• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, February 27, 2006

Days after rival Publicis Groupe unveiled a new media division, Interpublic unveiled one of its own. The new, as-yet-unnamed company will be a unit of Interpublic Media focusing on researching and understanding "consumer experience." The unit will report to Stacey Lynn Koerner, executive vice president-director of global research integration at Interpublic's Initiative unit, who will serve as president of the new entity.

News of the new unit, first reported Feb. 23 by MediaDailyNews, comes as Interpublic is restructuring its media operations under Mark Rosenthal, who joined as CEO of Interpublic Media from president of MTV Networks last year. The new unit also follows the launch of Interpublic's new media lab, and also coincides with the reorganization of Universal McCann, which tapped Nick Brien, a former Publicis media executive, as CEO last year.

The new unit also appears to solve another problem for Interpublic's Initiative unit, which has had two senior level research executives: Koerner and Dave Ernst, executive vice president, futures and technology.

Koerner will oversee a team of eight "consumer-centric" specialists focused on developing new methods for understanding consumer behavior and how it relates to media.

Interpublic had originally been considering branding the new unit with the name Heroics, but dropped it when it could not secure the trademark. The search for a new name continues.

The move follows Publicis' creation of Duneo, a new unit that will not simply research new media, but will help develop it through strategic relationships, venture support and even invention.