Gurjit Degun
Apr 14, 2022

Cheil Worldwide creates Cheil Connec+ to boost agility

The global offering will be led by Ian Millner.

Ian Milner
Ian Milner

Cheil Worldwide has set up a division that brings together strategy, creativity, innovation, technology, data, retail, CRM, pricing and performance marketing.

Cheil Connec+ will be led by Ian Millner as chief executive. He also retains his role as chair of Iris Worldwide.

Jill Smith, chief marketing officer for North America at Iris Worldwide, becomes global CMO, and Jo Holliday, marketing director for Europe, has been named global marketing director.

The trio will bring together specialisms from Cheil Worldwide agencies Cheil, Barbarian, BMB, Iris and McKinney to answer global client briefs, spanning 53 offices and 6,500 staff.

They aim to position Cheil Connec+ as more "agile and focused than traditional offerings".

Millner told Campaign that he has witnessed a change in businesses, whereby many clients are looking for "tech-level growth" regardless of whether they are a technology company. He said they want strategy, creativity, innovation, technology, data, retail, CRM, pricing and performance marketing "all in one big intense hit".

Millner referred to the clients with which Cheil Connec+ will work as "birth or rebirth", by which he means they will be either start-ups or businesses that are going through a turnaround or transformation.

He added that Cheil Worldwide has already been working in this manner for Samsung. The network has helped the technology brand increase its brand value fourfold over the past 10 years.

"We have grown up as a collective of agency talent, all of whom thrive on the intensity of working with ambitious and competitive clients," Millner said.

"As more clients seek immediate impact and higher levels of performance from their agency partners, we have created a way for clients to work with us seamlessly across time zones and disciplines that brings together strategy, creativity, innovation, technology, data, retail, CRM, pricing and performance marketing, and to unlock their performance headroom.

"Cheil Connec+ offers a more agile and focused approach to collaboration, intentionally eradicating legacy siloes, structures and baggage. Change has changed, and agency networks need to get ahead and seek to become a mission critical multiple for client businesses."

Source:
Campaign UK

Related Articles

Just Published

6 hours ago

WPP's Mark Read sees pay package surge

The holding company's resurgence has resulted in a near-doubling of Read's compensation.

6 hours ago

Mango and other ‘masstige’ brands shutter after ...

Counting their losses in China, affordable fashion and beauty brands are recalibrating their business strategies and turning to the US for expansion.

6 hours ago

The We ❤️ NYC campaign which didn't get much love

Brand creatives and New Yorkers alike wonder who truly owns a mark that’s become emblematic of the city itself.

7 hours ago

Mullen Lintas ropes in Meta's Ram Jayaraman as CCO ...

The creative strategist of Meta takes on the role previously held by Garima Khandelwal, who has moved on from the company.