After losing the Flight Centre business recently, Total Media, which is part of the Omnicom Group, has decided a restructure is in order, so there’s no room for the Auckland general manager position, a position which was held by Jason Rutherford for the last eight months.
Group chief executive Kath Watson is obviously disappointed about the loss and puts it down to the new management at long-time client Flight Centre, which decided to move the business to Ogilvy Media without a pitch.
“Jason is larger than life and one of the most enthusiastic people I have ever worked with,” Watson says. “I am sorry to see him go, but the success of Total Media is more than one person.”
Long-time Total Media strategy director Lyndsey Francis will now lead the Auckland office reporting directly to Watson.
“Lyndsey has a wealth of experience and having been with Total Media more than three years she has always played a key role in the agency’s service offering and effectiveness.”
There’s also a bit of change in the wind at Mediaedge:cia: a worldwide name-change this month means the agency will soon be known simply as MEC.
The Mediaedge:cia name came about at the end of 2001 from the merger of media agencies The Media Edge and UK agency Chris Ingram Associates (the cia), which was purchased by WPP.
“Basically the only change for us is that our email address is blissfully shortened,” says media director Barry Williamson.
MEC in New Zealand is 100 percent owned by Y&R Communications. And while it is integrated with Y&R, 60 percent of its business is via direct media-only clients and works with a number of creative agencies across its client list.
In formalising the MEC name, the logo that has been created slips simply into the existing brand identity.
