Kathleen Banks appointed head of planning at Audience Group
Independent media agency Audience Group has made another key appointment, expanding the role of Kathleen Banks to become head of planning.
The change will see Banks continue her existing role as well, and she’ll now carry a new title of group business director and head of planning.
Banks is now group business director and head of planning
In announcing the appointment, Audience Group cited further news business wins and growth as the reason why it recently reviewed the structure of its planning team.
Audience Group co-founder and managing director, Tom Evans, said the move was designed to recognise Banks’ planning leadership role within the organisation.
“Kathleen has almost three decades of marketing, advertising and media strategy experience, and has made a significant impact to Audience Group’s planning capabilities and processes since joining us almost three years ago,” he said.
“Whilst our client base and planning requirements have grown, so has our access to data, which turbo-charges the ability to deliver even more effective plans for our clients’ businesses. So it is important that we continue to designate clear responsibilities for the planning function.
“In recognition of her contribution, we have formalised Kathleen’s planning leadership role.”
Banks added that it’s an exciting time for data planners in the current media landscape.
“Based on my industry and agency experience, Audience Group has succeeded in actually doing what many agencies say they do and strive to do, in that we are truly strategic and collaborative partners for our clients,” she said.
“Because we go further into understanding our clients’ businesses and their business objectives, the way they do business and how and where they drive revenue, we go beyond offering isolated campaign media strategies to acting as a strategic part of their business team.
“From a planning perspective I have never had so much access to real time data as I do now. Planners can now dig deeper into so much live data around programming and ad placement, how digital is interplaying with TV activity, where the best cost efficiencies are, what programmes are giving the best audience reach,
“But what’s really exciting is that Audience Group integrates this with so much of our clients’ available data and helps them create new data points where necessary.
“We are now planning and buying in ways that deliver better media metrics and really contribute to their business performance and profitability. That changes and enhances planning to the next level.”
Audience Group has made several new hires in 2020, including Sam Grimwood into the role of head of digital and analytics.
Ron Ramaiya also joined from Seven West Media, and was appointed to be the agency’s director of analytics, research and insights.
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Zanda Wilson was a reporter and podcast producer at Mumbrella, specialising in radio reporting. He left Mumbrella in September 2021.
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