Global holding company Stagwell has launched its own media group under the banner Stagwell Media.
The challenger holco’s Stagwell Media will be built initially around Assembly, its US-focused but global performance agency. The Assembly brand will be retired over time.
In a release Stagwell said “the name Stagwell Media marks a new approach to media building on the Assembly agency, bringing together its performance heritage and ecosystem expertise while debuting a new agile, integrated model powered by next generation agentic technology, Stagwell’s Machine OS.”
Stagwell follows the likes of WPP which changed GroupM to WPP Media, Omnicom which turned the Omnicom Media Group into simply Omnicom Media and dentsu, which sunsetted the iProspect and Carat brands into dentsu Media in Australia.
For all the talk around creativity in advertising, it doesn’t seem to extend to agency names.
It is designed for the rapidly changing media landscape. By transforming media into a more connected and adaptive growth engine, the agency empowers brands to unlock greater ambition and drive stronger business results.
“The traditional media agency model wasn’t built for the future of media. Stagwell Media is. We saw a gap in the market for a different model and a new way to do media. By combining superior technology, deep media expertise and agility, we help brands to adapt faster, reach audiences more effectively and unlock growth,” said Mark Penn, chairman and CEO of Stagwell.
“Stagwell Media is built for a new era of marketing, one where brands need the agility to move faster, the integration to connect every touchpoint, and the technology to turn complexity into stronger performance. As Stagwell looks to disrupt the media landscape, Stagwell Media offers a superior combination of deep expertise, connected capabilities and technology built by media experts, for media experts,” added Slavi Samardzija, global chair of media and commerce, Stagwell.
Stagwell Media will be led by Liz Rutgersson, the recently appointed CEO. She will have a helping hand from regional leadership team including Connie Chan, CEO, APAC; Bridget Hopkins, CEO, Europe; Alap Ghosh, CEO, India; Ravi Rao, CEO, MENA; and Kacper Klos, Global CEO of digital commerce, Poland.
Stagwell Media operates across more than 50 markets with clients including Lenovo, DP World, Mastercard and P&G.
“The proposition of Stagwell Media reflects our belief that clients deserve a media partner built around their ambitions. By bringing together exceptional talent, integrated capabilities and a modern media model, Stagwell Media is designed to help brands navigate change with confidence and turn opportunity into stronger performance. I’m excited to lead the agency’s next chapter and deliver even greater value for our clients,” said Rutgersson.
In the release, the holdco explained that the agency’s approach will be defined by four principals:
A team built for ambition: A more agile model, built on a simplified, integrated structure and powered by a new kind of multidisciplinary talent with hands-on senior leaders; Technology built for ambition: Next-generation agentic technology, The Machine OS, designed by and for industry experts, to win on every platform; Innovation built for ambition: Creativity and innovation, unified with media, driven by global capabilities with local expertise; and commercial models built for ambition: New structures that reflect where your business is going.
Stagwell Media will leverage solutions from The Marketing Cloud and Stagwell Media Platform including The Media Machine, Stagwell Search+ and Stagwell Curate alongside advanced data, commerce capabilities and specialist talent.
The global media agency will continue to partner with sister companies within Stagwell’s media and commerce segment including Crispin, GALE, Goodstuff, Locaria, and Stagwell Owned Media to deliver more connected, intelligent and effective solutions that help clients unlock stronger business performance.
