• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, March 13, 2008

Another big media agency may be poised to diversify into creative services. WPP's MindShare Interaction unit is interviewing creative candidates to head a new creative unit within its burgeoning digital media operations, reports U.K.-based Campaign magazine, which says the unit will rollout in London and will be headed by Norm Johnston, CEO of MindShare Interaction in EMEA, and Simon Andrews, the global digital chief strategy officer of MindShare.

The move follows similar creative services diversifications by other major media shops. In December, Publicis' Starcom MediaVest Group began integrating Pixel, a creative services boutique specializing in digital media, adding creative to its media services portfolio, and began raiding top creative executives from other agencies as part of the move.

U.K.-based Aegis media, the parent of Carat, has long provided digital creative services via its Isobar unit, but recently began integrated creative as part of a full-service portfolio in some key markets, according to Mainardo de Nardis, CEO of Aegis Media Global (MediaDailyNews, Feb. 28). While Aegis creative services have focused mainly on digital media such as online display, search, and Web development, it has recently begun producing offline creative, including conventional 30-second TV commercials, and as the world of online video and traditional TV blur, de Nardis said he expects that trend to continue.

The most aggressive example of Aegis creative and media integration to date has taken place in the U.S., where the company has physically merged Carat with Carat Fusion, into a new integrated operation known internally as "Carat 2.0."

Details of MindShare's plan were not reported by Campaign, but the publication said it would likely offer "creative and content services, but may contract out production as required."

The move by MindShare, which like MediaVest still has ties to legacy creative agencies, is noteworthy, because big agency holding companeis such as WPP and Publicis historically have been loath to have their media shops compete with their "full-service" brand agencies on the basis of creative services.