Middleberg 1.2.1 Euro RSCG Interactive has been named interactive agency of record by Time Warner Inc.'s Teen People Online brand.
The New York agency won the account after Peggy Mansfield, head of advertising sales at Viacom's MTVi division, moved to Teen People Online as general manager. Middleberg 1.2.1 counts MTVi as a client.
“It's a new initiative for them because they're moving from America Online to the Internet,” said Chris Hayes, general manager at Middleberg 1.2.1, which debuted in October as the online marketing arm of public relations firm Middleberg Euro RSCG.
Located at www.teenpeople.com, the site launched Nov. 16 as the online persona of Teen People, one of the most popular teen magazines in the market.
“The teen audience is very cluttered, and a lot of people are trying to reach that audience,” Hayes said. “So the challenge really is to get people to know about them and get them to come back.”
Teenpeople.com offers news on teen icons, tips on style, chats, contests, gossip and polls. It joins Middleberg 1.2.1's portfolio of clients, including MTV.com, Nickelodeon Online, Sonicnet.com, VH1.com, HBO, lawyersed.com, Hoovers Online and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The focus for Teen People Online will be acquisition as well as retention of qualified traffic.
