• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, May 18, 2006

ZenithOptimedia USA, the eighth largest media buying shop in the U.S., is restructuring its digital media operations, bringing in a long-time media executive with a reputation for creativity to overhaul its strategy and to integrate the digital operations of the agencies disparate regional offices. The moves, announced late Wednesday by ZenithOptimedia USA CEO Tim Jones, is part of a push to elevate the role of interactive media within the Publicis media network and comes at a time when clients are pushing agencies for greater integration between traditional and digital media, as well as between media and creative services.

"It's really about infusing true creativity into the media process," says Andy Sims, who joins ZenithOptimedia as senior vice president-director of interactive after serving as director of interactive marketing services at SF Interactive and a partner at its parent shop Butler, Shine Stern & Partners, a West Coast agency with a reputation for creativity, especially in digital media.

Sims, a 10-year veteran of interactive media, replaces long-time Zenith vet Brenda Goodman, who is retiring.

Based in ZenithOptimedia's San Francisco office, Sims will spend much of his time reorganizing the digital operations of the agency's New York headquarters and regional outposts in Dallas, Seattle and Indianapolis, with an eye toward stronger integration between the traditional and interactive groups.

"Interactive media is changing so dramatically and so quickly," he says. "What we want to do is focus on making ZenithOptimedia Interactive one of the most creative interactive media units out there." The agency's interactive strength, he asserts, ironically is its base in the traditional media world, which he says gives it the clout to compete on a scale most pure play interactive shops still cannot.

"There are so many interactive creative shops that really are not capable of doing media in a meaningful way. Conversely, we have to push ourselves to be more creative thinkers. You can't just go out and buy impressions and hope it works out. At the end or the day our business is about connecting and media is a huge part of that, but it has to work hand in hand with creative."

Sims declined to comment specifically on ZenithOptimedia's digital media buying clout, but the agency is on a role and soon-to-be released revised data from RECMA will show it to be the fastest growing of the major media agency networks.

Some of its bigger interactive media accounts include T-Mobile, HP and Toyota.