Omnicom Media Group hands £140m outdoor business to Talon

By Maisie McCabe, campaignlive.co.uk, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 10:07AM

Omnicom Media Group (OMG) UK has appointed Talon Outdoor, the agency led by former Kinetic chief executive Eric Newnham, as its out-of-home specialist agency, in a blow to Aegis' Posterscope.

Eric Newnham: chief executive of Talon

OMG’s outdoor billings make up around 15% of the UK outdoor ad market. The business currently accounts for around 30% of Posterscope's business and is serviced by a 30-strong dedicated team.

On 1 April, the business will move to Talon, which only employs 18 people in client-facing roles, despite staffing up since Newnham bought the majority of the agency and became chief executive in July last year.

Under Newnham’s leadership, Talon has picked up the account for independent agency AMS and employed former Posterscope executive Frank Bryant and former Zenith Media managing director Andy Tilley.

The move will shake up the £970m outdoor media-buying market, which is currently dominated by Kinetic and Posterscope, with around a 40% share each. Talon’s current billings are thought to be in the region of £10m.

Philippa Brown, chief executive, OMG UK, said: "Given Talon’s ambition to lead the marketplace, the evident pedigree of its leadership, the quality of their tools and systems, and their commitment to providing our clients with the a fresh, powerful and integrated approach to out-of-home in the UK, we could not turn down this exciting opportunity to join forces."

Posterscope has worked with Omnicom agencies in the UK for 20 years, but in other markets around the world, Omnicom agencies handle their own planning and buying.

Glen Wilson, UK managing director of Posterscope, said: "We are proud of the partnership we have built, delivering ground-breaking and award-winning work for clients including McDonalds, Cadbury, Virgin and Channel 4.

"Posterscope continues to lead the industry globally and we will continue to drive our business forward, investing significantly in our people, technology and tools to deliver cutting-edge solutions for our clients, out-of-home."

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This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk