of the day just words beginning with quotMquotThen thereamp8217s the choice of CEO Hagedorn comes from the data world having most recently run OMGamp8217s data division Annalect In this Omnicom has followed GroupM which is run in North America by Brian Lesser the exCEO of XaxisCertainly neither Omnicom nor WPP can be accused of not following their own advice Theyamp8217ve put an expertise in data at the heart of their media operations No doubt they wish more of their clients would show the same commitmentOther holding companies have been busy too Publicis and Aegis have in their own way decided on a degree of change away from the traditional mediaonly management pastamp160Publicis Groupe Media in London has appointed a nonmedia agency person Amanda Morrissey from WPPamp8217s digital agency AKQA to head the UK operation whilst Carat has hiredamp160its sister creative agency McGarrybowenamp8217s boss Rick Hirst as itsamp160new UK CEOPublicis has tried to distance itself from the GroupM miniholding company model by saying the centeramp160wonamp8217t contract with any client although the notion of a quotunifying chassisquotamp160on which the individual agencies are built doesnamp8217t sound so different from the tried and tested GroupM formulaIt used to be said that all holding companies were much of a muchness and their brands largely interchangeableThat looks set to changeThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers amp160amp160

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Hearts and Science: What's In a Name?

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Brian Jacobs

The Ad Council, Huntsman Mental Health Foundation and Amazon Announce “The Mind Set” to Support Mental Health - Ad Council InSites

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Hearts and Science: What's In a Name?

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