MRM Worldwide

Last night at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London MRM Meteorite won both the CRM/Loyalty and the Data-Driven Marketing Week Engage Awards for the Costa Coffee Loyalty Program.

Also the recent winner of the Grand Prix at the recent Marketing Week Data Strategy Awards in the U.K., the Costa Coffee Club campaign has been a great success for Costa and MRM Meteorite, which created, launched, and has run Costa Coffee Club during its first three years.

In a world where a single street can house five or six coffee shops, where wallets are filled to bursting point with loyalty cards and where spam is seen as a daily nuisance; MRM was given a seemingly impossible task: to drive incremental behaviour and loyalty from Costa Coffee Club emails.

Recent Fast Company Co.Create article by Meg Carter: “How Costa Coffee Used Data to Drive Loyalty and Sales” lays out how Costa “used customer data from multiple sources to create sharply targeted communications that drive a loyalty program that actually works for buyer and brand.”

Carter wrote, “Loyalty programs aren’t exactly a big innovation, but they’re seldom done right. One thing that sets Costa’s loyalty scheme apart from others is the response rates it has achieved from active users.”

BtoBONLINE.com  - When Lewis DVorkin joined Forbes Media as chief product officer three years ago, he started turning the venerated brand on its head. He blew up the scale of content creation on Forbes.com with a network of non-staff contributors that has since grown to about 1,000, including marketers taking advantage of Forbes’ BrandVoice program.

Taking a cue from the Web development community, Dvorkin also led a shift in the print magazine culture to one in which everything is continually tweaked and improved.

The business did not rocket upward at first, but by the end of 2012, Forbes’ revenue and profitability had hit their highest levels in five years. Digital revenue increased 19% from 2011 to 2012. Print ad revenue also rose last year.

Initially skeptical, the marketer, agency and media communities now cite the revived Forbes as a trendsetter, and DVorkin is a much sought-after speaker for industry groups.

Rick Segal, president worldwide and chief practice officer at gyro, was not among the skeptics. In fact, gyro was an early adopter of BrandVoice (in June 2010).

“With this platform, Forbes has provided a mechanism for content to shine and be shared in a way that few other media companies have done,” Segal said. “Over the past 36 months, they’ve been continuously innovating this platform, adapting it to advertiser needs, improving its analytics and strengthening the brand journalism approach they invented.”

Adam Kleinberg, CEO of Traction Corp., called BrandVoice “one of the most elegantly executed examples of native advertising on the Web.”

“Most publishers are touting native advertising opportunities that are really just sponsored content or advertorials,” he said. “Forbes’ execution has been at the forefront as brands look beyond the banner to engage audiences.”

Stephanie Mace, senior VP-director of engagement and experience planning at MRM, said, “We’ve had a really strong partnership with Forbes. We have had a fair amount of work running in their digital environments using custom-content units where clients can put white papers, case studies and video content into an ad unit and the decision-maker can engage with [the advertiser's] content without leaving the site.”

Go to the article.

MRM has developed the promotional campaign “Burn the Miles” for BalticMiles; rewarding frequent travelers for burning their flown miles as calories: https://vimeo.com/64427392

After a long, busy day, it’s easy to do nothing. But research shows that those who jog live up to six years longer than the average couch potato.

That’s why BalticMiles and MRM’s Frankfurt, Germany office have developed an App that motivates BalticMiles’ members to be a part of the exercise buzz and engage in physical activity — especially after a long flight. Recently, a selected group of BalticMiles program frequent travelers had the opportunity to experience the App and were encouraged to burn the same amount of calories as miles flown within 24 hours after landing.

Well-known sports-tracking Apps motivate the members to do sports after a long day and afterwards reward them just with badges. “The App we developed for BalticMiles even uses their technology and synchronizes the burned calories, for instance after a run with Nike+”, says Dom Heinrich, Creative Director for Innovation Advertising at MRM.

“We are always looking for new, innovative ways to motivate our members as part of our program and reward them for being healthy and in good shape. During the test campaign selected frequent travelers were given individual goals based on miles flown. We then rewarded all participating members who reached their goal with Bonus Points”, says Eriks Nelsons, Marketing Communications Manager for BalticMiles in Riga.

After thousands of burned calories within a few weeks, BalticMiles will soon launch a promotional campaign for its non-flying members. At the same time the already integrated gamification factor will be even more prominent, by including a ranking within the App.

In doing so the additional years of living seem to become more probable than before: Danish scientists from the University of Copenhagen and the university’s clinic (http://www.ku.dk/english/) have examined the effects of jogging towards mortality and have published the results in the “American Journal Of Epidemiology” (http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/02/27/aje.kws301). The big winners were the moderate joggers – they run three times a week for a total of 2.4 hours. So what are you waiting for? Get off the couch and Burn the Miles!

