The sister Interpublic Group companies, Lowe Direct and Western
International Media, have joined forces to create a separate integrated
media planning partnership and have poached Smith Bundy Carlson’s media
director to take the helm.
Sylvia Benaim will join next week; her appointment is the first to span
both companies. Her brief will be to build up the unit, recruiting other
staff, and to make it a standalone operation, aiming to expand and
enhance Lowe Direct’s media planning skills and Western’s direct
response expertise.
Benaim explained: ’Direct response media has, rightly, reached equal
footing with other media. In combining the resources of two talent
pools, we are now able to fully integrate all media into the planning
process, giving us a distinct advantage and improving our offering
across the board.’
The unit will begin its work across the companies’ shared clients and
across both agencies’ rosters.
Tony Watson, a managing partner of Lowe Direct, said: ’Most clients have
a media agency that they work with in conjunction with their creative
agency, but few have specialist provision for responsive media
planning.’
Mike Tunnicliffe, managing director of Western, added: ’By blending
Western’s consumer insight and media skills with the direct marketing
planning expertise of Lowe Direct, then adding Sylvia’s direct response
expertise on top of that, we cannot only offer clients strategic advice
in this area, but also implement it. Many agencies talk of an holistic
approach to communications - this move demonstrates that we are able to
do it.’
