Mediabrands Australia Sets Up Branded Content Arm

The Interpublic Group’s Mediabrands operation in Australia is moving into branded entertainment with the launch of another new company, Ensemble. The new company will be led by two of Australia’s most experienced executives in the branded entertainment and strategic sponsorship industry.

Effective March 1st, Ensemble opens its doors headed by Justin Ricketts and Tim Hodgson, who have between them almost 20 years of experience in Australia and in the UK in content-related marketing including strategic sponsorships, branded content strategies, experiential marketing, event management, program creation and grass roots marketing.

“With people in control of the content they consume, we need to get our clients closer to future content creation,” said Mediabrands Australia chairman Henry Tajer. “Ensemble will provide us with the expertise and a channel to plan our clients’ participation in events and programming that complements their traditional marketing plans.

“In many cases that means creating events and programs. That is Ensemble’s specialty,” said Tajer.

Ricketts and Hodgson, who previously worked at Octagon, have been involved in many recent high profile branded entertainment campaigns in Australia and New Zealand for clients including XXXX Gold (Beach Cricket), New Zealand beer Speight’s (The Great Beer Delivery), Unilever’s Rexona (Australia’s Greatest Athlete)  and MasterCard (Debit Music campaign).  They have also worked on sponsorship initiatives for marketers including Lion Nathan, KFC, Coca-Cola and Powerade over the past five years.  Marketers have demonstrated their willingness to be involved in branded entertainment, with budgets running from modest levels up to spends exceeding $5 million.

“Branded entertainment is a way for brands to connect with and engage consumers through content they feel passionate about,” said Ricketts. “People are increasingly distracted in their media consumption and brands need to find a way to become a part of what people are watching and reading rather than relying on being in between it. 

“Marketing professionals need to fully understand what consumers are passionate about and then identify ways for brands to tap into this passion in a relevant and useful way. We will be focusing on creating branded entertainment that captures both brand essence and the emotional interest of the target market," said Ricketts.

The launch of Ensemble, which already has clients but are yet to be named, adds another new business to the Mediabrands stable in Australia. The group is headed by major media communications agencies Initiative and UM, barter company Orion, Magna (investment intelligence) and Reprise Media, the specialist search company launched in February and headed by David Fernandez.