IPG Mediabrands' Reprise to be led by Darren Yuen as group MD

IPG Mediabrands Malaysia has elevated the role of Darren Yuen (pictured bottom right), currently managing director of BPN Malaysia, to group managing director of the newly unified Reprise.This comes after IPG Mediabrands rolled Society and Ansible under the Reprise banner last month, creating a new full-service global performance media marketing unit offering capabilities across digital channels, content creation, product and web development, as well as e-retail and commerce.The executive leadership of Reprise comprises managing director of Society Stanley Clement (pictured top right), managing director of Ansible Manu Menon (pictured top left) and general manager of BPN Anwer Khan (pictured bottom left). Clement will take on the new role of managing director - creative and content, while Menon will helm the role of managing director - tech, product and innovation. Meanwhile, Khan will assume the role of vice president - strategy and integration.The unified Reprise will continue to partner with and support UM and Initiative, the global media networks within IPG Mediabrands, as well as cultivate its own client base. IPG Mediabrands' spokesperson told A+M that Yuen and Khan will continue to lead BPN."The services offered by BPN is complimentary to that of Reprise, and BPN will continue to provide holistic media planning and buying solutions across their clients where Reprise will support the digital integration process, similar to that for UM and Initiative," the spokesperson said.In a statement to A+M, Yuen said the industry has somewhat established its capabilities in silos thus far and Reprise hopes to be able to "harmonise" those silos built within the ecosystem. This will enable it to build business solutions seamlessly and in an integrated form."The business objective is to really put in motion how everything will work collectively in delivering a seamless digital consumer experience," Yuen said. He described Reprise's offering in technology and innovation advancements, creative content, community management, data, analytics, and performance marketing as "very unique", and that driving with technology and creative at the very core will "definitely" work well for brands that are keen to evolve their digital transformation capabilities.According to Yuen, the hype surrounding data and analytics is "a very clear sign" of its importance in the future, and will make the industry more accountable and insightful rather than just being observant."The opportunities that come through this avenue will define how brands exist in the future," he said, adding that there is, however, room for improvement. Yuen said:The biggest improvement is to make data and analytics more tangible for action.In this case, it is about being able to organise and decipher all the data in a structured manner to allow us to be nimble and agile. Having worked at IPG Mediabrands for nearly two years, Yuen said the depth of capabilities within the organisation has allowed great imaginations to be realised, not just from a personal perspective, but also in the clients it services."The biggest reward has always been about winning together, and creating new solutions that allow us to think beyond the scope of which we have been accustomed to," he added.As advancement of digital technology continues to evolve and innovate with new offerings and metrics in the marketplace, it will be key for brands to find partners that can make sense of all this rapid change, and integrate seamlessly across the digital experience. Yuen said that the team at Reprise is "very excited" about this journey and feel that it is in a great position within the industry to re-imagine the future of digital marketing.Bala Pomaleh, CEO of IPG Mediabrands, said the relaunch of Reprise integrates the agency's full spectrum of expertise. "Three of our leading specialist agencies, Ansible, Society and Reprise will bring together a complete digital solution that provides seamless digital consumer experiences to bridge technology, creative content and performance media capabilities through a connected strategy," Pomaleh said.He also said that clients today need an agency that is able to offer a unified approach to consumer engagement across owned, earned, paid and shared media that is centred around digital experiences. “This cohesion in the digital space makes sense as it will allow Reprise to drive demand as a stand-alone proposition, and further enhance the data, creative and culture-driven offerings of UM and Initiative in the marketplace," he added.The new global brand includes a full corporate identity refresh, including a new logo, website, and visual assets, all of which complement the agency’s new positioning for the combined services.