Craig Kauffman, SVP, Global Director of Commerce Platforms at MRM will join LivePerson at their Engagement Matters event on Tuesday, May 7th to share his perspective on online engagement from the digital agency point of view.

Do you know the top reasons why a consumer would abandon your website? Join LivePerson to uncover the latest research about what today’s consumers demand from your brand and create an action plan to deliver an end-to-end digital strategy that drives conversions and new levels of customer satisfaction. In this highly interactive workshop, you will:

• Hear from industry thought leaders and innovators on redefining your current approach to digital engagement and marketing
• Actively engage with fellow executives from across the world of eCommerce, marketing and digital connection on the challenge of successfully connecting with customers across all digital properties (eCommerce sites, social media and mobile devices) and share insights to help you improve your practices and business results
• Align your strategy to new insights on current consumer expectations, and walk away with an action plan

McCann Worldgroup was awarded global communications partner to  Zurich Insurance Group, beating incumbent Publicis Groupe and WPP Group. The Worldgroup pitch team represented parent Interpublic and included teams from MRM, McCann Erickson and UM. The global assignment covers advertising, media and digital marketing.

MRM will be the lead digital agency. Marina Specht, EVP, Regional Director EMEA & CEO Spain, led the winning pitch on behalf of IPG and McCann Worldgroup; along with Maurice Racz, Strategic Planning Director MRM Frankfurt.  Marina will be the Managing Director for this new business and Maurice will be the global Digital Lead.

Read more about on the win:

Interpublic Wins Holding Company Review for Zurich Insurance Group 
AdAge, By Rupal Parekh

McCann WG Wins Global Duties for Zurich Insurance
ADWEEK, By Noreen O’Leary

Start is the sustainable living initiative inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales and is supported by BITC (Business in the Community).

Be the Start is a new marketing campaign that uses the strength of consumer brand recognition to drive awareness and action around sustainable lifestyles among consumers; reinforcing that lifestyles are better, socially, emotionally and physically, when they are lived in with sustainability in mind.  It’s all about communicating positive and useful messages about what people can actually do to start enhancing their lives through becoming more sustainable, and how brands are supporting and enabling this. By coming together as one group, the message has more resonance and power of influence than any single brand could achieve on its own.

MRM Meteorite created this campaign which will run across the 31 days of May. It was launched to the brand community at St James Palace last Autumn with the support of HRH The Prince of Wales and his team.  McCann Worldgroup sister agencies UMW and Weber Shandwick will help to deliver a an integrated program of activities including outdoor, press and radio, with over 40 participating brands also getting involved.

And, check out George the Poet on You Tube!

Gretchen Ramsey, MRM VP, Strategy joins Luxury Daily for a webinar on tapping social media without diluting the luxury brand’s mystique.

(LuxuryDaily) – Executives from B Culture Media, McCann Worldgroup’s MRM, Pandemic Labs and Style Coalition who spoke during a Luxury Daily webinar said that developing a branded strategy before beginning a social campaign is imperative to having a successful social media presence.

During the “Tapping social media without diluting the luxury brand’s mystique” webinar hosted April 23 by this publication, the executives agreed that having a strategy before diving into a social platform is a necessity. Luxury marketers should first know who their consumers are and what they want before creating a social strategy.

“We must first start with the question, ‘What do people need and how can we help them?’ before starting with a social platform,” said Gretchen Ramsey, vice president of strategy at MRM, Princeton.

Read the full article.

Manny Fernando will take the reins of MRM Manila, effective May 2, to expand MRM’s leadership into new territories and to play a vital role in further developing McCann’s integrated business solutions.

Fernando was President/CEO of Megamobile, a post he held concurrent with his function as Head of Digital Strategy of the Inquirer Group of Companies, prior to joining McCann WorldGroup. Fernando was also elected 2012 President of the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP).

Fernando brings 18-year experience in the mobile and telecommunications industry, with extensive proficiencies in integrated digital content and application development, product management, and business models & technology development.  Fernando has held management positions in leading telecommunications, media, and technology companies including Ericsson Telecommunications, Wireless Services Asia, Isla Communications, and IPVG Corp. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Management at The American Graduate School of International Management in Arizona, USA and a college degree in Business Management at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Said Raul Castro, McCann WorldGroup Philippines Chairman & CEO; “Manny’s command of the telco, media, technology, and business ecosystems, fused with his exceptional talent in commercial alliances and program developments, will further reinforce McCann’s capabilities and strategies in digital and integrated business solutions.  His experience will be a vital component to the agency’s continuous business solutions initiatives, which drive business success for our clients’ brands and for the Agency.”

