Omnicom Media Group, the holding of communication planning networks OMD and PHD, is capitalizing on the shift in media habits by opening the region's largest planning/buying agency dedicated to digital media.
United Arab Emirates: Saturday, September 23 - 2006
Traditionally part of creative agencies, local digital agencies have been dealing primarily with web and creative development, with media advertising being much less of a priority. But as consumers integrate new media platforms into their daily routines, there is now a need to better manage their growing role in the media mix of many brands.
OMD Digital bridges the gap between traditional and new media by harmonizing the planning approach and mechanics. Staffed by 14 digital experts and headed by Dimitri Metaxas, previously media director at Impact Proximity's iMedia for four years, OMD Digital combines the media specialists' planning strengths with expert knowledge and passion of the medium.
The result of the consolidation of Omnicom agencies' digital expertise, OMD Digital is a fantastic opportunity to integrate digital media into all of both networks' other services, such as consumer insights, brand engagement and effectiveness tracking.
'At Omnicom, we've always understood the value of the Internet and new technologies in marketing,' said Alain Khouri, chairman of the Omnicom Media Group. 'The creation of OMD Digital marks a new chapter in our expertise and experience acquired over the last five years since the launch of our various digital offerings. The combination of a world-class team of digital
specialists with the immense talent, both technical and creative, of OMD is very appealing to clients.'
The strategic move also positions OMD Digital as the region's leading investor in digital media from the word go, with a market share estimated at 21% in 2005.
'We have had a lot of experience in building online into our media plans through our partners,' said Elie Khouri, regional managing director of OMD Middle East. 'However, we always felt we could be working closer together and integrate the new media platforms better. With OMD Digital, we're putting digital at the heart of what we do.'
The agency's service offering includes Internet display advertising, search engine marketing, database, viral and mobile marketing and advergaming, among other specialist services, all of which are drawn from an existing five-year experience in the region.
The growing Internet consumption and an increasingly appealing audience for advertisers, both in terms of numbers and profile, have led to a rise in advertising investment levels. Estimates put the GCC's 2005 Internet adspend at $12 million, up from $500,000 in 2001 and is growing exponentially year on year, with no sign of slowing down 'Advertisers are driven by the accountability of the medium and we plan and monitor campaigns across a number of basic and more complex metrics. From how many times our ads have been viewed, by how many people to their profiles and behavior, we can get more complex when we integrate costings to deliver full media ROI attribution. Since digital media is the future of the industry, we're delighted to be able to integrate it into our business model and create valuable synergies for our clients.'
Dimitri Metaxas, director of OMD Digital, explained.
The launch of OMD Digital gives Omnicom Media Group's clients a new opportunity to reach and influence people with powerful communications strategies via the consumers' choice of platforms. This is the first of several developments within the group, leading to an enhanced service offering.
Related Information:
About Omnicom Media Group:
Omnicom Media Group is the holding of OMD and PHD. OMD is the leading global media specialist network, with a presence in over 80 countries, and the largest communications planning network in the Middle East. Incorporated in the Middle East late last year, PHD is growing rapidly into a global network. It was voted as the media agency of the year in the UK by all three leading marketing titles. Omnicom Media Group is the media services unit of the Omnicom Group, the world's largest communication group that also owns three agency networks, BBDO, DDB and TBWA.
FOR MORE DETAILS, CONTACT:
Mr Eric Mirabel
Business Development Director, Omnicom Media Group
Tel: +971 4 390 4235
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