WPP Group PLC's MindShare named John Montgomery as CEO and Margaret Clerkin as North America managing director of MindShare Interaction, a new direct and interactive media services unit.
Formerly CEO of mOne Worldwide North America, Montgomery has overall responsibility for 245 employees in 43 MindShare Interaction offices across 34 countries that serve 260 clients. Clerkin, previously senior partner and media director at mOne, is in charge of North American growth.
Along with those appointments, Jeff Ratner joins MindShare Interaction as senior partner and director of interactive media. He will lead accounts like BP, Merrill Lynch, Church & Dwight, Lufthansa and Bristol-Myers Squibb. The Chicago and Los Angeles offices are under his charge, too.
Also, Marion Z Murphy is a new senior partner and director of direct marketing at the unit. She held that title at MindShare Direct, which merged with the interactive side of the business to form MindShare Interaction.
“We want to build the most far-reaching and global interactive and direct media operation,” Montgomery said. “By integrating the direct and interactive media operations, we're acknowledging the interactive medium as a direct medium and the importance of direct as a medium.
“My role is to build the digital and direct division for MindShare globally,” he said. “And then Marion's key role is the direct discipline in North America.”
MindShare Interaction is part of WPP's GroupM media network, which includes Beyond Interactive and MEC Interaction. The agency plans and buys media as well as tests, measures, analyzes and fine-tunes client campaigns.
“With all the emerging technologies, our challenge is to bring those who are selling and developing the products into the direct marketing strategy,” Murphy said. “In other words, I want to pay the media outlets based on results, not impressions.”
