• by Wayne Friedman , October 18, 2010

With so much publishing content becoming digital content these days, Publicis Groupe's media agency Zenith Media has taken what it believes is a logical step -- merging its magazine and digital divisions.

John Nitti, senior vice president and managing director of digital, who will lead the new unit, stated: "Zenith clients now have an advantage over their competitors to sell their brand and content in unique and holistic approaches."

He calls the reconfigured entity "a true hybrid of print and digital intelligence, delivering the best ideas and most innovative strategies to advertisers, while increasing their ROI."

Zenith's 20-person print unit will be incorporated into its 55-member digital team, according to reports.

The move is a natural one, per media executives -- considering that the majority of the Internet continues to be a print medium. Also, for some time, media agency executives have questioned the silo approach when it comes to separate media and other communication activities -- especially as digital platforms seem to bridge all media areas.

Steven Bloom, senior vice president and director of magazines for Zenith Media, stated: "In a growing world of e-readers and apps, this was a natural next step for the magazine division. As a leader in the industry, Zenith understands that media consumption is constantly evolving, and we must work with our clients to evolve with it."

Other media agencies have moved into this direction in more subtle ways -- hiring digital executives to work in their print divisions and/or cross-training traditional media-buying and planning executives in newer digital media formats.