Indiantelevision.com Team

(26 February 2008 4:30 pm)

MUMBAI: Horizon Media has announced the launch of curious@horizon, a new strategic marketing communications unit that gathers its existing consumer and channel insights capabilities and adds creative media solutions.

Oliver Maletz, SVP and MD of the new entity, will lead the development of curious@horizon's services.

"Curious@horizon reflects Horizon's commitment of developing innovative and meaningful solutions to our clients' marketing opportunities," Horizon Media EVP of marketing and brand management Gabrielle Magnani said.

"Marketers are thirsty for a deeper dive into their consumer/brand connection and are more open to an agnostic approach that connects all the components of creative media solutions, insights and research," mediaweek.com quoted Horizon Media president and CEO Bill Koenigsberg as saying.

Horizon Media SVP of creative media solutions Marc Strijdveen has relocated from the company's European division to oversee the creative media group. These creative services have been made available to European clients, but now Horizon is adapting to the changing US landscape, says adweek.com.

Strijdveen will work with the brand teams as well as the media and creative agencies to develop media solutions.

"Now, more than ever, is the time to fully address the changing marketplace. Marketers are thirsty for a deeper dive into their consumer/brand connection and are more open to an agnostic approach that connects all the components of creative media solutions, insights and research," added Koenigsberg.

"Collaboration is the key. You can't do things in a vacuum anymore," said Maletz.

Here is how the new process will work: SVP and director Sheri Roder's consumer insights team will determine what makes consumers tick. SVP and director Eric Blankfein's channel insights group will focus on the optimal means for clients to communicate with consumers. Their findings will assist in fashioning creative solutions.

"We want to use media in a creative way, which may at times call for us to come up with a creative concept. But, we are not in the creative agency business," Koenigsberg was reported as saying.