Total Media smarts after Flight Centre loss, mediaedge:cia gets new identity
After losing the Flight Centre business recently, Total Media, which is part of the Omnicom Group, has decided a restructure is in order, so there’s no room for the Auckland general manager position, a position which was held by Jason Rutherford for the last eight months.
Group chief executive Kath Watson is obviously disappointed about the loss and puts it down to the new management at long-time client Flight Centre, which decided to move the business to Ogilvy Media without a pitch.
“Jason is larger than life and one of the most enthusiastic people I have ever worked with,” Watson says. “I am sorry to see him go, but the success of Total Media is more than one person.”
Long-time Total Media strategy director Lyndsey Francis will now lead the Auckland office reporting directly to Watson.
“Lyndsey has a wealth of experience and having been with Total Media more than three years she has always played a key role in the agency’s service offering and effectiveness.”
There’s also a bit of change in the wind at Mediaedge:cia: a worldwide name-change this month means the agency will soon be known simply as MEC.
The Mediaedge:cia name came about at the end of 2001 from the merger of media agencies The Media Edge and UK agency Chris Ingram Associates (the cia), which was purchased by WPP.
“Basically the only change for us is that our email address is blissfully shortened,” says media director Barry Williamson.
MEC in New Zealand is 100 percent owned by Y&R Communications. And while it is integrated with Y&R, 60 percent of its business is via direct media-only clients and works with a number of creative agencies across its client list.
In formalising the MEC name, the logo that has been created slips simply into the existing brand identity.
t1
August 10, 2010
congrats lyndsey- i think ?
Jess
August 10, 2010
Total Media has been a wobbly wheel since umm..a few people left…but congrats to Lyndsey! It's not easy running an agency under the watchful (or is it 'baleful') eye of the folk upstairs. You need a bit of iron in your vital organs I'd say. Where's Jason gone?
Glenda
August 10, 2010
The Total Media team have delivered brilliantly for Flight Centre over the years – I fear this is a decision Flight Centre will regret very soon. Congratulations Lyndsey, keep Total Media independent from OMD.
GJ
August 10, 2010
Good luck Lyndsey.
JD
August 11, 2010
Three plus years is considered long time, says it all really!
Fuzzy Logic
August 11, 2010
I really can't understand why OMG/OMD has persevered with the Total Media brand. There's no room for small-med sized mediocre media shops that just do the processing. The big guys like OMD own that space. While it was Martin Gillman's company they got away with it, but under the wing of a multi-national it's not possible. Show some sense and wind it up.
noname
August 13, 2010
I think the above comment is slightly unfounded.
I believe that Total Media is providing some forward thinking even market leading media strategy under Lyndsey Francis and I think their brothers at both OMD & Spark would agree
Fuzzy Logic
August 18, 2010
You've got to be kidding me. You obviously don't know what strategy means.