Starcom MediaVest Group News

Starcom MediaVest Group is a Top 100 Company

News Release — Tuesday, March 09, 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Starcom MediaVest Group is a Best 100 company

Starcom MediaVest Group has been confirmed as the only media agency listed in the Sunday Times Best 100 companies. The agency debuted at number 42 and is also the top placed communications agency.

The listing recognises the significant focus the agency places on employee engagement. Highlights include their learning and development programme which sees over 400 training sessions delivered annually and the “Inspired Talent Academy” which provides a unique personal and professional development experience in complete confidentiality from senior management, using inspiring locations such as Marrakech, Bergerac and Grenada.

The listings are derived primarily from the views of employees alongside the policies and processes of employers. They identify best practice and rank companies according to their performance against eight key indicators of staff engagement: leadership; wellbeing; my company; giving back; personal growth; my manager; my team and getting a fair deal.

Of all the companies listed, Starcom MediaVest Group came: • Fourth for employees agreeing that they have opportunities to learn and grow • Sixth for employees feeling they have teams that look out for each other • Eighth for employees feeling that their managers care about them

Liz Nottingham, HR Director at Starcom MediaVest Group said, “This recognition matters because it is all about our people and our culture which in turn lead to great work. We are doing the right things and this has been acknowledged by our people who experience SMG on a daily basis. We are thrilled to be a member of the highly respected Best 100 list and to share this success with our people and our clients.”

This year The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For lists have been derived from entries of 964 companies. In total they have surveyed over 230,000 employee opinions and carried out an evaluation of each organisation’s key statistics, processes and policies.

Starcom MediaVest Group’s Best 100 listing follows their recent “outstanding” Two Star Best Companies Accreditation. The Accreditation awards an elite ‘Michelin style’ star rating system for organisations that demonstrate high levels of employee engagement.

Based on staff feedback, organisations receive a Best Companies index score that determines their star rating compared to a fixed standard. One star is first class, two stars are outstanding and three stars are extraordinary. Over 1,000 companies applied for accreditation but only 410 of these received Star Status for 2010. Only 190 companies were awarded Two or Three star status, placing Starcom MediaVest Group amongst the very best companies in the country.

Tom Weeks to Lead Starcom’s Entertainment Unit

News Release — Wednesday, February 10, 2010 00:00:00 -0700

CHICAGO, February 10, 2010 – Starcom CEO Lisa Donohue has named SVP/Entertainment Director Tom Weeks the new head of the agency’s branded entertainment and content development discipline, effective immediately. A 23-year veteran of the advertising and entertainment industries, Weeks now leads the agency’s award-winning 15+ member team charged with harnessing the power of entertainment, pop culture and trends to create emotionally engaging experiences between consumers and client brands.

Weeks replaces EVP/Entertainment Director Laura Caraccioli-Davis, who parts ways with the agency to join Electus in Los Angeles. Weeks reports to Donohue, and is charged with driving the entertainment and content development services.

Weeks, a 2008 Mediaweek All-Star in the Alternative Media category, has extensive experience and proven success in creating and executing strategic content opportunities, entertainment property tie-ins, cross-platform media programs and beyond for a diverse range of clients – including Kellogg’s, Bank of America, Allstate, Walgreen’s and more. Weeks has led entertainment-centric efforts across various clients and consumer audiences which have won Cannes Lions, Effies, Buzz and Valencia Festival of Media awards.

“Content has taken a center stage in how we go to market for clients, and consumers are demanding more from entertainment in the world of digitization, personalization and interactivity,” said Donohue. “Tom has the right blend of experience, relationships and commitment to lead our entertainment practice in an exciting new direction for our client partners. We can expect more innovative work coming from Tom and our entertainment team.”

Weeks is a member of Starcom’s Management Board.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Leverages Mobile Apps in Support of "Alice in Wonderland"

News Release — Thursday, February 11, 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Launching Today, New Mobile Campaign Includes iPhone Ad that Spins Players Down the Rabbit Hole, Plus Mobile Greeting Cards, Digital Video Elements and More

BURBANK, Calif. (February 11, 2010) — As Walt Disney Pictures’ 3D motion picture adventure “Alice in Wonderland” approaches its March 5 opening, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures has developed a marketing effort that encompasses mobile games, greeting cards and video. A series of mobile ads will guide potential audiences to experience Tim Burton’s Wonderland and its captivating characters in a number of interactive, motion-sensitive ways.

