PR95679

LONDON and NEW YORK and SAN FRANCISCO, April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

- Essence and MediaCom to merge, forming EssenceMediacom

- GroupM Nexus to launch globally as a best-in-class performance organization

- Mindshare to complete the integration with global performance agency Neo

GroupM, WPP's media investment group, today announced the latest steps in its

transformation to accelerate innovation for clients and further simplify its

operations. The moves, which build on the April 2021 launch of Choreograph [

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3516442-1&h=735838170&u=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fwww.groupm.com%2Fnewsroom%2Fwpp-launches-global-data-company-choreograph%2F__%3B!!B1IJoQ!dSr3NkwP9fNfHfiMJ7acHLmGXRKVFnn18FOWzuac738xTraTr30iMSh7cWegBmM%24&a=Choreograph

], WPP's global data and technology company, will merge Essence with MediaCom

and Mindshare with Neo and create a new 9,000-strong cross-channel performance

platform built on AI technology.  

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/283547/groupm_Logo.jpg  

    - Essence and MediaCom will merge to form EssenceMediacom, a new agency

      offering fusing the digital and data-driven DNA of Essence with

      MediaCom's scaled multichannel audience planning and strategic media

      expertise.  

    - Industry leading talent and solutions from Finecast, Xaxis, and GroupM

      Services - GroupM's global community of activation experts - will be

      brought together to form GroupM Nexus, the world's leading media

      performance organization.  

    - Mindshare will complete the integration with global performance agency

      Neo, providing clients with a broader range of transformative media

      services.

Nick Lawson (Global CEO of MediaCom) will lead newly formed EssenceMediacom as

Global CEO. Kyoko Matsushita, after eight years at Essence, is promoted to a

new role as WPP's CEO in Japan as the company continues to invest in expanding,

high-growth markets. Nicolas Bidon (Global CEO of Xaxis) will oversee GroupM

Nexus as Global CEO.  

Christian Juhl, Global CEO, GroupM said: "We are passionate about the

opportunity technology gives us to help our clients navigate constant change

and achieve their growth goals. The future of marketing is outcomes-driven,

supported by audience-first planning and continually improving, AI-enabled

performance standards. Through GroupM Nexus and our agency powerhouses

Mindshare, Wavemaker, and EssenceMediacom we are building a tech-enabled

future, side-by-side with our clients, that is accountable to advertisers'

growth goals and to our vision for an advertising ecosystem that works for

everyone. I also want to congratulate Kyoko, who has grown and strengthened

Essence in her time as Global CEO, on her exciting new role as WPP's CEO in

Japan. We will continue to work closely together to strengthen the position of

our agencies across APAC."    

Joshua Spanier, VP, Marketing at Google, said: "Our long-term partnership with

Essence, complemented by Mediacom, is helping us deliver on our ambitious

marketing goals. The combination of smart insights, analytical rigor, and

expansive creative thinking, scaled around the world, has been unlocking new

opportunities, and delivering stronger impact; we're excited about this next

step forward in our work together."

Luis Di Como, Executive Vice President Global Media, Unilever said:

"Digitization is changing how consumers live, play and shop and is therefore

reshaping our industry at speed. The convergence of media, entertainment and

commerce in digital environments is enabling us to build brands and convert to

sales in the same place. But in order to provide consumers with an effortless

end-to-end experience, as an industry we must utilize new skills and expertise,

and harness new ways of working. We are encouraged by the changes announced

today by GroupM which will see greater integration between data-driven

marketing, multichannel audience planning, performance, and strategic media

expertise."

EssenceMediacom: launching with 10,000 employees across 125 offices in 2023

Designed to power client growth globally with an agile response to a rapidly

evolving media landscape, EssenceMediacom infuses the digital and data-driven

DNA of Essence with MediaCom's scaled multichannel, audience planning and

strategic media expertise.    

Clients will be able to leverage an expanded global organization founded by two

agencies that are strategic complements, designed exclusively to fuel client

growth. Essence and MediaCom are already using this operational model for three

shared global clients: Google, Mars, and NBCUniversal.  

