ANALYSIS: Newsmaker - Young vows to bring internet focus in remaking Zenith - Antony Young is promising to sharpen Zenith's digital edge, reports Alfred Hille

<p>Antony Young has promised to shake up Zenith Media, vowing to make </p><p>it a far more competitive media agency than it is now. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Young, who quit as the chief executive officer of internet marketing </p><p>company AdXplorer, believes he can achieve his objectives by offering </p><p>clients what he calls integrated media solutions. He says these will </p><p>truly take into account marketing opportunities available in the digital </p><p>medium. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In the 12 months that he headed AdXplorer, Young found a noticeable lack </p><p>of understanding about the true potential of internet advertising and </p><p>marketing in his dealings with media agencies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Agencies are good at establishing business units to handle the internet </p><p>but very few understand how to integrate it effectively into their </p><p>marketing communications plans," he claims. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Naturally, few media agencies shared his sentiments. MindShare, </p><p>Universal McCann and CIA said they regularly offer internet </p><p>recommendations as part of integrated campaigns. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>MindShare China chief executive, Chris Walton, says his agency treats </p><p>the internet as one of the many media channels available to clients and </p><p>that "there is a general expectation among clients that media planners </p><p>have a deep understanding of the internet in addition to their expertise </p><p>in traditional media". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Universal McCann Hong Kong managing director, Roid Sin, describes </p><p>Young's comments as hype. "We have a specialised unit to perform </p><p>internet work with an integrated overview, so what he is talking about </p><p>is nothing special at all," he says. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But Young hits back, saying: "The current proposition of most media </p><p>agencies in communications strategies sounds very similar. They're all </p><p>singing the same tune, but I am not convinced that many are delivering </p><p>truly integrated solutions. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Looking from the outside in over the past 12 months, I can say that </p><p>there is still a big gap between what agencies say and do." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Young declines to reveal details of what he is planning, except to say </p><p>that "initially, we'll be internally focused on formulating new </p><p>platforms". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He also said that Zenith would adopt a more competitive profile compared </p><p>with its current positioning. He believes that his experience at the </p><p>helm of a start-up agency has made him more entrepreneurial and </p><p>revenue-focused - a mindset he wants to bring to Zenith. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We'll be more entrepreneurial. We'll keep up with changes to use </p><p>technology to improve efficiency and speed and we'll think about forming </p><p>strategic partnerships in order to place more resources on our core </p><p>competencies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"My role coming back is to instill a vision and a sense of urgency </p><p>because, while the client side is moving forward very rapidly, big </p><p>successful agencies are less inclined to make radical changes quickly. </p><p>They would rather avoid risk and go the tried and tested route," Young </p><p>says. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>AdXplorer recently received a second round of funding from investors, </p><p>one of the fortunate few digital companies to enjoy fresh funds amid the </p><p>current cash crunch. However, Young says that the operating conditions </p><p>of internet companies have been harsh, especially since last autumn. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But he believes that business could have been better if agencies became </p><p>more progressive. "Over the past three years, there has been a huge </p><p>growth in Hong Kong people going online. One estimate puts Hong Kong's </p><p>online population at 70 per cent of its total population. But marketers </p><p>and agencies are still mostly thinking in terms of the 30-second TVC. </p><p>They don't see that other equally effective channels are available." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While Young's comments are likely to prove controversial, other media </p><p>agencies said they would watch Zenith very closely over the next few </p><p>months. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>They say that as they all operate within an industry, it becomes very </p><p>difficult to differentiate themselves from competitors, especially if </p><p>all are progressing at the same rate. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>All eyes are on Zenith now that Young has vowed to remake the </p><p>agency. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As McCann's Sin notes: "Time will be the judge of what will really </p><p>happen." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>