WPP Group has announced today the merger of Essence and Mediacom, two of its media agencies. The process will be held along a transition period that will end by 2023, year for the new EssenceMediacom agency to start off operations with 10,000 employees across 125 offices.
Nick Lawson, who is since 11th May 2020 Global CEO Mediacom, will lead the newly formed agency as Global CEO. Kyoko Matsushita, currently CEO at Essence and after eight years in the company, is promoted to a new role as CEO of WPP in Japan.
Working at Mediacom since 1991
Nick Law has been an integral part of MediaCom for over 20 years. Starting his career with the agency as a media planner at The Media Business Group in 1991, he has risen through the ranks to lead the business, firstly as CEO of MediaCom UK in 2006, as CEO of EMEA in 2008 and most recently as COO Worldwide in 2019. During the tenures of his previous CEO roles he has led the agency to be leaders both locally and regionally, topping client satisfaction tables and agency ranking tables alike.
On the merger between Essence and Mediacom
This is the first big merger within WPP’s media business after [email protected] was integrated into Mindshare on 16th January 2020.
The merger between Essence and Mediacom builds on a record of strong business growth for both agencies. COMvergence ranked MediaCom first in the industry for new business wins in 2021 with $2.87B in new billings attributed to wins, while Essence has continued to grow and expand its remit with Google and other key clients.
The new EssenceMediacom infuses the digital and data-driven DNA of Essence with MediaCom’s scaled multichannel, audience planning and strategic media expertise, designed to power client growth globally with an agile response to a rapidly evolving media landscape.
“The formation of EssenceMediacom builds on the strong and proven relationship between the agencies to create the agency model our clients want for the future one founded on brilliant strategy and brand-building capabilities, with pioneering digital expertise running throughout. EssenceMediacom will not only help our clients see the bigger picture and reimagine what’s possible; it will also provide opportunities for our people to upskill and train in new areas, further enriching and enhancing their careers.,” Nick Lawson (Global CEO at EssenceMediacom) explained.
“Today’s global marketers need both agility and scale from their agency partners to properly support their businesses across international markets. Bringing together Essence and MediaCom – each with their own celebrated histories of excellence will create a truly unique combination of agile innovation and global scale in a single agency,” Kyoko Matsuhish (CEO Group M, Japan) pointed.
