IPG Mediabrands has poached Leo Burnett Australia social media planning director Nicola Swankie to launch a new social media agency called Society. The firm reckons this year will be big for social.
Ikon social performance director Ian Laurie joins as head of social investment for the new agency of 24 staff, which will split off social duties from fellow IPG agency Reprise Media. Reprise had previously handled all social as well as search, but will now focus exclusively on the latter.
Facebook and Twitter are gearing up for a major grab at marketers' advertising budgets, having spent the last year building up their local sales forces and tying up partnerships with media owners and agencies.
While Megan Brownlow, lead at PwC, says social "still has a way to go" in terms of ad revenue catch-up, former Ikon head of digital turned Facebook agency sales lead Ellie Rogers told AdNews that Facebook was this year going to prove to marketers that the platform can shift product – moving away from a fixation on 'likes' and shares.
Rogers is convinced that this year "the revenue will start to follow the eyeballs". IPG Mediabrands clearly thinks that is the case.
IPG Mediabrands boss and newly promoted global COO Henry Tajer said: "Society will be a national, full-service social marketing business that will provide a full range of expert social services. I am delighted that Nicola Swankie is joining us to lead its expansion.
"Nicola has the perfect background and experience to deliver our ambition of creating a uniquely positioned, strategically led social proposition – one that helps brands find their role within culture and create social content and conversations around that.
"Its repertoire will also include social media investment, community management, analytics and advocacy programs. Society will operate seamlessly alongside our other 11 businesses and will be incorporated into our client portfolios."
A spokesperson for Leo Burnett confirmed Swankie has been replaced, but said the agency is not announcing anything at this stage.
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