Vizeum launches Melbourne office using Mitchells staff and clients
Aegis media agency Vizeum has opened an office in Melbourne, four months after relaunching the offering with a Sydney office.
The company starts life with 30 staff and clients that will transition from sister Aegis agency Mitchell & Partners and digital offering eMitch.
In January, Vizeum Sydney was launched using people and clients from MPG, a joint venture between Aegis and Havas.
Mumbrella understands Vizeum Melbourne clients will include BMW and Mini, which will help Aegis Media manage conflict with its other car clients Nissan and Holden, which it won after a global alignment in January.
Other clients are believed to include Heinz, AB Foods, service apartments brand Quest, Henley property group and Reading Entertainment.
The new agency will be run by Travis Day, who was a group account director at Mitchell & Partners. Another senior hire is David Campbell who joins as head of strategy from eMitch, where he was head of retail strategy. He was also head of digital strategy for Aegis Media.
Day will report into Paul Davey, Aegis Media’s MD of Media.
Kristian Barnes, Aegis Media’s chief commercial officer and also head of the group’s new innovation unit Jumptank, will aid Day in the development of the Vizeum brand.
Luke Littlefield, CEO of Aegis Media Pacific, said in a statement: “Our goal of growing Vizeum to be one of the leading media agency brands in the region takes an important step with the Melbourne office launch. Vizeum’s national footprint is now some $100 million in billings, with around 35 clients and upwards of 55 staff.”
Nice one DC
Nice work Trav.
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It will be very interesting to see how they develop their local offering in terms of the global brand positioning for Vizeum: “Start from a different place.”
I think the trouble is a lot of media agencies are starting from exactly the same place and behaving in very similar ways. For example, just look at the volume of senior staff movements between rival agencies: it’s media musical chairs in agencyland.
It would be interesting to know if Vizeum clients identify with their brand positioning, and whether clients also view the agency as “starting from a different place”.
Meanwhile, MediaCom promises clients “People first, better results”; Carat offers “Redefining Media”; OMD is about “Insights. Ideas. Results”; Starcom are selling “Space For Ideas”. What other agency brand positionings have I missed?
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Congrats to all, and I’m sure Vizeum will be a successful second tier agency.
However, the real story is that Mitchells, having lost over $160m in billings from ANZ and Optus and with $100m going into Vizeum plus an undisclossed amount to Carat are now significanlty smaller! Where do the Aegis agencies of Mitchells, Carat and Vizuem sit in relation to their competitors now?
I’m guessing the likes of OMD, Mediacom, Starcom a UM are rubbing their hands together?
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Good job Travis, your shout for a beer
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It just seems like more of the same Aegis men being rotated around senior positions. Where are the Women within Aegis? Why are they not promoted to senior roles? Not one woman sits on the Executive.
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