Media agency holding company GroupM said it has formed a new unit, GroupM Next, to focus on innovation and original research on consumer use of new platforms and devices and the impact of that usage of brand marketing.
Chris Copeland, CEO of GroupM Search, has been named CEO of GroupM Next and Cary Tilds, now leader of digital media operations at Mindshare North America, has been named chief innovation officer.
"GroupM Next is dedicated to creating, capturing and ensuring the implementation of the best thinking and new insights from our community in the digital, social, mobile and addressable media markets," GroupM North America CEO Rob Norman said in a statement. "Our goal is to create an active partnership across GroupM and our clients to develop actionable insight and a clear path to action on the platforms that are changing our industry."
The new unit will work with GroupM agencies Maxus, MEC, MediaCom and Mindshare, to provide insights on developments at both our core partners and emerging players in online, mobile, social and addressable. It is designed to l assist in the creation and management of partnership opportunities, integration into our technology and data systems and education to deliver best practices, the company said.
"There are a number of companies that are transforming media and the way consumers and brands behave. These changes are of paramount importance to GroupM and its clients" said Copeland. "It's our job to provide unmatched competitive advantage for our clients with these partners. It's the job of GroupM Next to assist our agencies and their clients in realizing this opportunity."
