Starcom Mediavest Group

Starcom Mediavest Group (SMG) is among the largest media networks in the world and a part of France’s Publicis Groupe, the third-largest communications group globally. Headquartered in Chicago.

History

The global holding company Starcom Mediavest Group was formed in 2000.^[1] Jack Klues, who had been the Chief Executive Officer of Starcom Worldwide, was named SMG’s first CEO upon its formation. Current CEO Laura Desmond became one of the business world’s youngest CEOs ever when she was named to the position in 2008.^[2]

In recent years, SMG has had partnerships with companies such as Facebook, Twitter,^[3] YouTube, Acxiom, Tencent and more involving data, analytics and "technology-fueled creativity".

SMG also reorganized into 3 divisions—Connections (media brands), Content (creative assets), and Tech solutions (RUN, extech)—to better reflect the fact that it now derives more than 50% of its business from digital, content, and data/analytics. The company further refined its investment approach to align more closely with a mobile- and social-first world, with 70% being put toward core marketing strategies and tactics, another 20% on innovation, and 10% in emerging markets and platforms.

Expanded Business Resources

SMG Performance Marketing: Full-service media agency.

LiquidThread: branded entertainment content specialists.

MRY: Full-service digital creative agency.^[4]

Relevant24: Real-time content agency creating multi-media branded content marketing^[5] in real-time.

RUN: Mobile-first data management and programmatic buying platform for the post-cookie digital world that executes cross-device campaigns across multiple formats, including display and video, via unique IDs.^[6]

Data & Analytics:

Extech: Offers new marketplace solutions, products and services.

SPORTS at SMG: Sports and event marketing, including strategy, planning, rights acquisition and activation to SMG clients.

VivaKi: Programmatic advertising and media buying

Employees and Locations

SMG employs roughly 8,000 people in 110 offices worldwide, including Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, and Spain, among others.

Awards

2015 Grand Prix Award from Digital Cinema Media for Heineken’s “Open Your Cities”, held in London’s Ham Yard Hotel.^[7]

2015 Effie North America top-ranked media agency and network^[8]

2015 Dubai Lynx winner Media Agency of the Year^[9]

SMG has also been ranked as the No. 1 Global Media Agency^[10] by Advertising Age (2010, 2011, 2013) and named a leader in the “New Interactive Landscape” by Forrester and “Most Effective Network” at the North American Effies^[11] making SMG the first media agency to receive these recognitions.

References