Interpublic launches Reprise search and social agency
Interpublic Group’s Mediabrands business, which houses media agencies Universal McCann and Initiative in Australia, has launched a new search and social marketing agency.
Reprise Media will officially launch in Australia this week with a team of 15 and will work with clients from both UM and Initiative, as well as externally. Staff will move to the start-up from Mediabrand’s search engine marketing division, e-worx.
The new agency will be led by David Fernandez as managing director, who most recently headed e-worx in Australia and was previously search operations director for Outrider.
According to Fernandez, Reprise Media will provide fully-integrated search capabilities in paid search, search engine optimisation and social media.
“We will be working with the world’s best standards in performance-based marketing,” he said.
“Very few top-ranked marketers are not involved in search marketing these days. Our focus is to leverage superior results for clients through the application of the best talent and technology.”
Henry Tajer, CEO of Universal McCann and chairman of Mediabrands Australia, said the launch of Reprise Media, and other agencies this year, will help bolster the local profile of Mediabrands.
“UM and Initiative operate as separate agencies in Australia, so there has been little public profile given to Mediabrands so far,” he said.
“However with the formal launch of Reprise Media, the presence of Mediabrands takes new importance – and Reprise Media is not the only business we will announce under Mediabrands this year.”
Reprise Media will also open offices in France, UK, Germany and Spain this week, with another 13 offices, including four more across Asia Pacific, planned for this year.
