• by Tom Siebert , November 29, 2006

In a move that shocked even the most jaded observers of the ad game, Madison Avenue's outspoken media sage Jon Mandel has left WPP and Group M to join VNU, the global information and media company.

Mandel will lead a new company called NielsenConnect as CEO. NielsenConnect will be an aggregator of information from other VNU consumer-research companies. Since September, Mandel had been chief of strategic solutions at Group M, following a long, successful and sometimes notorious run as chairman of MediaCom US. At press time, staff and budgets for NielsenConnect were not disclosed.

Mandel--who says he plans to start the job "tomorrow ... I mean, what else have I got to do?"--was in Nielsen's office yesterday, fielding calls about his new post and organization.

"What we're going to be doing [at NielsenConnect] is trying to find out whether we can not only tell people whether their TV show, movie or new line extension played in Peoria, but whether it will play in Peoria," he says. "We're going to have the ability to use the best research resources in the business to allow clients to make decisions and take actions that anticipate what comes next."

Despite much speculation in the industry that Mandel was not happy under his new masters at WPP--after having successfully grown MediaCom's business as the media unit of Grey Worldwide, which was acquired by WPP in early 2005--Mandel says he was having "a great time with smart people" at Group M. That is, until VNU made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

"There are a number of people who have been trying to get me, on the sales side, on the strategy side, but it wasn't like I was looking to get out," Mandel asserts. "But when [VNU] approached me and told me what they were doing, it was fascinating. It's really a chance to be at the forefront of how this industry is changing, where it's going next.

"At first, I had to make sure part of my fascination wasn't just the fact that it would astound people; I've been in one place for 32 years. But when I thought about it, I realized that it's something that intrigues me professionally; I can't think of another company that works so closely with so many facets of this industry. This is going to be the best of all worlds."

Mandel will be based at VNU's headquarters in New York, and will report to David L. Calhoun, chairman and chief executive officer of VNU.