What: Omnicom Media Group, the media services division of Omnicom Group Inc., has announced the launch of its third agency network, Hearts & Science.
Why it matters: Hearts & Science opens its North America based operation this month with Procter & Gamble as its inaugural client four months after winning the US$2 billion P&G North America media review.
Omnicom Media Group, the media services division of Omnicom Group Inc., has announced the launch of its third agency network, Hearts & Science. The new network will not be a single-account “dedicated” unit and will likely expand its roster in the future.
Designed to inform brand strategies with real-time insights, Hearts & Science is a data-driven marketing agency with expert media planning and buying capabilities, among other services that include shopper marketing, marketing innovation and content activation.Hearts & Science opens its North America based operation this month with Procter & Gamble as its inaugural client, four months after winning the US$2 billion P&G North America media review, and Scott Hagedorn as its CEO.
Hagedorn takes the helm at Hearts & Science following five years as the founding CEO of Annalect. While leading the effort to integrate data across multiple Omnicom network agencies, Hagedorn began crafting the vision for Hearts & Science, an enterprise that he describes as “the nexus between marketing science and consumer connections.”At Annalect, Hagedorn will be succeeded by Slavi Samardzija as global CEO and Erin Matts as North American CEO.
According to Hearts & Science Chief Operating Officer Kathleen Brookbanks, who joins the new agency from sister shop OMD as COO, the agency will open its 7 World Trade Center facility with a staff of 175, a number that is expected to top 300 by the beginning of Q3; Additional offices will open starting shortly with Canada and Puerto Rico, followed by a number of key markets outside of North America in the second half of 2016. Additional executive hires, recruited from leading companies across the technology, publishing and agency industries, will be announced in the coming weeks.Tara Levine and Grey New York chief digital officer Zachary Treuhaft have left their respective agencies to join Hearts & Science.
“As data-driven marketing and applied audience analytics in mass media have gone from a fringe to a core practice, the industry can’t lose sight of content’s role in creating connections between brands and consumers,” Hagedorn says.
“With the addition of Hearts & Science, Omnicom Media Group has three distinct agency brands all focused on driving client business results,” says Daryl Simm, CEO, Omnicom Media Group.
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