The campaign, created and developed in collaboration with Starcom USA, first engages iPhone and iPod Touch users with ad units on top mobile apps and games, including Word Warp Where and Paper Toss. Once viewers click the ads, they’ll be able to interact with engaging creative utilizing Apple’s accelerometer technology, which lets them spin their phones to fall down the rabbit hole with Alice and more. Users can also play the Queen's Match-Up Game, in which the object is to match character images into pairs. For users who miss the mark, it’s “Off with their heads!”

The ad units can also enable audiences to view the full film trailer and send mobile mGreeting cards to their friends, featuring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen and more.

“Tim Burton has created a truly intoxicating Wonderland for the big screen and this campaign allows us to share a part of that world directly with fans of the film, weeks before it opens,” said David Singh, executive vice president of worldwide marketing for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. “Mobile technology treats these fans to entertaining, interactive activities that are right at their fingertips, engaging them in this unique world and letting them experience the amazing world of Wonderland in new and exciting ways.”

Starcom and Tapestry named Advance Auto Parts’ Media Agencies of Record

News Release — Tuesday, February 02, 2010 00:00:00 -0700

CHICAGO, February 2, 2010 – Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts and accessories, has announced the selection of Starcom USA as its Media Agency of Record. Effective immediately, the full-service Chicago-based agency will handle all general market media planning and buying responsibilities on behalf of Advance Auto Parts. Tapestry, the Chicago-based multicultural division of Starcom MediaVest Group, will take the lead on multicultural media planning and buying duties.

“As we evolve our organization to deliver more strategic and return-driven marketing programs, we’re excited to team up with Starcom and Tapestry,” said Advance Auto Parts Senior Vice President – DIY and Chief Marketing Officer Greg Johnson. “Both agencies have a track record of innovative thinking in the industry, and have extensive resources in analytics, local activation and multicultural media.”

“We are thrilled that Advance Auto Parts has chosen to partner with Starcom,” said Starcom CEO Lisa Donohue. “Alongside Tapestry, we look forward to providing them with communications thought leadership, a comprehensive strategic vision and high caliber work.”

Educomp signs Starcom Worldwide as Media Partner

News Release — Thursday, January 14, 2010 00:00:00 -0700

New Delhi, January 14, 2009: Starcom Worldwide is starting the New Year on a high by winning the Educomp media account, after a competitive pitch.

Starcom Worldwide office in Delhi will be tasked with all media planning and buying duties for Educomp, taking on the role as lead channel planning partner, and activating relevant touch points that ultimately drive revenue for Educomp.

Starcom did well in the pitch process. Our brief evaluated the agencies on four counts - talent helming the account, consumer insights, ideas anchored on business goals and stretching the budget. Starcom did well in all areas. Now comes the exciting part - delivering and executing," said Abhinav Dhar, Director- Educomp.

“It’s a fantastic start to the year with the Educomp win”, said Tarun Deep Kumar, Executive Director, India – North, Starcom Worldwide. “Understanding the realities of the education industry resulted in winning the prestigious Educomp business. Our unwavering focus on business-building ideas made our argument very compelling. Digital capability backed by a solid team ultimately won the client over”, he concluded.

Starcom Worldwide has already commenced the work on the account.

Educomp Solutions Limited, founded in 1994 is a globally diversified education solutions provider and the largest education company in India. Educomp Group reaches out to over 25,000 schools and 14 million learners and educators across the world, with 27 offices worldwide including an office in Canada, 20 in India, two in Singapore, one in Sri Lanka, and three in the United States. In addition, the Company operates through its various subsidiaries including authorGEN, Threebrix eServices, Learning.com, USA, AsknLearn Pte Ltd, Singapore and via its associates such as Savvica in Canada.

Educomp is India’s number one education company. For many years, it has been at the forefront of various pioneering initiatives in the e-education space. Educomp works closely with schools implementing innovative models, creating and delivering content to enhance student learning. Educomp has maintained a long, undiluted focus in the K-12 curriculum design and teacher education space. Its innovative applications and products have revolutionized the way information technology and the Internet is used to deliver new age learning to people. Educomp is a publicly traded company on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange, India.