Omnicom’s bespoke media agency Foundation Australia will soon retire its brand and operate under the Hearts & Science banner.
Hearts & Science has grown its agency proposition in this market by appointing Liz Wigmore as managing director. Omnicom Media Group is folding the whole Foundation Australia team – which numbers in the dozens – and clients into the Hearts & Science fold.
B&T understands that the Foundation brand will eventually be retired.
The bespoke agency was initially set up in 2004 to work on the Mercedes account in this market. Foundation has since gone on to work with Diageo and HSBC.
In Australia, Omnicom’s Foundation retained Mercedes in 2021 following a global review against Publicis Groupe.
Wigmore, who has more than 20 years of experience, will focus on running day-to-day operations of Hearts & Science, including elevating its brand proposition, ‘Connections that Matter’. When she was appointed MD of Foundation in 2022, the agency reportedly had around 50 staff, but Omnicom Media Group declined to clarify how many staff remain at the agency today.
Wigmore will now report to Hearts & Science ANZ CEO Jane Stanley. Her appointment allows current MD Darren Stein – who has served a dual leadership role at Hearts & Science and Omnicom’s data tech anad analysis arm Annalect – to focus more of his efforts on the latter as Annalect ANZ CEO.
Hearts & Science is a data-led media agency proposition and was launched globally in 2016, before arriving in Australia in 2019. B&T understands that Foundation’s move to Hearts & Science will not impact either agency’s teams or clients at this stage.
“The Hearts & Science brand has always appealed to me since it was launched globally back in 2016. I believe creating emotional brand connection (the Heart) and maximising the potential of data and technology (the Science), is vital for brands in today’s media landscape,” Wigmore said.
“So, the opportunity to spearhead the growth of the agency in Australia, as well as continue to lead the Foundation team, was an opportunity I wasn’t going to miss. I am excited about the road ahead and how we can bring the Hearts & Science proposition to more brands in market”.
Stanley added: “Having the opportunity to further build Hearts & Science with both Liz and Darren is a dream come true. Liz offers extensive media leadership experience which is highly regarded by clients, partners and teams alike, and Darren will continue to advance our clients’ data and technology transformation through his best-in-market advisory capabilities and the Annalect services.
“We feel we have the perfect team in place to offer clients innovative communications solutions in an ever-evolving landscape.”
