Chris Copeland

Chief Executive Officer
GroupM Next

Chris Copeland is Chief Executive Officer of GroupM Next, the forward-looking, media innovation unit of GroupM. Chris is responsible for curating and communicating insight-focused media solutions across established and emerging platforms. Leveraging his multi-year experience with emerging media companies, Chris is tasked with stewarding GroupM Next in partnership with agency leadership from GroupM’s four media marketing and marketing service agencies (Maxus, MEC, MediaCom and Mindshare). The focus is participating with those companies leading changes that most impact consumer media consumption, brand favorability and purchase behavior.

Guiding the Predictive Insights, Technology, Research and Communications teams at GroupM Next, Chris is responsible for overseeing the amplification of insights into opportunities that directly benefit the business of GroupM agencies and their clients. GroupM is the world’s largest media investment management group and the media holding arm of WPP. Together, GroupM agencies represent almost $30 billion in overall North American billings (RECMA).

Chris helped guide the development of GroupM Next, which was established to deliver the best thinking and new insights from within the GroupM community. The unit also focuses on technology innovation connecting all media channels, but especially, online, social, mobile and addressable.

Chris was selected to lead GroupM Next after 9 years of leading the search marketing practice within GroupM. Among his accomplishments includes the development and integration of the global search marketing offering for GroupM agencies, GroupM Search, which managed $1.3 billion in search billings globally and grew to more than 1,000 search marketing strategists serving 40 countries. In 2009, Chris created the research division of GroupM Search and developed research studies that deepened the understanding of consumer behavior across search and social media for leading brands and garnered global traction – most notably:The Influenced: Social Media, Search, and the Interplay of Consideration and Consumption;The Virtuous Circle: The Role of Social Media In the Purchase Pathway, and From Intent to In-Store: Search’s Role In the New Retail Shopper Profile.

Chris entered the digital industry in 1996 when he joined search marketing agency WGI (later acquired by Tempus Group). He has been with the WPP and GroupM family of companies since 2000 when, recognizing search as an emerging media channel with incredible potential for brands, WPP acquired Tempus Group and CIA, and ultimately rebranded the search marketing agency as Outrider. As Sr. Partner and Managing Director of Outrider, Chris delivered on GroupM’s vision for the channel, leading the organization to 500% growth with global presence over five years, and establishing award-winning search marketing strategies that have become industry-wide best practices. In 2002, Chris successfully implemented the integration of search into the cross-channel media planning process at MEC, creating the first search marketing practice to sit within a media communications and planning company. In 2007, he guided the business expansion of search marketing practices into all GroupM agencies. In 2009, Chris was named CEO of GroupM Search, where he was responsible for driving global search strategy for the organization, while fostering the innovative application of search as an integrated channel. In his role, Chris also provided digital strategy counsel for clients, including AT&T, Dell, Audi, Volkswagen and more.

Chris is an active member on advisory boards at the 4A’s, Google, Yahoo!, MSN and I-COM. He is a frequent speaker in global forums discussing the digital marketplace and how the space is evolving, and serves as a regular resource to national and industry press. Chris contributes editorial commentary regularly to Advertising Age,ClickZ,MediaPost and MediaBizBloggers.com. In fall 2013, Chris was honored as an inductee into the ClickZ Digital Hall of Fame.

Read all Chris' MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Musings from GroupM.

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