The merger of Essence and MediaCom builds on a record of strong business growth

for both agencies. COMvergence ranked MediaCom first in the industry for new

business wins in 2021 with $2.87B in new billings attributed to wins, while

Essence has continued to grow and expand its remit with Google and other key

clients.  

Nick Lawson, CEO EssenceMediacom, said: "The formation of EssenceMediacom

builds on the strong and proven relationship between the agencies to create the

agency model our clients want for the future — one founded on brilliant

strategy and brand-building capabilities, with pioneering digital expertise

running throughout. EssenceMediacom will not only help our clients see the

bigger picture and reimagine what's possible; it will also provide

opportunities for our people to upskill and train in new areas, further

enriching and enhancing their careers."  

Kyoko Matsushita said: "Today's global marketers need both agility and scale

from their agency partners to properly support their businesses across

international markets. Bringing together Essence and MediaCom - each with their

own celebrated histories of excellence – will create a truly unique combination

of agile innovation and global scale in a single agency."  

GroupM Nexus to launch as a global organization with 9,000 digital and

technology practitioners serving all markets

GroupM Nexus will comprise 9,000 practitioners around the world, collectively

responsible for the activation of more than 2 million campaigns managed by

GroupM each year. This global community represents the industry's leading team

of experts in digital channels and platforms, search, social, programmatic, AI,

cross-channel optimization, and data-driven technologies and software.

GroupM Nexus unites GroupM's addressable content and TV, AI technology

(Copilot), and omnichannel solutions from Finecast, Xaxis, and GroupM Services

into a single unit. The global organization will be underpinned by a new

cross-channel performance platform and international delivery hubs to set new

benchmarks for performance innovation and efficiency for GroupM's agencies and

clients.

Nicolas Bidon, CEO GroupM Nexus, said: "GroupM Nexus unites leading media

talent, digital services excellence, cutting-edge AI technology and unique

scaled partnerships into a new cross-channel performance organization with one

purpose: power growth for our people, our agencies and the amazing brands they

represent. We cannot wait to innovate together and unlock new opportunities for

everyone."

Mindshare to complete the integration of Neo's 1,200 performance experts and

consultants, and digital-first services, into its global offering

Mindshare and Neo will operate under the Mindshare brand but will retain and

scale Neo's operating model, focused on pureplay performance solutions at its

heart, and will integrate this into Mindshare's full funnel offering. Neo's

1,200 digital-first, performance experts and consultants will be integrated

with Mindshare's 10,000 media specialists and Neo's digital-first services will

be fully embedded into Mindshare and GroupM's offering.  

COMvergence ranked Mindshare third in the global new business rankings for 2021

with $2bn in newly won and retained client revenue and Mindshare was recently

named the #1 Media Agency Network in the WARC Media 100 rankings [

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3516442-1&h=4029095381&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.warc.com%2Frankings%2Fmedia-100&a=WARC+Media+100+rankings

] for the third consecutive year.

Adam Gerhart, Global CEO, Mindshare, said: "This is a journey we've been on for

the past year with many clients who have been demanding more diverse media

services to drive their growth. The merger delivers seamless access to Neo's

digital-first capabilities and a relentless focus on performance models to

accelerate Good Growth. For our teams it means more opportunity and the ability

to create greater impact across the world. I'm delighted to partner with Neo

CEO Nasreen Madhany as we complete the integration of the two businesses and

move into a new future together."

About GroupM

GroupM is the world's leading media investment company, responsible for more

than $50B in annual media investment through agencies Mindshare, Wavemaker,

EssenceMediacom, and m/SIX. GroupM's portfolio includes Data & Technology

(Choreograph), Investment, and cross-channel performance solutions (GroupM

Nexus), all united in the vision to shape the next era of media where

advertising works better for people. By leveraging the benefits of scale, the

company innovates, differentiates, and generates sustained value for our

clients wherever they do business. Discover more about GroupM at www.groupm.com.

Contact:

Jared Baiman

jared.baiman@groupm.com

SOURCE  GroupM