Exciting News

I want to give you a heads up on some exciting news that will break tomorrow.

I've accepted a fantastic role with Mindshare (probably the worlds leading Media agency) as their first digital Chief Strategy Officer. They have a market leading digital network and fantastic team at Mindshare Interaction and I'll be working to further enhance that reputation.

I'll be working globally with some of the world's biggest brands, looking at how they can use digital to build their business and helping them execute big ideas that drive business success.

We're planning to take Kirsty into Mindshare too, but Simon DT has decided to continue as an entrepreneur and will be launching his own business - which we intend to partner with where appropriate.We'll also be maintaining our relationship with our extended family of talented specialists and freelancers.

This means we're retiring the Big Picture agency, but we'll be keeping the blog going to share news and views. You can read the press release here Download mindshare_hires_first_digital_chief_strategy_officer_29_september_2006.doc .

Comments

[pascoe]

Simon - congratulations on the news. I think it's a good move to have a 'chief strategy officer' for Interaction - 'traditional' media agencies overall these days I think are finding it tougher to integrate the specifics of digital possiblities as a core offering when appropriate, within their strategic thinking.

(I work at MS Interaction in Australia)

[Simon]

A key factor in taking the job was how seriously Mindshare (and GroupM) now take digital. I think we all recognise that digital has to be at the heart of comms thinking, rather than out at the edge.
Can't wait to get started - and I look forward to working with you.

[russell]

congrats Simon, very exciting.

I've always liked MindShare. Try and hook up with Malcolm Russell at MindShare in New York, he's brilliant.

[Simon Andrews]

Thank Russell - I'll look out for Malcolm it's a name thing, right?
best

[gromain]

congrats Simon !
It seems that some media agencies are taking some advance !
we're still free to talk to you about heaven whenever you want ;)

[David Wilding]

Hi Simon, I work at MindShare in the UK. Very pleased to have you on board and have heard some very good things (and read lots on this blog). Do you mind dropping me an email at some point before you start please? Have something I was hoping I could get your opinion on. Oh and Russell Davies is right - Malcolm Russell is a genius.

[Simon Andrews]

hey Romain - thanks - i'm sure we'll talk soon
And I'm meeting Malcolm on Thursday - I've told him he has a big rep to live up to....

[Anonymous]

I happened to stumble upon your blog while surfing the web on news pertaining to the ad industry. I could not help but notice you had referred to Mindshare as "probably the worlds leading Media agency".

As excited as you are, and rightfully so, about your new endeavour, you might want to tone down the rhetoric about the "world's leading media agency".

Mindshare is arguably the biggest media agency in the UK, and prob the whole of Europe. However, Europe is a dying market with minimal growth potential, a point not lost on Sir Martin Sorrell.

Sadly, Mindshare's business in the emerging economies like China and Latin America is way behind that of its competitors. In the US, Mindshare is still thought of as largely a "TV" agency where it garners impressive results in climates where TV is the dominant advertising medium. With the rise of digital media, Mindshare is clearly found wanting in that department.

Malcolm Russell is an accomplished professional with impressive credentials. Ironically, his recent promotion to start and lead the Comms planning department in the US underscores how backward the company is. Most other agencies already have full fledged Comms planning departments up and running.

All the best in your new job.

[Simon Andrews]

Is it because you're a little light on facts, that you're posting anonymously?
The latest RECMA figures show that MindShare is both the biggest agency in China and the biggest across Asia.
Across LatAm we're probably 4th - but GroupM is the biggest group there so we've quite enough muscle there too.
Anyone in the US who thinks of MindShare as 'largely' a TV agency needs to get out more. We are a big player in TV (its quite hard to be big anywhere without being 'largely' a TV agency) but we are also a big player in digital too - look at the work for Axe, Dove etc.
We're not complacent about digital, content or analytics - the three factors that will define the success of media agencies going forward - but we have done more groundbreaking content deals than anyone else, we have a market leading business science practice in ATG and we're continuing to invest - thats why I joined.
The one thing I can't disagree with you on is that Malcolm is a genius - but I think you'll find many of these other comms planning departments are really involved in little more than channel planning.
I think one of my favourite Saatchi quotes is appropriate;
Its good to be big
Its better to be good
Its best to be both

I get the impression you probably work for one of our rivals - so why the shyness?