Joe Talcott to set up internal creative offering at News Ltd as Ed Smith takes marketing role
News Ltd is to set up an in-house ad agency for clients, led by Joe Talcott who is moving from his role as the company’s group director of marketing.
Meanwhile, in a second high level move, Ed Smith, currently CEO of content and commercial at News Digital Media, is becoming News Ltd’s new group marketing director.
Announcing the “new creative hub”, News Ltd said that it was creating “a new creative division that will help advertisers build their brands, and better engage with existing and new audiences”.
According to the company, “the division, which will open in early 2011, will provide a service to advertisers far beyond anything that any publisher or broadcaster has previously offered.”
Like a more traditional ad agency, the new offering will employ creatives and strategists. Talcott told Mumbrella he would be recruiting both internally and externally and the structure would most likely include a creative director who may be hired from a similar agency role.
The new challenge marks a return to his roots for Talcott, who began his career as a copywriter in the USA. He told Mumbrella it marked his career having gone “full circle”. He later became global marketing and creative director of McDonald’s before joining News Ltd five years ago. He also chairs the Australian Association of National Advertisers.
News Ltd CEO John Hartigan said: ““In his 30 year career, Joe has worked at the highest levels for marketers and agencies. Having worked on some of the world’s biggest brands and media outlets, he is perfectly placed to lead the division.”
Hartigan also said: “News Limited has over six decades of experience in creating and executing peerless advertising solutions. It is now time for us to expand and sharpen that expertise for the benefit of our customers.
“Made up of creatives and strategists, this creative hub will be a hot-house of ideas. It will harness the abundance of creativity that runs through this company and use it to help brands connect and resonate with their target audiences. Its purpose will be to provide our customers with world class multi-platform solutions that utilise the strength of our content combined with the unrivalled reach of our media brands.”
Talcott said “I am incredibly excited to lead this new endeavour; to collaborate with advertisers and their agencies in a new and innovative way.”
Talcott acknowledged to Mumbrella: “We’re not first in the market with this.” He said where the division differs to the likes of Seven Group’s SMG Red, PBL’s Powered and Fairfax 360 is “that those offerings are sales led, whereas we will be creative ideas led”. Talcott’s team will report in to Hartigan rather than to the sales department. He said: “We might sometimes recommend assets we don’t own.”
Ed Smith
Meanwhile, Ed Smith’s appointment in the marketing role is part of a rapid ascent within News Ltd, and points to what the company says will be a “major strategic shift in the way the company markets its media brands”.
Describing Smith – who joined four years ago – as “one of our brightest and best young executives”, Hartigan said “In a few short years, we have moved from decades of stable product and customer behaviour to the greatest period of change this industry has seen.
“The rapid development of new and emerging digital channels means we have the unprecedented opportunity of being the single point of reference for readers wishing to stay informed and inspired throughout the entire day. To realise this opportunity we must excel at acquiring, retaining and servicing customers through numerous channels, and develop print and digital products that meet – and exceed – our customers’ needs and expectations.”
Smith will continue to lead News Ltd’s push into digital paid content, with the added responsibility of “building News Ltd’s ’s customer insights, acquisition and retention capabilities.”
He said “This is a great period of change for media and an exciting time to be a consumer; I’m really looking forward to leading the development of a world class retail marketing capability across the business to support the outstanding editorial, sales, marketing and circulation teams we have.”
Smith joined the company in early 2007 as CEO of carsguide.com.au. Later that year he was appointed News Digital Media’s chief commercial officer and in 2009 he was promoted to chief executive officer, content and commercial. Before that he worked in a marketing role at St George Bank and also ran ad agency DMB&B advertising in Beijing.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Interesting.
We’ve been running a smaller scale setup through the ad dept of EMG servicing advertising partners with editorial support and producing non-advertorial sponsored content. The art of course is to isolate what product or service is of value to an existing market and valorise this product or service.
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nice one – Joe Talcott is a gangster!!
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“We might sometimes recommend assets we don’t own.”
So Joe’s saying that for the most part, all a client needs is News Ltd? A bit narrow minded, isn’t it?
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Congratulations Ed!
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Well done Ed Smith !
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Hi Ben,
No, the opposite – he’s saying that if they believe a client needs television as part of the campaign, they’ll recommend that, even though News Ltd doesn’t own a network.
But for the most part, you know what, I bet if they recommend a magazine solution or web solution or newspaper soplution, they’ll try to find one owned by News Ltd. You’re not honestly shocked by that are you?
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
Why didn’t News become an MVNO a few years back…seems to makes sense now
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I think Ben was being sarcastic.
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what’s that saying? don’t walk into a Ford dealer and expect to leave on a Harley?
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Not sure they can claim publisher in this statement “ … that any publisher or broadcaster has previously offered.” whilst boutique map magazine has been offering this service since 1999. In fact I think I recommended whilst working at News Ltd that they offer an inhouse creative agency. 15 years to late in my opinion and I feel sorry for all those advertisers who have had to wait for so long!!!
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Great move by News – Ed is a great mind and an inspiring leader.
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Tim – no, I wouldn’t expect anything less of them, and JC, yes I was.
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Great job Joe!!!!
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@Alex B
It is a great job Alex!
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So which media company ISN’T setting up an inhouse “creative hub” these days?
And of course none of these inhouse media neutral “hubs” are a threat to traditional agencies.
And typically none of these inhouse creative hubs still exist in their same form 12 months later…
Good luck.
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It sounds like a job in ‘Special Projects’ awaits Mr Talcott
http://www.crikey.com.au/2007/.....rgalactic/
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Congrats Joe!! All the best for 2011
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