Publicis launches media buying unit

Publicis Groupe Media has formed a new media buying brand, Media Exchange, in a bid to give the holding company's networks greater clout when buying space throughout the region. <BR><BR> China Media Exchange (CMX), the first operating unit to launch, has opened its doors for business, with Philip Beck taking the helm as CEO, after eight months in charge of ZenithOptimedia's Diversified Services unit in China. It will offer media buying, content provision and diversified services, and will leave Starcom and ZenithOptimedia free to concentrate on communications and tactical planning, with CMX handling media owners, according to Beck. <BR><BR> "It didn't make sense to keep devoting people to doing the same thing, when we could combine the two and have a much greater depth of resources to cover media," said Beck.