McCann Worldgroup today announced several leadership promotions.

(Michael Mclaren, Andy Jacobs, Hank Summy {left to right})

MRM promotions include:

• Michael Mclaren, currently President, MRM East & Global Client Solutions Director, has been named worldwide President, MRM.

• Andy Jacobs adds global responsibility to his role of Chief Technology Officer at MRM.

• Hank Summy, currently President McCann North America, has been named to the new global role of President, Commerce, MRM. Mclaren, Summy and Jacobs will report to Bill Kolb, CEO, MRM.

Additional McCann Worldgroup promotions include:

• Chris Macdonald, Chief Executive, McCann London, has been promoted to the role of President, McCann New York reporting to Luca Lindner, President of McCann Worldgroup, Americas, Africa and Middle East.

• Rob Doubal and Laurence Thomson, Co-Executive Creative Directors of McCann London, have been promoted to the new role of Co-Presidents and Chief Creative Officers of McCann London, reporting to Gustavo Martinez, President, McCann Worldgroup Europe, Asia & Pacific.

• Momentum Worldwide also recently expanded its top management ranks with the promotion of Kevin McNulty to the newly created position of President, International.

“The year has started with some terrific new wins and organic growth across our businesses,” said Harris Diamond, Chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup. “Our leaders have a real passion for the work we do, along with all the energy and the skills required to help lead our agencies and to deliver multiplatform creative and strategic ideas that build our clients’ brands and drive growth.”

Michael Mclaren has worked at McCann Worldgroup for more than a decade and has led some of the network’s biggest clients and regions. Currently, as President of MRM East, Mclaren provides executive leadership for operations across MRM New York, Princeton and Detroit. He delivers full oversight for financial, product delivery, talent development and growth goals. In addition, Mclaren holds the critical role of Global Client Solutions Director across many of MRM’s key clients, where he develops opportunities and drives product excellence and growth.

Andy Jacobs is responsible for growth across MRM’s technology business, focusing on new business development and driving organic growth within the Agency’s top 25 global clients. Jacobs also leads Global Partnerships, ensuring the continued quality of the overall technology product across MRM’s top 10 global clients. Additionally, Jacobs heads the ongoing development of the MRM technology community to drive best practices, share key trends, identify key talent and support cross-fertilization of technology engagements.

Hank Summy joined McCann North America as President in October 2011, with management oversight for McCann agencies across the U.S. and Canada and a focus on McCann’s flagship New York office. Previously, Summy was Managing Director of SapientNitro, a top-10 ranked U.S. digital agency. When Sapient acquired Nitro in 2009, Summy led the successful integration of the two companies, including defining the value proposition and operating model for the combined entity globally. Summy earlier headed Operations & Business Development for Boston-based SR Research.

Chris Macdonald joined McCann London in 2005.  Under his leadership, the agency has experienced considerable success, winning over $150 million in new billings, major creative awards for American Airlines, Heinz and Xbox work, and was named one of London’s three best agencies by Campaign Magazine. McCann London also was a key member of the McCann Worldgroup team that handled the successful marketing for the London 2012 Olympics. Recently, London has won several new accounts, including General Mill’s Nature Valley, and has been appointed to the UK Government’s Marketing Communications roster.

Rob Doubal and Laurence Thomson, who joined McCann London from Wieden + Kennedy in May 2012, will provide creative leadership and vision for the agency in their new role as Co-Presidents and Chief Creative Officers. Doubal and Thomson will be supported by the McCann London management team, consisting of: Nikki Crumpton, Chief Strategy Officer; Jamie Copas, Chief Operating Officer; Saj Manzoor, Chief Financial Officer; Simon Hill, Head of Client Services; and Tom Rothenberg, Chief Growth Officer.

About McCann Worldgroup

McCann Worldgroup, part of Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), is a leading global marketing company with 23,000 employees in more than 120 countries comprising McCann Erickson (advertising), MRM (digital marketing/relationship management), Momentum (event marketing/promotion), McCann Health (professional/dtc communications), CRAFT (global adaptation and production), UM (media management), Weber Shandwick (public relations), and FutureBrand (consulting/design).

MRM, as part of a comprehensive integrated McCann Worldgroup team – including McCann Erickson, Universal McCann and Weber Shandwick, has been appointed as the USPS lead communications partner. The combined team will develop tightly integrated and targeted communications programs that will help USPS get closer to their customers and build new revenue streams.

MRM will be responsible for all direct and digital marketing, as well as analytics/operations, BtoB, and small business communications for the USPS masterbrand account – including Direct Mail, Express Mail, Priority Mail, First-class Mail, International Mail, Ground Shipping, Commemorative Stamps, Every Door Direct Mail, Retail Products/Expanded Retail Access.