Media agency Starcom MediaVest Group has moved away from its sub-regional approach to managing Asia by appointing a single agency head.
Joining the agency as Asia Pacific president is Mike Amour, the long-time former APAC head of ad agency Grey.
Starcom has used the ‘market cluster model’ for the last four years, organising the agency around market dynamics rather than geographies. However in Asia, the region has been split. Amour comes in to manage above a layer of existing sub-regional positions that include Bertilla Teo, CEO of SMG in North Asia, Jeffrey Seah, Southeast Asia chairman, India chairman Hanley King, Australia CEO Chris Nolan and Alistair Jamison, CEO of Starcom New Zealand.
Amour’s hire is part of a global rethink following a series of acquisitions and partnerships. They include Relevant24, a branded content firm, a RUN, an ad tech company. MRY, a social media and youth marketing agency within Publicis Groupe, also recently moved under the SMG umbrella.
The agency explained in a press release: “The previous model helped accelerate growth for SMG and its offerings to clients in digital, data analytics and content in similar economies, regardless of geographies. SMG’s new structure reflects a shift in how its clients are operating, and creates connected regional networks to drive growth in the next frontier of data-driven content and addressable marketing.”
Amour’s most recent role was at Project: Worldwide, a group of independent agencies.
The Scot said in a statement: “I have long admired the way that SMG has engineered the many moving pieces required to face the challenges of an ever-shifting media landscape, steps ahead of the marketplace. I look forward to working with the tremendous strength of the company’s leadership in APAC. Together, we will bring SMG’s future forward capabilities in ad-tech, precision marketing and data-driven content to bear in this complex and dynamic region.”
The company, owned by Publicis Groupe, previously operated in a market cluster model with a dynamic markets divison which included South Africa, Australia and Canada.
Moving forward, it has been structured into five regions: APAC, EMEA, LATAM, North America and North Asia.
