GroupM Unveils New Target-Dedicated Agency
- by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, June 8, 2016
GroupM has created a new, Minneapolis-based agency called Team Arrow Partners to service its new big-box retailer client Target. The Minneapolis-based Target shifted its $500 million media assignment to GroupM in April.
“With roots in Minneapolis and the impressive resources of GroupM, the formation of Team Arrow brings together the incredible expertise needed to fuse analytics, insights and creativity to drive Target’s business forward,” stated Kristi Argyilan, senior vice president of media and guest engagement, Target.
Jason Harrison has been named CEO of Team Arrow Partners. He was most recently the founding CEO of GroupM’s Gain Theory, a marketing consultancy launched in 2015 to help advertisers leverage data and insights in marketing decisions. Prior to that, he held senior-level data, technology and consulting roles at GroupM’s Maxus, IPG’s Mediabrands, Johnson & Johnson, and Ernst & Young.
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“Jason and Team Arrow will deliver a new approach to media planning and activation that will help Target bring its iconic marketing moments to life,” stated Brian Lesser, CEO, GroupM North America.
Also joining Team Arrow as chief client officer is Nicole Pomerleau, who was most recently media director at Colle & McVoy.
Team Arrow will employ more than 30 people in Minneapolis in areas including strategy, media planning, digital and analytics. The agency will also tap into GroupM’s expertise and resources in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Detroit.
How much of this $500 million will be spent with WPP's own internal programmatic arm, Xasis? Will all of it be spent on Xasis - will Group M just RFP access and keep all of this money?
How much of this $500 mln will be used to buy actual media, non-WPP-owned media?
How much will be used for TV upfronts? How much will actually buy TV -how much of the TV spend will buy actual TV ads?
How much of this will be devoted to courting and messaging in Spanish? In Hispanic media? How exactly will Xasis and Group M reach real Latinos and Latinas who are Target's target with the digital? What is the Hispanic digital play here? That is how will Group M get in front of human Latino and Latina eyes on digital via WPP? Not robots, actual customers...How will this happen?
How much of this $500 mln will ever leave the WPP building or coffers and be spent on any actual human consumers' eyeballs of actual media - print, TV, quality Publisher-owned (not WPP or GroupM-owned) digital not just robot eyeballs? Will Group M RFP its sister agency under the umbrella and then place all of the Target media dollars with Xaxis as it does with all the other clients on its roster ? If Target is focused on selling to Latinas and Hispanics, what % of its media dollars are spent with women-owned media outlets, and with Hispanic-owned firms or Spanish-langauge media? Why does Target not buy any Publisher-direct digital or place its Hispanic newspaper inserts with more Hispanic and woman-owned newspapers? If Target will only use this $500 mln as a tax writeoff nd all of the $500 mln or a large part of it is placed on undefineable "digital" that is only placed on the WPP-GroupM owned Xasis network? Should Target really receive a tax break for this as a media and advertising expense?