Interpublic's Emerging Media Lab named Scott Wensman director of media strategy and content. In this new position, he will be expected to bridge the gap between Interpublic's media planning and buying
agencies, serving as a resource for agency executives in their attempt to integrate emerging media into clients' media plans.
Wensman most recently served as media director for
Tribal DDB, overseeing the media and search marketing efforts for such clients as Abbott Labs, Ameriquest, eHarmony, Epson and Wells Fargo.
"We wanted to move into execution," explained Lori
Schwartz, senior vice president, director of emerging media for Interpublic's Emerging Media Lab--and Wensman's immediate boss. "We're hoping Scott will add that media layer to our offering."
Based in Los Angeles, Wensman will also assist in establishing partnerships with media vendors, offering advice on current industry trends.
Interpublic's Emerging Media Lab, which grew out of
Interpublic's media brand shop Initiative, was originally assembled to test, research, and develop new media platforms.
At the beginning of the year, the Lab was placed under Interpublic's
Futures Marketing Group, a mixture of smallish digital marketing assets and services directly tied to revenue generation.
In April, the unit entered into a year-long partnership with hot Web TV
startup Joost. The relationship guarantees special pricing and first-to-market opportunities for Interpublic's agencies and advertisers, including Microsoft, Intel, Motorola, Sony Electronics, Taco
Bell, Unilever's Magnum Ice Cream brand, the U.S. Army, Lionsgate, and two European General Motors units, Opel and Vauxhall.
Similar to an ongoing relationship with TiVo, Interpublic's
involvement with Joost rests heavily on research in order to better understand emerging mediums.
Interpublic's agencies participating in the Joost deal include MAGNA Global, McCann Erickson,
Momentum, MRM Worldwide, Octagon, Universal McCann and Weber Shandwick.
According to Schwartz, research gleaned from the TiVo and Joost partnerships is still too preliminary to discuss.
Going forward, areas ripe for investment include mobile, digital out-of-home, and social media, said Wensman. "The process involves finding potential strategic partners, seeing if they meet certain
prerequisites like scale, and then finding the right fit for IPG."
Wensman's hire follows the recent appointment of the Lab's first health-care director, a role that was established as a
specialized resource for Interpublic's health-care agencies and clients.
Of Scott, Schwartz added: "He speaks the language of Interpublic's media agencies and excels at working with marketing
teams to incorporate interactivity into complex advertising campaigns."
Before joining Tribal DDB, Wensman spent several years working for Interpublic agencies in media planning, buying and
analytics roles. From 2002 to 2004, for instance, he was a Web analyst with MRM Worldwide, where he led a team in media data collection, analysis, reporting and optimization for Microsoft Enterprise
online marketing campaigns.