IPG's Hill Holliday Spins Off Its Media Operation

Boston-based Hill Holliday, part of Interpublic Group, has spun off its media operation into a separate agency that it is calling Trilia. The unit will be led by Cindy Stockwell, formerly chief media officer at Hill Holliday.

Trilia will operate separately from Hill Holliday as a standalone media agency that will pitch media-only clients, but will also continue to serve Hill Holliday’s current media clients, including Dunkin’ Donuts, Chili’s, TJX, Capella University, LG and Supercuts.

Trilia will also serve Hill Holliday Group agency Erwin Penland.

The move is similar to one that sibling agency Mullen Lowe Group did a decade ago when it created Mediahub@Mullen. Before that, most big holding company ad shops had already spun off their media operations into separate agencies as part of a major unbundling trend, in response to marketers cutting commission rates on media buys from what had been the standard 15% to what is now more typically a single-digit percentage figure.

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Media was also becoming increasingly complex and fragmented (a trend that has accelerated with time), with holding companies concluding they needed to devote full-time media agencies to the task of keeping up with all the change in order to service clients properly.

“Hill Holliday's media practice has always been a key strength of the agency, providing award-winning, best in class media-led creativity coupled with buying clout,” said Karen Kaplan, chairman and CEO of Hill Holliday. “We are always nimbly adapting to the rapid changes in our business, and now more than ever our unique approach to media represents a real competitive advantage. This is a key growth area for the Hill Holliday network.”

While the agency has invested heavily in data-focused and real-time marketing tools in recent months, it also said it would tap into resources developed by IPG MediaBrands as well.

HH said that Trilia will focus on “science, ideas and outcomes.” The agency said the name Trilia derives from “trill,” a slang term combining “truth” and “real.”

Stockwell started at Hill Holliday 2003 as group media director and was named chief media officer in 2012. She has worked on clients including Dunkin’ Donuts, TJX, Chili’s and Liberty Mutual, as well other major clients at the agency. 

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