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| Date | News Item |  BACK
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19/11/2009 | OMD expands into affiliate network space with new role for Mitchell | NMA |
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OMD Group has created its first head of affiliates role as the Omnicom-owned media agency looks to boost its affiliate network credentials. Mark Mitchell, who joined OMD last summer as group head of search, will take on the additional role of group head of affiliates and will manage campaigns for both existing and prospective clients. He will work closely with Siddarth Vijaya Kumar, Omnicom's head of affiliate marketing, to develop and work with a small network of sites to drive high-quality traffic for brands. OMD already runs affiliate campaigns for HMV, Advent and Virgin Media. OMD's expansion into the network space reflects a growing interest among media and digital agencies. Walker Media, BLM Quantum and most recently Media Contacts (nma 23 April) have all launched own-brand affiliate networks. Matt Simpson, head of digital at OMD Group, said the offering didn't mean it would stop working with traditional affiliate networks. "We want to work in conjunction with third-party networks; we're not a threat," he said. "The sites we're working with are those that might not see themselves as affiliates and sit outside traditional networks." Matt Bailey, head of search at i-level and chair of the IAB Affiliate Marketing Council, said it would be tough for media agencies to provide the same offering as traditional networks. "One thing that's hard to replicate from agencies is the reach provided by a network. It takes time and resources to achieve this." Nic Sekold, head of search at media agency Mindshare, said, "Every agency should be looking at affiliate campaigns as a skillset worth developing. Those that don't will get left behind." |